NOTRE DAME OF TACURONG COLLEGE

College or Art, & Science and Education

City of Tacurong

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Introduction to the Study of Literature

Literature
- is derived from the Latin term litera which means letter.
- Literature deals with ideas, thoughts, and emotions of man, literature can be said to be the story
of man. Man's loves, grieves, thoughts, dreams, and aspirations coached in beautiful language.
- (Brother Azurin) literature expresses the feelings of people to society, to the government, to his
surroundings, to his fellowmen and to his Divine Creator."
- (Webster) literature is anything that is printed, as long as it is related to the ideas and feelings of
people, whether it is true, or just a product of one's imagination.
- (Panitikang Pilipino by Atienza, Ramos, Salazar and Nazal) literature is a piece of written work
which is undying. it expresses the feelings and emotions of people in response to his everyday efforts to
live, to be happy in his environment and, after struggles, to reach his Creator.

Time Frames of Philippine Literature in English

1. The Period of Re - Orientation 1898 - 1910
2. Period of Imitation 1910 - 1925
3. Period of Self-Discovery 1925 - 1941
4. Japanese Period 1941 - 1945
5. The Rebirth of Freedom 1946 - 1970
6. Period of Activism 1970 - 1972
7. Period of New Society 1972 - 1981
Period of the Third Republic 1981 - 1985

8. Contemporary Period 1986

LITERARY COMPOSITIONS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED THE WORLD

1. The Bible or the Sacred Writings - this has become the basis of Christianity originating from
Palestine and Greece.
2. Koran - the Muslim Bible originating from Arabia.
3. The Iliad and the Odyssey - these have been the source of myths and legends of Greece. They
were written by Homer.
4. The Mahab-Rata - The longest epic of the world. It contains the history of religion in India.
5. Canterbury Tales - It depicts the religion and customs of the English in the early days. This
originated from England and was written by Chaucer.
 6. Uncle Tom's Cabin - written by Harriet Beecher Stowe of the US. This depicted the sad fate of
slaves; this became the basis of democracy later on.
7. The Divine Comedy - (by Dante of Italy) This shows the religion and customs of early Italians.
8. El Cid Compeador - This shows the cultural characteristics of the Spaniards and their national
history.
9. The Songs of Roland - This includes Doce Pares and Roncesvalles of France. It tells about the
Golden Age of Christianity in France.
10. The Book of the Dead - This includes the cult of Osiris and the mythology and theology of
Egypt.
11. The Book of the Days - This was written by Confucius of China. This became the basis of the
Christian Religion.
12. One Thousand and One Nights or the Arabian Nights - from Arabia and Persia (Iran). It
shows the ways of government, of industries and of the society of the Arabs and Persians.

GENERAL TYPES OF LITERATURE

Literature can be generally be divided into two types: PROSE and POETRY.
PROSE - consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in sentences and
paragraphs.
POETRY - refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and stanza and has
more melodious tone.

I. PROSE
a. Novel - this is a long narrative divided into chapters. the events are taken to true to life
stories and spans a long period of time. example: Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan
Javellana
b. Short Story - this is a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot and one single
impression. example: The Laughter of my Father by Carlos Bulosan
c. Plays - this is presented on a stage, is divided into acts and each act has many scenes.
example: Thirteen Plays by Wilfredo M. Guerrero
d. Legends - these are fictitious narratives, usually about origins. Example: The Bikol
Legend by Pio Duran
e. Fables - these are fictitious and they deal with animals and inanimate things who speak
and act like people and their purpose is to enlighten the minds of children to events that
can mould their ways and attitudes.
f. Anecdotes - these are merely products of the writer's imagination and the main aim is to
bring out lessons to the reader. Example: The Moth and the Lamp
g. Essay - this expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular problem
or event. example: Editorial page of a newspaper.
h. Biography - this deals with the life of a person which may be about himself, his
autobiography or that of others. Example: Cayetano Arellano by Socorro O. Albert.
 i. News - this is a report of everyday events in society, government, science, and industry,
and accidents, happening nationally or not.
j. Oration - this is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be spoken in public. it
appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the emotions of the audience.

