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Background of Philippine Literature PDF
Background of Philippine Literature PDF
Ancient Philippine literature is a composite product of the rich cultural heritage of the Filipinos
linked closely with the religious beliefs and ceremonies of the time, and enriched with the influences
of the Chinese, Arabs, Persians, and other foreigners who came to trade with them. The literature
reflects the culture of the original inhabitants of the Philippine Archipelago.
The Spanish conquest gave rise to marked Spanish influences not only in content –
Christianity – but also in form – passion, moro-moro, comedia, among others. Later as the Filipino
grew in social awareness, a rich output of nationalistic and revolutionary literature was stimulated.
PRE-SPANISH LITERATURE
Long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the Filipinos already had their own culture.
It was similar in some aspects to that of the Malays but was enriched through their contact with other
Asians like the Chinese and the Japanese and with the people India and some Arab countries.
According to the early missionaries, the Filipinos had their own alphabet. The early Filipinos
wrote on clay, barks of trees, bamboo tubes or palm leaves – materials that were easily destroyed,
thus, explaining the lack of written literature of the time. For pens, they used the point of a knife, a
piece of iron, or any pointed instrument like bird’s quills. Soot and sap from certain trees were used
for ink.
Much of Philippine literature was oral. It consisted of folk narratives, riddles, proverbs, songs,
ritual chants, and epics. The literature was community-bound and sprang from the experiences and
observations of the people.
The most substantial of pre-Spanish literature is the epic. The Filipino epic is a long narrative
revolving heroic deeds and supernatural events. It embodies beliefs, customs, ideals, or life-values of
the people and used to be sung or chanted in communal gatherings like the celebration of a good
harvest, a tribal victory, or at ceremonies mournings the death of chieftain.
The epic hero is imbued with characteristics of idealism – courage, wisdoms, beauty,
endurance, chivalry, and justice. His legendary adventures are full of obstacles put up by
supernatural forces or by people with supernatural powers. To overcome these supernatural
obstacles, the hero has to be aided by friendly supernatural beings.
EARLY SPANISH
On March 17, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan landed on Philippine shores, but it was not about half
a century later, that colonization and evangelization began. By 1593, the Dominicans had introduced
printing equipment, a xylographic press that was rather cumbersome but which produced religious
literature consisting of booklets on catechism, narratives of mission and martyrs, religious stories, and
the passion of Christ.
Tagalog versifiers called ladinos led the pioneering groups of poetically inclined writers, two of
whom were Fernando Bagonbata and Tomas Pinpin. Most of the versifications pertained to religion
and to morality.
The folk song mirrored the inevitable modifications of their folk ways. These songs were
spontaneous and informal expressions of the people’s nature and their reaction to their environment,
thus the songs Bahay Kubo, Planting Rice, Fisherman’s Song, Tuba Gatherer’s Song, etc. Love
songs, serenades, lullabies, and even comic songs proliferated.
The precursors of drama were the carillo, a play of cardboard figures projected on a white
screen; the duplo, an elaborate dramatic debate in verse dealing with contemporary personalities and
social questions of the day; and the karagatan, a less elaborate debate. The duplo and karagratan
were usually done during a wake.
Then came the moro-moro, a play depicting encounters between Christian and Muslim
Filipinos.
Other literary forms that flourished were the corrido and the awit. Both are metrical tales
usually based on European tales or legends like Charlemagne, Song of Roland, etc.
Weeks after the American forces overpowered the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, the military
government of the United States set up public schools in the country. This was considered necessary
to popularize democracy, train the Filipinos for citizenship and disseminate the English language.
The introduction of the English language and the American system of education made possible the
birth of a new type of literature.
The first writings in English were imitations of American and English literature, for this was the
literature which the early writers were exposed to. The writers followed the conventional forms of
writing and they emphasized form rather than substance.
Although there were few standouts during this period, most of the literature produced was
imitated, stilted, stereotyped, and too sentimental. But a beginning had been made in the stream of
Philippine literature in English.