The Philippine Literary History

21st

Century

Literature

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

The Pre-Colonial Period

• This existed before the Spanish occupationin the 1500s.

• It is oral in nature and is full of lessons andideas about life, its blessings, and itsconsequences.

• It contains ideas from birth to the grave.• 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 Songsa. Riddles a. Lullabiesb. Proverbs b. Drinking Songs

c. Love Songsd. Songs of Deathe. Religious Songs

3. Folk Talesa. Mythsb. Legendsc. Fablesd. Epics

Riddles (Mga Bugtong)

• These are statements that contain superficialwords, but they function figuratively and asmetaphors, and are in the form of questions.

• These are questions that demand deeperanswers.

• 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.

Examples:

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, (It dived,) Tagia que tagia, (You keep on slashing it,)Mbowat lawitan. (It rose.) Hende ta penetra. (But it does not penetrate)

Answer: Ragum (Needle) Answer: Agua (Water)

Proverbs (Mga Salawikain)

• These are statements that are considered aswise.

• These are usually given by parents or eldersof the community.

• There is belief that experience is the bestteacher.

Examples:

Mandaya on Viriginity

Yang ataog aw madugdug, (An egg once broken,)Di da mamauli. (Will never be the same.)

Tausug on Secret Affairs Ilocano on Guilt

In lasa iban uba, (Love and cough,) Ti agutak, (He who cacklesDi hikatapuk. (Cannot be hidden.) Isut nagitlog. (Laid the egg.)

Folk Songs

• These are folk lyrics that are usuallychanted.

• These usually contain ideas onaspirations, hopes, everyday life andexpressions of love for loved ones.

• It is bounded by the learning of goodmorals.

• It is easy to undestand because it isstraightforward and not figurative innature.

Forms

• Lullabies- these is locally known as the Hele.These are sung to put to sleep babies. Thecontent varies, but usually, parents singthese with ideas on how hard life is and howthey hope that their child will notexperience the hardships of life.

• Drinking Songs- these are locally known as Tagay and are sungduring drinking sessions.

• Love Songs- to many Filipinos, theseare known as the Harana. It can also becalled Courtship Songs and are used byyoung men to capture the heart of thegirl that they love.

• Religious Songs- are songs or chants that are usually givenduring exorcisms and thanksgiving during good harvest.

• Songs of Death- are lamentations that contain the roll ofgood deeds that the dead has usually done to immortaliz hisor her good image.

Examples:

Lullabies

Ilocano

Maturog, duduayya Go to sleep, dear little oneMaturog kad tay bunga, Will my child please sleep,Tay lalaki nga napigsa This strong boyTa inton dumakkel tay bunga, So when the child grows bigIsunto aya tay mammati He will obeyTay amon a ibaga me. Everything that we say.

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 isresponsible for the blessings andcalamities.

• These also tackle about irresponsibility, lust, stupidity,deception, and fallibility that eventually leads to the instillingof good morals.

Usual Themes:

• Ceremonies needed to appease thedeities.

• Pre and Post apocalypse• Life and Death• Gods and Goddesses• Heroes and Heroines• Supernatural beings• Animals

Forms

• Myths- these tackle the natural to strangeoccurences of the earth and how thingswere created with an aim to give anexplanation to things.

-There is Bathala for the Tagalogs and theGueurang for the Bikolanos.- Paradise is known as Maca, while Hell isKasanaaan

• Legends- through legends, the nativesuderstood mysteries around them. Thesestories usually come with a moral lesson thatgive 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 nativeFilipinos and are usually bounded by good manners and rightconduct. These stories use animals as characters that represent aparticular value or characteristic.

• Epics- are very lengthy narratives that are based on oral traditions.These contain encounters of fighters, stereotypical princes or heroesthat save a damsel in distress.

Examples:

Myths The Story of BathalaAng Pag-aaway ng Dagat at Langit

Legends The Legend of Maria MakilingThe Legend of the Sampaguita

Fables Ang Kuneho at and PagongSi Juan Tamad

Epics HinilawodDarangen

1521-1898

The

SPANISH

Period

The Spanish Period

• The start of the Philippine's more colorful historytook place in March 6, 1521 when FerdinandMagellan docked on the shores of Homonhon.

• The Filipinos were then called “Ladinos”, meaningthey were latinized.

• Filipinos were called two things. One is the “Taga-Bayan”, while the other isthe “Taga-bukid” or “Taga-bundok”.

• A person who is a Taga-bayan is considered urbane and civilized and were ineasy range of the church and state.

• A person who is a Taga-bundok or Taga-bukid is called a Bruto Salvage (SavageBrute) or Indio and were the ones who lived far from the center of theSpanish power.

Forms

1. Religious Literature 2. Secular orNon-Religious Literature

a. Pasyon a. Awitb. Senakulo b. Koridoc. Komedya c. Prose Narratives

3. Propaganda Literature 4. Revolutionary Literature

Religious Literature

• Revolves around the life and the death of JesusChrist.

Forms of Religious Literature:

Pasyon- it is about the passion (journey and suffering) and the death of JesusChrist.

Senakulo- it is the re-enctment of the Pasyon.

Komedya- it depicts the European society through love and fame, but can alsobe a narrative about a journey, just like Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It isalso considered religous, because it usually depicts the battle between theChristians 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 atLaura 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 aliterary light that teaches Filipinos on proper decorum. Pagsusulatan ngDalawang Binibini na si Urbana at Feliza (1864) is a good example.

Propaganda Literature

• These were in the forms of satires, editorials, andnews articles that aimed to attack the SpanishRule.