II. POETRY
A. Narrative Poetry - this form describes important events in life either real or imaginary.
the different varieties are:
1. Epic - This is an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under
supernatural control. it may deal with heroes and GODS. example: The Harvest
Song of Aliguyon
2. Metrical Tale - this is a narrative which is written in verse and can be classified
either as a ballad or a metrical romance. Example of these are simple idylls or
home tales, love tales, tales of the supernatural or tales written for a strong moral
purpose in verse form
3. Ballads - of the narrative poems, this is considered the shortest and simplest. it
has a simple structure and tells of a single incident. Variation: love ballads, war
ballads, sea ballads, humorous, moral, historical or mythical ballads.

B. Lyric Poetry - refers to that kind of poetry meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a
lyre. now, this applies to any type of poetry that expresses emotions and feelings of the
poet. they are usually short, simple and easy to understand.
1. Folksongs (Awiting Bayan) - these are short poems intended to be sung. the
common theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope, and sorrow. example:
CHIT - CHIRIT - CHIT
2. Sonnets - this is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling or an
idea. There are two types: Italian and the Shakespearean.
3. Elegy - this is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and melancholy,
and whose theme is death. example: The Lover's Death by Ricaredo Demetillo
4. Ode - this is a poem of a noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no definite
number of syllables or definite number of lines in a stanza.
5. Psalms - (Dalit) this is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a
philosophy of life.
6. Awit (Song) - these have measures of 12 syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly
sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria.
7. Corridos (Kuridos) - these have measures of eight syllable (octosyllabic) and
recited to a martial beat. example of Corrido is IBONG ADARNA

C. DRAMATIC POETRY
1. COMEDY - the word comedy comes from the Greek term "komo" meaning
festivity or revelry. this form usually is light and written with the purpose of
amusing, and usually has a happy ending..
 2. MELODRAMA - this is usually used in musical plays with the opera.
3. TRAGEDY - this involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces;
he meets death or ruin without success and satisfaction obtained by the
protagonist in a comedy.
4. FARCE - this is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse mirth by laughable
lines; situations are too ridiculous to be true; the characters seem to be caricatures
and the motives undignified and absurd.
5. SOCIAL POEMS - this form is either purely comic or tragic and it pictures the
life of today. it may aim to bring about the changes in the social conditions.

I. ANCIENT LITERATURE/FOLK LITERATURE

1. Myth- a traditional story in prose concerning details of gods and demigods and the creation of the
world and its inhabitants.
Ex. Visayan Creation Myth
2. Heroic Narratives or Epic- Folk epics that narrate the adventures of tribal heroes which embody in
themselves the ideals and values of the group. Ex. Lam-ang
3. Ethiological Legends- Legends that explains how things came to be, why things are as they are.
Ex. Legend of Mt.Mayon
4. Folk Tales- prose narratives
a. Animal tale-A folktale using animals as characters.
Ex. The monkey and the Turtle
b. Folk Speech- simplest form of oral literature.
1. Riddles-description of objects in terms intended to suggest something entirely
different.
2. Proverbs- short popular sayings that express effectively some commonplace truth or
useful thought.
3. Folk songs-verse set into music by the members

II. PHILIPPINE LITERATURE UNDER SPANISH PERIOD.

A. POETRY
1. Ladino Poems
Ladinos - were natives first Tagalog versifies who saw print, highly literate in both Spanish and
the vernacular.
2. Metrical Romances.
a. Corridos-were widely read during the Spanish period that filled the populace need for
entertaining as well as edifying reading matter in their leisure moments.
 b. Awit- Like corridos, these were also widely read during the Spanish period as entertaining,
edifying reading matter in their leisure time.

B. PROSE- The prose works of the Spanish period consisted mostly od didactic pieces and translations of
religious writing in foreign languages.
Ex. The story of Urbana and Feliza by Fr. Modesto de Castro.

