21

st

Century
Literature
The 21st century in literature
refers to world literature
produced during the 21st
century. Literature written
from (roughly) the year 2001 to
the present.
21st Century
Literature
Importance
What is the importance of 21st century literature?

It teaches us about life by

exposing us to the lives of
different people through their
stories, and from these vicarious
experiences, we learn important
lessons and values.
21st Century Literature
from the Philippines and
the World
Geographic, Linguistic and Ethnic Dimensions of Philippine
Literary History from Pre-Colonial to the Contemporary
 PERIODS OF
P H I L I P P I N E LITERARY
H I STO RY
P E R I O D S O F P HI LI PP I N E
LITERARY HI STO RY

Pre-Colonial Spanish American

Period Period Period

Contemporary
J a panese Period &
Period Modern Period
 PRE – COLONIAL
PERIOD
(1565)
The pre-colonial literature includes
all literature produced before the
Spanish colonization like chants,
proverbs, songs, and folk narratives.

Ethnic literature may be classified

into three groups: folk songs/folk
speech, folk tales, and epic.
FOLK SPEECH
• Riddle/Bugtong

–are like proverbs with one main

difference: demand an answer and are
used to test the wits of those listening to
them.

– Rely on talinghaga (metaphor)

– Flippant in nature

Examples:

Heto na si Kaka, bubuka-bukaka

Sa araw ay bungbong, sa gabi ay dahon.

FOLK SPEECH
• Proverbs - Proverbs and aphorisms/
saliwakain/ kasabihan

–are practical observations and

philosophy of everyday life that are
written usually in a rhyming scheme.

–meant to entertain while teaching basic

skills in surviving local life.

Examples:

Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga.

Kung walang tiyaga, walang nilaga

 FOLK SPEECH
• Lullabies - Sung to put children to sleep

-Called oyayi/ ili-ili/ duayya/ tumaila/

baliwayway and andang

• Love Songs - Frequently concern romantic

love (form or strengthen bonds between
lovers)

-Courtship songs are many in ethnic literature.

-Panawagon, balitao, aliri, diona, harana, and

ambahan are other names for love songs in
different dialects.

– Ambahan, a poem with seven syllables per

line, the ending syllables following a rhyme
scheme; used as form of social entertainment
and as a tool for teaching the young.
 FOLK SPEECH
• Drinking Songs - Sung during
carousals
• – Brief, always merry, almost
hedonistic
• – Many originated in the Bicol
area
where they are called
• tigsik or tagay.
• • Work Songs - foster cohesiveness
within the community
• – depict the different forms of
livelihood
• – sung to synchronize the movements of
workers
 FOLK SPEECH
• Religious Songs and Death Songs -
songs for solemn affairs - Prayer of
Thanksgiving (ambaamba) -
Exorcism
• chant (bugyaw) - Deaths occasion
the singing of dirges or
lamentations, in which the deeds
of the dead are recounted.
 FOLKTALES
(kwentong bayan)
•Myths - a traditional or
legendary story, usually
concerning some being or hero
or event, with or without a
determinable basis of fact or a
natural explanation.
 •Legends (alamat) - are believed to be about
more recent events - used to explain certain
FOLKTALES events or phenomena in our ancestors’ lives
that cannot be explained by the limited
(kwentong bayan) practical kind of science they
knew back then.
 FOLKTALES
(kwentong bayan)

•Fables - are short

tales, usually
involving animals,
which teach a
moral lesson
E PIC S
EPICS
•Long-winded poems about a hero (usually male) and
his adventures and misadventures.
•The hero is usually born with all the pleasing qualities
that the ancestors like and has superhuman capabilities.
•The hero is usually paired with a beautiful young
maiden

Biag ni Lam-ang (lit. 'The Life of Lam-ang') is an epic story of

the Ilocano people from the Ilocos region of the Philippines. It is
notable for being the first Philippine folk epic to be recorded in
written form, and was one of only two folk epics documented
during the Philippines' Spanish Colonial period, along with the
Bicolano epic of Handiong. 
SPA NISH P E R I O D
(1565-1871)
• Colonization was brought about by industrial revolution.

