21st

Century
Literature
LITERATURE IS?
Literatur
e means acquaintance with letters
• Comes from the Latin word “LITERA” which

• Body of written works

• refers to written works of imaginative, artistic, or
intellectual value
• Form of art and style of expression
• Content depends on the author
• Portrays human experience
• Originated from oral traditions
PERIODS OF
PHILIPPINE
HISTORY

1. PRE-COLONIAL
PERIOD
Characteristic
s Existed before the Spanish occupation
in the 1500s
It is oral in nature and is full of lessons
and ideas about life, its blessings, and
its consequences
 It contains ideas from birth to the
grave.
 The sources are usually the local
native town folks
FORMS
1. Oral Literature
a.Riddles 3. Folk
b. Proverbs Tales
2. Folk Songs
a.Myths
b.Lullabies
c. Drinking Songs b.Legends
d.Love songs c.Fables
e. Songs of death d. Epics
f. Religious songs
Riddle Proverbs

These are statements that These are statements that are

contain superficial words, considered wise.
but they function These are usually given by
figuratively and as parents or elders of the
metaphors, and are in the community.
form of questions. There is the belief that experience
is the best teacher.
Aling mabuting letrato ang
kuhang-kuha sa mukha While there is life, there is hope.
mo? In every forest, there is a snake.
Folk Songs
Folk lyrics are usually chanted
with themes of aspirations,
hopes, and everyday life. It is
easy to understand because it
is straightforward and not
figurative in nature.
Si Pilemon
Namasol sa kadagatan
Nakakuha ng isdang
tambasakan
Guibaligya sa merkadong
guba
Ang halin puros kura ang
halin puros kura
Igora ipanuba
Lullaby (Hele or Oyayi)
Drinking Songs
This is locally known as (Dipayanin)
the Hele. These are sung
to put to sleep babies. The
content varies, but These are locally
usually, parents sing these known as Tagay
with ideas on how hard and are sung
life is and how they hope during drinking
that their child will not
sessions.
experience the hardships
of life.
Ili-ili tulog anay
Wala diri imong nanay
Kadto tienda bakal papay
Ili-ili tulog anay
 Folktales
Love Songs Religious Songs of Death
(Kundiman) Songs
These are stories of
These are
native Filipinos. These
To many These are lamentations
deal with the power of
Filipinos, these songs or that contain
nature- personified,
are known as the chants that are the roll of good
their submission to a
Harana. It can usually given deeds that the
deity- usually Bathala-
also be called during dead have
and how this deity is
Courtship Songs exorcisms and usually done to
responsible for the
and is used by thanksgiving immortalize
blessings and calamities.
young men to during good his or her good
These also tackle
capture the heart harvest. image.
irresponsibility, lust,
of the girl that
stupidity, deception,
they love.
and fallibility that
eventually lead to the
instilling of good
morals.
Folktales
Myth Legend
These are stories of
This tackles the This usually comes
native Filipinos. These
natural to strange with a moral lesson
deal with the power of
occurrences of the that gives credit to
nature- personified,
earth and how things supernatural
their submission to a
were created with an powers,
deity- usually Bathala-
aim to give an supernatural
and how this deity is
explanation to things. occurrences, and
responsible for the
other out-of-this-
blessings and
world native
calamities. These also
imagination.
tackle irresponsibility,
lust, stupidity,
deception, and
fallibility that
eventually lead to the
Epic Fables

These are very lengthy These are brief stories that

narratives that are cater to the children of the
based on oral native Filipinos and are
traditions. These usually bounded by good
contain encounters of manners and right conduct.
fighters, stereotypical These stories use animals as
princes, or heroes that characters that represent a
save a damsel in particular value or
distress. characteristic.