C. DRAMA
1. The Religious Dramas: Arranged according to the appearance in the liturgical calendar of the events
they celebrate.
a. The Panunuluyan - literally seeking entrance , the tagalong version of the Mexican
Posadas. Held on the eve of Christmas, it dramatizes Joseph’s and Mary’s search for lodging in
Bethlehem.`
b. The Cenaculo - was originally just the dramatization of the passion and death of Jesus Christ
presented during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Hablada - speak their lines in slow deliberately way
Cantada - chant their lines in the manner of Pasyon singing.
c. The Salubong - An Easter play that dramatizes the meeting of the Risen Christ and his
mother.
d. The Moriones - refers to the participants dressed as Roman soldiers, their identities, hidden
behind colorful, sometimes grotesque, wooden masks.
e. The Tibag or Santacruzan - performed during the month of may which has the devotion to
the Holy Cross. It depicts St. Elena’s search for the cross on which Christ died.
f. The Pangangaluluwa - an interesting socio religious practice on All Saints day which literally
means "For the soul”
2. The Secular Drama - these were generally held during the nine nights of vigil and prayers after
someone’s death or the first death anniversary when the family members put away their mourning
clothes.
1. The Karagatan - open sea- comes from the legendary practice of testing the mettle of young
men vying for a maiden’s ring would be dropped into the sea and whoever retrieves it would have
the girl’s hand in marriage.
2. The Duplo -a forrunner of the balagtasan-the performers are consists of two teams: young
women called the Dupleras/Belyakas and the group of men called Dupleros/Belyacos.
a. The Comedia - one of the earliest forms of stage drama which took on a particular aspect that of
a particular playwhich had its main theme courtly love.

III. CONTEMPORARY LITERARY FORMS

A. POETRY
 Poems are literary attempts to share personal experiences and feelings.

Below are the elements of poetry :

1. The poetic Line. The basic unit of composition in poems. An idea of feeling which is
expressed in one line and is frequently continued into the next line

2. The sound of words

a. Rhyme- repeats similar sounds in some apparent scheme.
b. Rhythm- is the result of systematically stressing or accenting words and syllables.
c. Alliteration-means the repetition for effect of initial vowels or consonants.
d. Assonance-refers to the correspondence of vowel sound.
e. Onomatopoeia-is a long word that means simply the imitation in words of natural
sounds.
3. Meter- is the regularized and pattern rhythm. There are four conventional types of meter in
poetry written in English.
a. iambic meter
b. troachaic meter
c. anapestic meter
d. dactylic meter
2. SHORT STORY
- It deals with single incident or situation. It is a coherent whole with a single line of action and a
single intended meaning.
The shot story formally developed as a genre in Britain, Russia, France, Germany and united
states in the 19th century.
Anton Checkhov
Guy De Maupassant
Edgar Allan Poe

Elements of Short Story

1. Plot - this is the sequence of events or actions in the story.

2. Characterization - this is how a character behaves in a certain situation.

3. Setting - This is the location and the time of the story.

4. Theme - It is an underlying idea that comments on human condition , a truth in life which is
in the heart of the story.
 a. Good vs. evil - personal evil or dark forces in man’s environment such as disease,
poverty war, alternation, loss, oppression, dehumanization, inherent evil of man.

b. Life process
1.childhood joys and fears
2. growing up pains of adolescent
3. Adult’s maturation process
4. waste and tragedy of old age
5. cycles of life and death
6. change

5. Point of view- This is the narrator of the story.

A. First Person
- is the character-narrator who tells the story in the "I" voice, expressing his own
view. He is either a minor or main character that tells the story in his own
words.
B. Third-Person Omniscient
- is a narrator that tells the story from an all-knowing point of view. He sees the
mind of all the characters.
C. Third-Person Limited
- has a narrator that tells only what he can see or hear "inside the world" of the
story. This narrator is otherwise known as "camera technique narrator" as
he does not reveal what the characters are thinking and feeling.
D. Third-person Central
- has a narrator that limits narration to what the central character thinks, feels,
does, and what and whom the central character observes.
E. Third- Person Editorial
- has a narrator that comments on the action by telling the readers its significance
or evaluating the behaviour of the characters.
 REGION I
Ilocos Region
Provinces Capital
Ilocos Norte Laoag City
Ilocos Sur Vigan
La Union San Fernando City
Pangasinan Lingayen

Location
It is located in the north western portion of Luzon. It is bounded on the north by the Babuyan
Channel, on the south by Central Luzon, on the west by South China Sea and on the east by the Cordillera
Mountain Range.

Climate
The region has a long dry season because of the Cordillera Mountains that block the wind from
the Pacific Ocean. It has two distinct seasons:
 Dry from December to May
 Wet from June to November.
Provinces
 Ilocos Norte - Home of Juan Luna and Ferdinand Marcos

Landmarks:
o Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
o Balay Til Ili
o Paoay Church - This majestic church in honor of St. Augustine is one of the
finest examples of Baroque architecture in the Philippines. It is included in
UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites in the Philippines, together with other
Baroque churches in the country.