• Age of Voyages and Explorations

• Propelled by 3Gs (God, Gold, and Glory)

• Blood compact with Datus Sikatuna and Gala in Bohol

•Established 1st Spanish settlement in Philippine soil at Cebu

(Ciudad del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus)

•To be civilized meant to stay in a pueblo under the control of

the Spanish king, and be a Christian
 SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S
I N LITERATURE
• Replacement of Baybayin to Roman alphabet.
SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S
IN LITERATURE
•Teaching of the Christian doctrine became the basis
of religious practices.
• Spanish language became the literary language.

•European legends and traditions brought here

became assimilated in our songs, corridos, and
moromoros.
• Ancient literature was collected and
translated to
Tagalog and other dialects.
•Many grammar books were printed in Filipino, like
Tagalog, Ilocano and Visayan.
 SPANISH
I N F LU E N C E S IN
LITERATURE
•Spanish language became the literary
language.
•European legends and traditions
brought here became assimilated in our
songs, corridos, and moromoros.
SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S
IN LITERATURE
• Spanish language became the literary
language.
•European legends and traditions
brought here became assimilated in
our songs, corridos, and moromoros.
•Ancient literature was collected and
translated to Tagalog and other
dialects.
• Many grammar books were printed in
Filipino, like
Tagalog, Ilocano and Visayan.
SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
LITERATURE
• Periodicals during these times gained religious tone
• Two distinct classifications: religious and secular.
• Written literature is a legacy of Spanish colonial rule.
• Writing during this time may be classified into religious prose and
poetry and secular prose
and poetry.
• Religious poetry may be grouped into lyrics and narratives.
• Lyrics include complimentary verses written by socalled ladino.
SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
LITERATU RE
• Another type is meditative verses attached to religious works
such as novenas and catechisms.
• Religious narrative poetry is primarily the pasyon .
•Gaspar Aquino de Belen’s Ang Mahal na Pasion ni Jesu
Cristong Panginoon Natin na Tola (1704) is the earliest known
Filipino pasyon
•Casaysayan nang Pasiong Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon
Natin na Sucak Ipag-alab nang Puso nang Sinomang Babasa
(Pasyong Genesis) became the most popular and was translalted
into other languages.
 SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
LITERATURE
• Religious narrative prose consists of the various
kinds of prose narratives written to
prescribe proper behavior.
• These were channels for instruction in the Catholic
faith and for colonization.
•Include forms as the dialogo (dialogue), the manual
de urbanidad (conduct book), ejemplo (exemplum)
and tratado (polemical tract).
 SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
•
LITERATURE
Pasyon - narrative poem about the life of Jesus Christ, beginning from his
birth up to his death

– usually sung during Lenten season

• Cenaculo -Written in octosyllabic verse

– dramatization of the passion of Christ

– highlights the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ done during the Lenten
season
• Awit - Set in dodecasyllabic quatrains

– Metrical romance

– Colorful tale of chivalry made for singing and chanting

– E . g. Florante at Laura
SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
LITERATURE
• Corrido – set in octosyllabic quatrains

– Metrical romance

– Colorful tale of chivalry made for singing and chanting

• Moro-Moro – Comedia de Capa Y Espada

–dramatization of the passion of Christ blood-and-thunder melodrama depicting the conflict of

Christians and Muslims
– Usually about battles to the death and the proofs of faith

• Carillo – play that uses shadows as its main spectacle

– A form of dramatic entertainment performed on a moonless night during a town fiesta

– Created by animating figures made from cardboard, which are projected onto a white screen
SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
LITERATURE
• Tibag (to excavate) - dramatic reenactment of St . Helena’s search for the Holy Cross

