1st Century Literature in Various Regions, 21st Century Literature from the Philippines

and the World

Life and Works of Jose Garcia Villa

 Lesson6 chapters
 Questions

Objective
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to recognize Jose Garcia Villa’s contributions to the
development of Philippine literature.

Who is Jose Garcia Villa?

What are his contributions to Philippine literature?

Learn about it!

Jose Garcia Villa
 Jose Garcia Villa was a Filipino literary critic, poet, painter, and short story writer. He was
born on August 5, 1908 in Manila.
 He gained both local and international recognition for his works. He was named as the
National Artist for Literature in 1973, and he was also a recipient of the Guggenheim
Fellowship.
 During his college years, he wrote Man Songs, a collection of controversial poems that was
considered too bold by the University of the Philippines and became the ground for his
suspension from the said institution.
 Some of his well-known literary works are "Mir-i-nisa" (won in the Philippines Free Press in
1929), and "Footnote to Youth" (published in 1933).

Jose Garcia Villa as a Poet

 As a poet, Jose Garcia Villa is known for introducing the reversed consonance rhyme
scheme. According to Villa, in this method, the last sounded consonants of the last syllable,
or the last principal consonant of a word, are reversed for the corresponding rhyme. Thus, a
rhyme for light would be words such as tile, tall, tale, etc.
 He is also known for his comma poems, where he employed a comma after every word.
 He used the pseudonym Doveglion, which is derived from dove, eagle, lion.
 He died on July 7, 1997.

Analyzing a writer's works will help you understand and identify his or her contributions to Philippine
literature.

Example:
One of Jose Garcia Villa's well-known works is "Footnote to Youth."
a. Setting
The short story is set in a small town.

b. Plot

 Exposition
Dodong, a seventeen-year-old boy, tells his parents that he wants to marry his girlfriend
Teang.
 Rising Action
Teang secretly regrets marrying Dodong at a young age. She wonders what can happen if
she has married Lucio, who is nine years older than Dodong.
 Climax
Dodong wonders why life does not get to fulfill all of a youth’s dreams.
 Falling Action
Blas tells Dodong about his plan to marry Tona.
 Conclusion
Dodong wants to keep Blas from marrying Tona, but he cannot do anything about it. He feels
sorry for Blas.

c. Theme
The story focuses on the consequences of marrying at an early age and starting a family.

Explanation:
In the story "Footnote to Youth," Dodong is the symbol for the Filipino youth. His decision to marry
his love interest, Teang, at the age of seventeen demonstrates the passion of teenagers when it
comes to relationships.

Those of the younger generation usually strive for new pursuits to learn things on their own, often
rejecting their elders’ guidance. From the story, it is depicted that lessons are learned through
experience. Dodong, as well as Teang, had many realizations when he became a parent.

Tips
 In analyzing a literary work, make sure that you read it thoroughly and analyze it well.
 Study the background of the author, as this will give you insights regarding the setting of
the story and the historical and/or social influences of the time and place in which the author
lived.
 Analyze the concepts presented in the literary work by relating them to practices and
traditions in the Philippines or in the place used as the setting of the story.