 Ilocos Sur - Home province of Gabriela Silang, Fr. Jose Burgos and Elpidio Quirino

Landmarks:
o Pinsal Falls
o Sulvec Beach in Narvacan

 La Union - Home of Diego Silang.

- It is famous for its white and gray sand beaches and Marcos Bust.

 Pangasinan - The name of the province literally means “the place where salt is made”

Landmarks:
o Hundred Islands in Alaminos
o Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Manaoag

FESTIVALS
Bac-Bacarra Festival 
  started in 2005 is a heritage that rekindled the love and passion of Bacarra people to revive and
preserve the richness of their culture and traditions.
 The legendary word “bac-bacarra” is a species of freshwater fish abundant in the river during the
15th century which gave birth to the town’s name
Amian Festival
 Baguinians celebrate in harmony and unify in thanksgiving to God because of the Amian climate
Panag-abuos Festival 
 the art of ant harvesting shown in a dance parade around town. “Abuos” is an exotic delicacy of
the residents.
Batac Town Fiesta 
 a month long celebration in honor of the feast of the Immaculada Concepcion (Immaculate
Concepcion).
 One major highlight is the Empanada Festival which is a showcase of the famous product- the
BATAC EMPANADA
Badoc Town Fiesta 
 celebrated in honor of the town’s patron saint, St. John de Baptist.
 The town promote its products made up of corn husks and Bad-bado grass which is indigenous in
its riverbanks
Ani Festival 
 celebrated to pay tribute to Dingras as the rice granary of the province of Ilocos Norte.
  Activities include Thanksgiving mass, Agro-industrial fair, Dance parade featuring ethnic
dances of Dingras, Komedya Ilokana, Choir competition, Dance competition and Food fest.
Mannalon Festival 
 celebrated to pay tribute to the farmers of the town.
 Marcos is purely an agriculture area with farming as the main occupation of local constituents.
Kangayedan Festival 
 celebrated to showcase the natural resources and products of Pagudpud. 
Guling-Guling Festival (“Guling-Guling Martes”)
 aims to commemorate the 16th century old practice of the Spanish friars for the religious sector
to interact with its parishioners.
Basi Festival 
 aims to commemorate the revolt staged by Piddig people in 1807 to resist the Spanish Monopoly.
 Basi is made from crushed sugarcane juice compounded with elements like barks and berries
from local trees
Abaludal Festival
 came from the words “ABA”(gabi) and “DALUDAL” (young gabi shoot), two  of the primary
root crops of the municipality.
 This exotic crop is extremely common and beloved in Solsona and  usually grows everywhere
Siwawer Festival 
  aims to serve as a venue in promoting culture, arts and tourism development; natural resources
preservation; and local cultural heritage conservation
Tadek festival 
 crystallizes the people’s efforts to keep their culture and history alive and vibrant.
 Tadek is a ceremonial dance performed as an expression of merriment for an attainment of
victory, courtship and marriage, and even after burial and when remembering the dead.

LITERATURE
Pre-colonial Iloko literature
 were composed of folk songs, riddles, proverbs, lamentations called dung-aw, and epic stories in
written or oral form.
 Ancient Ilokano poets expressed themselves in folk and war songs as well as the dallot, an
improvised, versified and at times impromptu long poem delivered in a sing-song manner.
Iloko Poetry in Spanish Era
 The earliest known written Iloko poems were the romances translated from Spanish by Francisco
Lopez, an Augustinian friar who, in 1621, published his own Iloko translation of the Doctrina
Cristiana by Cardinal Bellarmine, the first book to be printed in Iloko.

 A study of Iloko poetry could be found in the Gramatica Ilokana, published in 1895, based on
Lopez's Arte de la Lengua Iloca, earlier published in 1627, but was probably written before
1606.

PEDRO BUKANEG - Father of Ilokano Poetry

 Pedro Bukaneg was said to have been thrown by his parents down the Abra River while still an
infant because he was blind.
 A woman who found him gave him away to an Augustinian priest.
 He was christened Pedro Bukaneg. He was cared for, and sent to school until he became
proficient in Spanish and Samtoy (Ilokano dialect).

