What is Literature ?

Literature
• Is a body of written works.
• Originated from oral traditions.
• Are imaginative works.
• Deals with stories and poetry.
• The content depends on the author
 Three Points of Literature
• Literature portrays human
experience.
• Authors interpret these human
experiences.
• It is an art form and a style of
expression.
 The Three Literary Periods
•BC-1564 The Pre-Colonial Period

•This 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.
 BC-1564 The Pre-Colonial Period

• The oral characteristic of pre-colonial literature

gives the possibility for many alterations.

• In the Philippine context, no matter how it may

be considered as altered, pre-colonial literature is
still revered to by many Filipinos.
• The sources are usually the local native town
folk.
 Forms
1. Oral Literature 2. Folk Songs
a. Riddles a. Lullabies
b. Proverbs b. Drinking Songs
c. Love Songs
3. Folk Tales d. Songs of Death
a. Myths e. Religious Songs
b. Legends
c. Fables
d. Epics
 Riddles (Mga Bugtong)
These are statements that contain superficial
words, but they function figuratively and as
metaphors, and are in the form of questions.
These are questions that demand deeper
answers.
Deals with everyday life.
It usually has mundane things as answers.
This is used in the past as a form of game in
small or large gatherings.
It usually has mundane things as answers.
This is used in the past as a form of game in
small or large gatherings.
 Examples: Riddles
• Bisaya
Baboy sa lasang, (A wild pig of the forest,)
Ang tunok puro lansang. (Is covered with
spikes.)

Answer: Nangka (Jackfruit)

Meranaw Chabacano
Sominub lawiyan, Tagia que tagia,
(It dived,) (You keep on
slashing it,)
Mbowat lawitan.
Hende ta penetra.
(It rose.)
(But it does not
Answer: Ragum penetrate)
(Needle) Answer: Agua
(Water)
 Proverbs (Mga Salawikain)
• These are statements that are considered as
wise.
• These are usually given by parents or elders
of the community.
• There is belief that experience is the best
teacher.
 Examples: Proverbs

Mandaya on Viriginity
Yang ataog aw madugdug, (An egg
once broken,)
Di da mamauli. (Will never be the
same.)
 Tausug on Secret Affairs
• In lasa iban uba, (Love and
cough,)
Di hikatapuk. (Cannot be
hidden.)
 Ilocano on Guilt

Ti agutak, (He who cackles

Isut nagitlog. (Laid the egg.)
 Assignment

Give 5 examples of each form

of oral literature, riddles and
proverbs.
 Folk Songs
• These are folk lyrics that are usually
chanted.
• These usually contain ideas on aspirations,
hopes, everyday life and expressions of
love
for loved ones.
• It is bounded by the learning of good
morals.
• It is easy to understand because it is
• Lullabies- these is locally known as the Hele.
These are sung to put to sleep babies. The
content varies, but usually, parents sing
these with ideas on how hard life is and how
they hope that their child will not
experience the hardships of life.
• Drinking Songs- these are locally known as
Tagay and are sung during drinking sessions.
• Love Songs- to many Filipinos, these are
known as the Harana. It can also be called
Courtship Songs and are used by young men
to capture the heart of the girl that they love.
• Religious Songs- are songs or chants that are
usually given during exorcisms and
thanksgiving during good harvest.
• Songs of Death- are lamentations that contain
the roll of good deeds that the dead has usually
done to immortalize his or her good image.
 Examples:Lullabies
• Ilocano
Maturog, duduaya (Go to sleep, dear little one)
Maturog kad tay bunga, (Will my child please
sleep,)
Tay lalaki nga napigsa (This strong boy)
Ta inton dumakkel tay bunga, (So when the
child grows big)
Isunto aya tay mammati (He will obey)
Tay amon a ibaga me. (Everything that we
 Assignment
Give 5 examples of each form of folk
songs, lullabies, Love songs, drinking
songs, songs of death, and religious
songs.
 Folk Tales (Mga Kwentong Bayan)
• These are stories of native Filipinos.
• These deal with the power of nature
personified, their submission to a deity usually
Bathala- and how this deity is responsible for
the blessings and calamities.
• These also tackle about irresponsibility, lust,
stupidity, deception, and fallibility that
eventually leads to the instilling
of good morals.
 Usual Themes:
• Ceremonies needed to appease the
deities.
• Pre and Post apocalypse
• Life and Death
• Gods and Goddesses
• Heroes and Heroines
• Supernatural beings
• Animals
 Forms Myths
• Myths- these tackle the natural to
strange occurences of the earth and
how things were created with an aim
to give an explanation to things.
-There is Bathala for the Tagalogs
and the Gueurang for the Bikolanos.
- Paradise is known as Maca, while
Hell is Kasanaaan
• Legends- through legends, the natives
understood mysteries around them. These
stories usually come with a moral lesson that
give credit to supernatural powers,
supernatural occurences, and other out-of this-
world native imagination.
• Fables- are short or brief stories that cater the children of the
native
Filipinos and are usually bounded by good manners and right
conduct. These stories use animals as characters that represent a
particular value or characteristic.
• Epics- are very lengthy narratives that are based on oral
traditions.
These contain encounters of fighters, stereotypical princes or
heroes that save a damsel in distress.
Examples:
• Myths The Story of Bathala
Ang Pag-aaway ng Dagat at Langit
• Legends The Legend of Maria Makiling
The Legend of the Sampaguita
• Fables Ang Kuneho at and Pagong
Si Juan Tamad
• Epics Hinilawod
Darangen
Ass. Give 1 examples of folk tales.
a. Myths b. Legends
c. Fables d. Epics
 