• The propaganda trinity is composed of Dr. JoseRizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and Graciano LopezJaena.Examples:

Graciano Lopez Jaena

Ang Fray Botod- One of his works written in Jaro, Iloilo in 1876, six years afterthe Cavite Revolt attacking the friars in the Philippines. He exposed how someof the friars were greedy, ambitious and immoral.

LA HIJA DEL FRAILE (The Child of the Friar) andEVERYTING IS HAMBUG (Everything is mere show)-Here Jaena explains the tragedy of marrying aSpaniard.

Marcelo H. Del Pilar

KAIINGAT KAYO (Be Careful)- a humorous and sarcastic dig in answer to Fr. JoseRodriquez in the novel NOLI of Rizal, published in Barcelona in 1888. He usedDolores Manapat as pen-name here.

DASALAN AT TOCSOHAN (Prayers and Jokes)- similar to a cathecism butsarcastically done agains the parish priests, published in Barcelona in 1888.Because of this, del Pilar was called “filibuster.” Done in admirable tone ofsupplication and excellent use of Tagalog.

ANG CADAQUILAAN NG DIOS (God’s Goodness)-published in Barcelona, it was also like a cathecismsarcastically aimed against the parish priests but alsocontains a philosophy of the power and intelligence ofGod and an appreciation for and love for nature.

Dr. Jose Rizal

NOLI ME TANGERE- his was the novel that gave spirit to the propagandamovement and paved the way to the revolution against Spain. In this book, hecourageously exposed the evils in the Spanish-run government in thePhilippines.

Revolutionary Literature

• are exposes that sparked revolution and resistancein 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 likewisecalled Ang Dekalogo.

Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog (What the Tagalogs should Know) – anessay outlining the basic tenets of Bonifacio’s ideas on nationalism.

Examples:

Emilio Jacinto

Liwanag at Dilim (Light and Darkness) – a collection ofessays 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 PhilippineRepublic) – this essay highlights the establishment of the Philippine republicand its subsequent doom due to disunity among the Filipinos

Examples:

Dr. Jose Rizal

El Filibusterismo– This is a sequel to the NOLI. While theNOLI exposed the evils in society, the FILI exposed those in thegovernment and in the church. However, the NOLI has been dubbed the novelof society while that of FILI is that of politics.

Publications

El Heraldo de la Revolucion (Herald of the Revolution)– printed the decrees of the RevolutionaryGovernment, news and works in Tagalog that aroused nationalism.This is the Official Newspaper of the Revolutionary Governmentof Aguinaldo.

La Independencia (Independence) – an independent newspaper founded andedited by General Antonio Luna.

La Republica Filipina (The Philippine Republic) – a private newspaper edited byPedro 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 andCulture.

• 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, studentsended up following the form of American poets.

Forms

1. Poetry- poetry under the American rule still followedthe style of the old, but had contents that ranged fromfree writing to societal concerns under the Americans.

2. Drama- was usually used in the American period to degrade the Spanish ruleand 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 bycolonial repression.

Poetry

Jose Corazon de Jesus (1832-1896) popularly knownas “Batute,” created his own generation with his firstbook of poems.

Mga Gintong Dahon (1920)- were poems pre-occupied with such non-traditional themes as passion-slaying, grief-induced, insanity, and lover’ssuicide.

Sa Dakong Silangan (1928)- returned to the awit form, retelling the history ofPhilippines under Spain, the coming of the U.S under the guise of friendship totake over from Spain

Drama

Severino Reyes (1861-1942) – spearheaded amovement to supplant the komedya with a new type ofdrama, the sarsuwela, a Filipino adaptation of the Spanish zarzuela.

Examples:

Walang Sugat (1902)- is a sarsuwela (drama in the form singing) drawn from theperiod of Revolution, depicting the cruelty and corruption of friars and theheroism of the soldiers of the Katipunan.

Other successful sarsuwelas:

Hindi Aco Patay (1903) by Juan Matapang Cruz

Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (1903) by AurelioTolentino- is an allegorical presentation of the history of thenationalist struggle and how the U,S. frustrated the Philippinerevolution.

Tanikalang Guinto (1902) by Juan Abad (1872-1932)- is about Liwanag andK’Ulayaw, lovers who stand for freedom and the Filipino.

Remake Novels

Gabriel Beato Francisco (1850-1935)- is best knownfor his trilogy of Fulgencia Galbillo (1907), CapitanBensio (1907), Alfaro (1909), depicting the 30 years of colonialrepression by the Spanish rule.

Inigo Ed. Regalado (1888-1976)- Madaling Araw (1909) was his first novelshowing the complex interrelations of issues and people in contemporaryPhilippine society.

Juan Lauro Arsciwals (1889-1928)- Lalaking Uliran o Tulisan (1914), allusion tothe 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 mandatedunder 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 forsome.

• Filipino literature was given a break during thisperiod. Many wrote plays, poems, short stories,etc. Topics and themes were often about life in theprovinces.

Forms

1. Poetry

2. Fiction

3. Drama

4. Newspapers

5. Essays

Drama

The drama experienced a lull during theJapanese period because movie houses showingAmerican films were closed. The big movie houseswere just made to show stage shows. Many of the plays werereproductions of English plays to Tagalog..

Newspapers

Writings that came out during this period were journalistic in nature. Writers feltsuppressed but slowly, the spirit of nationalism started to seep into theirconsciousness. While some continued to write, the majority waited for a better

climate to publish their works.

Poetry

The common theme of most poems during theJapanese 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 Filipinosand 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 ofliterary innovations that are adapted and created byFilipinos. Nowadays, even those who do not have anysignificant literary background make their own way using the freedomthat 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 farit will go on from here.

FIN