•Karagatan - A poetic vehicle of a socio-religious nature celebrated during the death of a

person

– A ritual is performed based on a legend about a princess who dropped her ring into
the middle of the sea who offered her hand in marriage to anyone who can retrieve it
• Duplo - Replaced the Karagatan

– Poetic joust in speaking and reasoning

– The roles are taken from the Bible and from proverbs and saying

– Usually played during wakes for the dead

 SPANISH I N F LU E N C E S I N
LITERATURE
• Balagtasan - Debate in verse
– Replaced the duplo and is held to honor Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar
–Poetical joust done almost spontaneously between protagonists who
debate over the pros and cons of an issue
• Zarzuela - Considered the father of the drama
– one of the most famous forms of entertainment back in the Spanish era
– musical comedies or melodramas that deal with the elemental passions
of human beings
– follows a certain plot
 S PA N I S H I N F L U E N C E S I N
L I T E R AT U R E
O Kundiman
- In the era of Spanish colonialism, the term "kundiman" first appeared.
This referred to the traditional love song that comes in a 3/4 time verse.
- By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Kundiman
had become an art song.
- They are frequently sung in Spanish or Tagalog and are extremely poetic.
- The melody has a calm, flowing rhythm that is marked by dramatic
intervals.
- Filipino composers like Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelardo
defined its musical framework. The King and Queen of Kundiman were
Ruben Tagalog and Sylvia La Torre respectively.
 THE PROPAGANDA
MOVEMENT / PERIOD
OF ENLIGHTENMENT
(1872-1898)
•J O S E P. RIZAL - Known for his pen
names Laong Laan and Dimasalang
–Died by musketry in the hands of the
Spaniards on December 30, 1896 on
charges of sedition

and rebellion against the Spaniards

–N OL I M E TANGE RE exposed the evils
in society
–E L FILIBUSTE RISMO exposed the
evils in the government and in the
church
 THE
PROPAGANDA
MOVEMENT
• MARCELO H. DEL PILAR -
Known for his pen names
Plaridel, Pupdoh, Piping Dilat,
and Dolores Manapat
O – Established Diariong Tagalog in
1883 where he exposed the evils
of the Spanish government in the
Philippines.
 THE PROPAGANDA
MOVEMENT
• GRACIANO LOPEZ JA E N A