SUMMARY OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG

Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern part of the
Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains
in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took
four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke and asked that he
be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his godparents and asked where his father was.
After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he would go look for him.
Namongan thought Lam-ang was up to the challenge but she was sad to let him go. During his
exhausting journey, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head
being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what had happened to his
father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one whom he let go so that he could tell
other people about Lam-ang's greatness.
Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the Amburayan river. All the fish died
because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang's body.
There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo. She lived in
Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his
enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated.
Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom were trying to catch her
attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall. This made Ines look out. He had
his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and called
for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter
if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling
this condition and he and Ines were married.
It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-
ang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which
she covered with a piece of cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to
move. Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.

LEONA FLORENTINO - National Poetess of the Philippines

 Born to a wealthy and prominent family in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Florentino began to write her first
verses in Ilocano at a young age. Despite her potential, she was not allowed to receive a
university education because of her gender.
 Florentino was instead tutored by her mother, and then a series of private teachers. An educated
Ilocano priest taught her advanced Spanish and encouraged her to develop her voice in poetry.

 Due to the feminist nature of her writings, Florentino was shunned by her husband and son, and
so was forced to live alone in exile and separately from her family.
 Florentino married a politician named Elias de los Reyes at the age of 14, and they had five
children, including Isabelo de los Reyes, who would later become a Filipino writer, activist and
senator. She died at the age of 35.
 Her poems appear to the modern reader as being too syrupy for comfort, too sentimental to the
point of mawkishness, and utterly devoid of form.
Famous works (poems)
Blasted hopes
Kakaibang Pagkalibing ng paghahangad
Naunsyaming pag-asa
Pagbating babiro

MANUEL E. ARGUILLA
 Manuel Arguilla was an Ilocano who wrote in English and best known for his short story “How
My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” which received first place in the Commonwealth
Literary Contest in 1940.
 Most of his stories depict scenes in Barrio Narebcan, Bauang, La Union, the place where he was
born. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1933 in the University of the Philippines.
 He became a member and later on the president of the UP Writers’ Club and editor of the Literary
Apprentice of the said university.
 He got married to Lydia Villanueva, also a writer in English of Ermita, Manila.
 Arguilla became a teacher of creative writing in the University of Manila and worked in Bureau
of Public Welfare as a managing editor of the Welfare Advocate until 1943; afterwards, he was
elected in Board of Censors.
  He was secretly established the guerilla intelligence unit against the Japanese during the World
War II.
  In August 1944, Manuel Arguilla was captured and executed at Fort William McKinley (now
known as Fort Bonifacio).

Moro-moro and Zarzuela in the 19th century

Moro-moro
 Like the Cenaculo, the Moro-moro is presented also on a special stage.
 This is performed during town fiestas to entertain the people and to remind them of their
Christian religion.
Zarzuela
 It is a musical comedy or melodrama in three acts which dealt with man's passions and emotions
like love, hate, revenge, cruelty or some social or political problems.
Folk Songs
*dallot - versified exchange of wit between a man and a woman
*badeng - love song
*dung-aw - the death chant

MANANG BIDAY

Manang Biday
 is a popular Ilocano folk song which is all about courtship.
 The lyrics illustrate the courtship of a guy to a lady who happens to be older than the former.
 The lyrics mostly decribe the lady’s reaction to the courtship.

MANANG BIDAY
Manang Biday, ilukatmo man Agalakanto’t bunga’t mangga
‘Ta bintana ikalumbabam Lulukisen ken adu a kita
Ta kitaem ‘toy kinayawan No nangato, dika sukdalen
Ay, matayakon no dinak kaasian No nababa, dimo gaw-aten
Siasinnoka nga aglabaslabas No naregreg, dika piduten
Ditoy hardinko pagay-ayamak Ngem labaslabasamto met laeng
Ammom ngarud a balasangak Daytoy paniok no maregregko
Sabong ti lirio, di pay nagukrad Ti makapidut isublinanto
Denggem, ading, ta bilinenka Ta nagmarka iti naganko
Ta inkanto ‘diay sadi daya Nabordaan pay ti sinanpuso
Alaem dayta kutsilio
Ta abriem ‘toy barukongko
Tapno maipapasmo ti guram
Kaniak ken sentimiento