1521-1898
The
SPANISH
Period
The Spanish Period
• The start of the Philippine's more colorful history
took place in March 6, 1521 when Ferdinand
Magellan docked on the shores of Homonhon.
• The Filipinos were then called “Ladinos”, meaning
they were latinized.
• Filipinos were called two things. One is the “Taga-Bayan”,
while the other is the “Taga-bukid” or “Taga-bundok”.
• A person who is a Taga-bayan is considered urbane and
civilized and were in easy range of the church and state.
• A person who is a Taga-bundok or Taga-bukid is called a
Bruto Salvage (Savage Brute) or Indio and were the ones
who lived far from the center of the Spanish power.
Forms
1. Religious Literature
a. Pasyon
b. Senakulo
c. Komedya
2. Secular or Non-Religious Literature
a. Awit
b. Korido
c. Prose Narratives
3. Propaganda Literature
4. Revolutionary Literature
Religious Literature
• Revolves around the life and the death of Jesus Christ.
Forms of Religious Literature:
• Pasyon- it is about the passion (journey and
suffering) and the death of Jesus Christ.
• Senakulo- it is the re-enctment of the Pasyon.
• Komedya- it depicts the European society through
love and fame, but can also be a narrative about a
journey, just like Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It
is also considered religous, because it usually depicts
the battle between the Christians and the Saracens or
the Moros.
Secular or Non- Religious Literature
• Revolves around tales of valiance and adventure.
• Forms of Secular or Non-Religious Literature:
• Awit- these are tales of chivalry where a knight saves
a princess. Florante at Laura is a good example.
• Korido- is a metrical tale or a tale that follows the
struture of a poem.
• Prose Narratives- are easy to understand instructional
materials that in a literary light that teaches Filipinos
on proper decorum. Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang
Binibini na si Urbana at Feliza (1864) is a good
example.
Propaganda Literature
• These were in the forms of satires, editorials, and
news articles that aimed to attack the Spanish Rule.
• The propaganda trinity is composed of Dr. Jose
Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez Jaena
Examples.
• Graciano Lopez Jaena
• Ang Fray Botod- One of his works written in Jaro,
Iloilo in 1876, six years after the Cavite Revolt
attacking the friars in the Philippines. He exposed
how some of the friars were greedy, ambitious and
immoral.
• LA HIJA DEL FRAILE (The Child of the Friar) and
• EVERYTING IS HAMBUG (Everything is mere show)-
Here Jaena explains the tragedy of marrying a Spaniard.
• Marcelo H. Del Pilar
• KAIINGAT KAYO (Be Careful)- a humorous and
sarcastic dig in answer to Fr. Jose Rodriquez in the novel
NOLI of Rizal, published in Barcelona in 1888. He used
Dolores Manapat as pen-name here.
• DASALAN AT TOCSOHAN (Prayers and Jokes)-
similar to a cathecism but sarcastically done agains the
parish priests, published in Barcelona in 1888. Because
of this, del Pilar was called “filibuster.” Done in
admirable tone of supplication and excellent use of
Tagalog.
• ANG CADAQUILAAN NG DIOS (God’s
Goodness) published in Barcelona, it was also like
a cathecism sarcastically aimed against the parish
priests but also contains a philosophy of the power
and intelligence of God and an appreciation for and
love for nature.
• Dr. Jose Rizal
• NOLI ME TANGERE- his was the novel that gave
spirit to the propaganda movement and paved the
way to the revolution against Spain. In this book,
he courageously exposed the evils in the Spanish-
run government in the Philippines.
• Revolutionary Literature
• are exposes that sparked revolution and resistance
in the hearts of Filipinos.
Examples:
• Andres Bonifacio
• Katungkulang Gagawin ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(Obligations of our Countrymen)
– an outline of obligations just like the Ten
Commandments, hence, it is likewise called Ang
Dekalogo.
• Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog (What the
Tagalogs should Know) – an essay outlining the basic
tenets of Bonifacio’s ideas on nationalism.
• Examples:
• Emilio Jacinto
• Liwanag at Dilim (Light and Darkness) – a
collection of essays on different subjects like
freedom, work, faith, government and love of
country.
• Apolinario Mabini
• El Desarollo y Caida de la Republica Filipina
(The Rise and Fall of the Philippine Republic) –
this essay highlights the establishment of the
Philippine republic and its subsequent doom due
to disunity among the Filipinos
• Examples:
• Dr. Jose Rizal
• El Filibusterismo– This is a sequel to the NOLI.
While the NOLI exposed the evils in society, the
FILI exposed those in the government and in the
church. However, the NOLI has been dubbed the
novel of society while that of FILI is that of
politics.
• Publications
• El Heraldo de la Revolucion (Herald of the Revolution)
– printed the decrees of the Revolutionary Government,
news and works in Tagalog that aroused nationalism.
• This is the Official Newspaper of the Revolutionary