– Known writer and orator

in the Philippines -
Established LA
SOLIDARIDAD (which
later became the official
voice of the Assosacion
Hispano de Filipinas)
 PERIOD OF
ACTIVE
REVOLUTION
• ANDRES BONIFACIO
– Father of Filipino Democracy;
– Father of the Katipunan
–What he learned he got from
the school of experience
– Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
 PERIOD OF ACTIVE
REVOLUTION
• APOLINARIO MABINI
– Sublime Paralytic; Brains of the
Revolution
–Became the right-hand of Emilio
Aguinaldo when the latter
founded his Republic in Malolos
–El Verdadero Decalogo (The True
Decalogue or Ten Commandments)
 PERIOD OF
ACTIVE
REVOLUTION
• EMILIO JACINTO
–Intelligent assistant of
Andres Bonifacio
–He edited Kalayaan, a
Katipunan newspaper
–Kartilya ng Katipunan
 AMERICAN PERIOD
(1898-1941)
• Treaty of Paris-ceded the Philipines to the Us, $20M
• 1901 public education was insitutionalized
• 600 educators in the SS Thomas (Thomasites)
• Changes: democracy; Westernization of Filipino taste in
food and clothing; Americanized
manners;
deterioration of close family ties; emancipation of women;
popular education
 Literature during American Period
• Period of Re-orientation
– English as a literary vehicle came with the
American occupation in August 13, 1898
–Writers were still adjusting to the
newfound freedom after the paralyzing
effect of repression of thought and speech
under the Spanish
 Literature during American Period
• Period of Imitation
–By 1919, the UP College Folio published the literary
compositions of the first Filipino writers in English
(pioneers in short story writing)
–Writers were then grouping their way into imitating
American and British models which resulted in a
stilted, artificial and unnatural style
 Literature during American Period
• Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930)
– New literary forms were introduced, chiefly, free verse,
the modern short story, and the critical essay - Filipino
writers imitated English and American models - Poems
were amateurish and mushy
• Period of Emergence (1920 – 1930)
– Highly influenced by Western literary trends
(Romanticism and Realism)
– Short stories were the most prevalent literary form
 Literature during American Period
• Period of Self-Discovery and Growth
– By this time, Filipino writers had acquired the mastery of English
writing
– Competently wrote on a lot of subjects (although old-time favorites: love
and youth)
– Went into all forms of writing like the novel and the drama
– Poetry: not only love poems; patriotic, religious, descriptive and
reflective
– Free verse, in odes and sonnets
– Poetry was original, spontaneous, competently written, incorporated
social consciousness
 J A PAN E SE PERIOD(1941-1945)
• Philippine literature in English came to a halt
•This had an advantageous effect on Filipino Literature which
experienced renewed attention because writers in English turned to
writing in Filipino.
•The common theme of poems was nationalism, country, love, life in
barrios, faith, religion, and the arts
•Three types of poem emerged: haiku (free verse with 17 syllables
divided into 3 lines [5-7-5]), tanaga (short but had measure and rhyme,
17 syllables), karaniwang anyo.
• The field of the short story widened because many wrote short stories
J APAN ESE PERIOD
• Writings that came out during this period were journalistic in
nature
• Americans returned in 1945
• On July 4, 1946, the Philippines regained its freedom
• “struggle of mind and spirit” posed by the sudden
emancipation from the enemy and the wild
desire to see print
• Filipinos had learned to express themselves more confidently
J APAN ESE PERIOD
• The themes of most poems dealt with the usual love of
nature, and of social and political
problems
• Longer and longer pieces were being written by writers
• Philippine literature in Tagalog was revived during this
period
• Most themes in the writings dealt with Japanese brutalities,
of the poverty of life under the
Japanese government and the brave guerilla exploits
• Newspapers and magazine publications were re-opened
PERIOD OF LITERATURE IN ENGLISH (1946-
1970)

OFor Living
OFor Propaganda
 CONTEMPORARY & M O D E R N
PERIOD
OPeriod of Activism (1970-1972)
OPeriod of New Society (1972-1980)
OPeriod of the Third Republic (1981-1985)
ORebirth of Freedom (1986-1999)
O21st Century (2000-present)
 CONTEMPORARY & MODERN
PERIOD
• Substantial awards in film-making

• Expansion to cater to children’s needs

• Popularity of Taglish

• Notion of seeking popularity and ratings through exposure

• Creative writing workshops

• Novels did not continue to flourish; novel writers settled in their twilight years

•Contemporary Philippine literature is a product of troubled times, the see-sawing balance

between cosmopolitanism and nationalism, elitism and democracy, art and politics, leaving a
body of writing of considerable variety.
• Filipino today is no longer a sentimental choice; it is necessary choice because it is the
language that allows writers to communicate with the masses
1. 1565 A. JAPANESE PERIOD
2. 1565-1871 B. REBIRTH OF FREEDOM
C. PERIOD OF 3RD REPUBLIC
3. 1872-1898
D. AMERICAN PERIOD
4. 1898-1941 E. PRE- COLONIAL PERIOD
5. 1941-1945 F. 21ST CENTURY
6. 1946-1970 G. SPANISH PERIOD
7. 1970-1980 H. PERIOD OF ENLIGHTENMENT
8. 1981-1985 I. PERIOD OF ACTIVISM/PERIOD OF
NEW SOCIETY
9. 1986-1999 J. PERIOD OF LIT IN ENGLISH
10. 2001- Present
THE KUNDIMAN