Government of Aguinaldo.
• La Independencia (Independence) – an independent
newspaper founded and edited by General Antonio
Luna.
• La Republica Filipina (The Philippine Republic) – a
private newspaper edited by Pedro Paterno.
• La Libertad (Liberty) – another private newspaper
edited by Clemente Zulueta.
 1900-1942
The
AMERICAN
Period
• The American Period
• The Philippines had a great leap in Education and
Culture.
• The use of English alongside Filipino was
practiced.
• The Philippines Public School system was
introduced.
• Free public instruction was given to the Filipinos.
• The literature during the American period was
considered as imitative of American model. Instead
of asking the students to write originals, students
ended up following the form of American poets.
• Forms
• 1. Poetry- poetry under the American rule still
followed the style of the old, but had contents that
ranged from free writing to societal concerns
under the Americans.
• 2. Drama- was usually used in the American
period to degrade the Spanish rule and to
immortalize the heroism of the men who fought
under the Katipunan.
• 3. Remake Novels- took up Dr. Jose Rizal's
portrayal of social conditions by colonial
repression.
Poetry
• Jose Corazon de Jesus (1832-1896) popularly
known as “Batute,” created his own generation
with his first book of poems.
• Mga Gintong Dahon (1920)- were poems pre-
occupied with such nontraditional themes as
passion-slaying, grief-induced, insanity, and
lover’s suicide.
• Sa Dakong Silangan (1928)- returned to the awit
form, retelling the history of Philippines under
Spain, the coming of the U.S under the guise of
friendship to take over from Spain
Drama
• Severino Reyes (1861-1942) – spearheaded a
movement to supplant the komedya with a new
type of drama, the sarsuwela, a Filipino
adaptation of the Spanish zarzuela.
Examples:
• Walang Sugat (1902)- is a sarsuwela (drama in the
form singing) drawn from the period of
Revolution, depicting the cruelty and corruption
of friars and the heroism of the soldiers of the
Katipunan.
Other successful sarsuwelas:
• Hindi Aco Patay (1903) by Juan Matapang Cruz
• Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (1903) by Aurelio
• Tolentino- is an allegorical presentation of the
history of the nationalist struggle and how the
U,S. frustrated the Philippine revolution.
• Tanikalang Guinto (1902) by Juan Abad (1872-
1932)- is about Liwanag and K’Ulayaw, lovers
who stand for freedom and the Filipino.
Remake Novels
• Gabriel Beato Francisco (1850-1935)- is best
known for his trilogy of Fulgencia Galbillo (1907),
Capitan Bensio (1907), Alfaro (1909), depicting the
30 years of colonial repression by the Spanish rule.
• Inigo Ed. Regalado (1888-1976)- Madaling Araw
(1909) was his first novel showing the complex
interrelations of issues and people in contemporary
Philippine society.
• Juan Lauro Arsciwals (1889-1928)- Lalaking Uliran
o Tulisan (1914), allusion to the colonial law that
branded Filipino patriots as bandits.
 1941-1945
The
JAPANESE
Period
1946- 1985
The
REPUBLIC
The Japanese Period and the Republic
• The Philippine literature came into a halt.
• The use of the English language was forbidden, and
the use of the Filipino language was mandated under
the Japanese rule.
• For some this was a problem, but to most writers, it
was a blessing in disguise.
• Almost all news papers were stopped except for
some.
• Filipino literature was given a break during this
period. Many wrote plays, poems, short stories, etc.
Topics and themes were often about life in the
provinces.
Forms
1. Poetry
2. Fiction
3. Drama
4. Newspapers
5. Essays
Drama
• The drama experienced a lull during the Japanese
period because movie houses showing American
films were closed. The big movie houses were just
made to show stage shows. Many of the plays
were reproductions of English plays to Tagalog..
• Newspapers
• Writings that came out during this period were
journalistic in nature. Writers felt suppressed but
slowly, the spirit of nationalism started to seep into
their consciousness. While some continued to
write, the majority waited for a better climate to
publish their works.
Poetry
• The common theme of most poems during the
Japanese occupation was nationalism, country,
love, and life in the barrios, faith, religion and
the arts.
• Fiction
• The field of the short story widened during the
Japanese Occupation. Many wrote short stories.
Essays
• Essays were composed to gorify the Filipinos
and at the same time to figuratively attack the
Japanese.
 LITERATURE
OF
THE PHILIPPINES
TODAY
21st Century Literature
• In the 21st centruy Philippines, there are a lot of
literary innovations that are adapted and created
by Filipinos. Nowadays, even those who do not
have any significant literary background make
their own way using the freedom that they have to
write and to express.
• There are a lot of new froms from the basic
genres of literature; thus, proving how far the
literature in the Philippines has gone and how far
it will go on from here.
FIN