 Benzuela, Maria Lynne O.

 Castillo, Jeeza B.
 Dela Cruz, Kezzelyn S.
 Urbanozo, Maria Lourdes C.
 Toledo, Trisha Mae R.
 What is Literature?

Litera

 Latin word which literally means “an acquaintance with letters”.

 Webster defines literature as 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.
 It is a body of work, either written, oral, or visual, containing imaginative
language that realistically portrays thought, emotions, and experiences of the
human condition.
 It is a product of particular culture that concretizes man’s array of values,
emotions, actions and ideas. It is therefore a creation of human experiences that
tells about the people and their world.
 Literature raises life to a new level of meaning and understanding, and in the
process restores sanity and justice in an insane and unjust world. – (Cirile F.
Bautista)

Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking,

"literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific
works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination,
including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is

more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds
of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies
of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey
with books.

Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking,

"literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific
works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination,
including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lifelong learning

Intuitive Insight

Theatre of Life

Enriching Education

Radical Richness

Artistry of form and language

Truth in the Telling

Rapturous appreciation

Epiphany Experience

HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Philippine literature had evolved much before colonization. It is full of legends and tales
of colonial legacy. Mexican and Spanish dominance over the land and the people, over varying
periods of time, witnessed the incorporation of English, Spanish, Filipino and native languages,
to express ideology and opinion. Literature in the Philippines developed much later than in
most other countries. Evidence reveals the use of a script called Baybayin that flourished in
1521. Baybayin was used to write about legends, in Luzon, during Spaniard domination.

The literature of the Philippines is predominantly a reflection of the influence of the

Spaniards on the indigenous culture and traditions. The people of Manila and native groups
within the Philippines used to write on bamboo and the Aceraceae palm. They used knives for
inscribing the ancient Tagalog script. The literature thus preserved was limited to the seventeen
basic symbols of the language. With just three vowels and consonantal symbols that had
predetermined, inherent sound, the literature handed down was in a 'raw' state and needed to
be developed.

The Tagalog language script that was used initially to preserve and hand down
literature, was limited to a diacritical mark or 'kudlit' that further modified pronunciation and
writing. The dot, line or arrow head was either placed above or below the symbol. The
literature thus preserved has played a very important role in the public schooling arena and the
rise of the educated class. 'Ilustrados' such as José Rizal and Pedro Paterno contributed to
important Spanish literary work in the Philippines and subsequently, Philippine Classical
Literature. The cultural elite penned a number of historical documents.

Literature in the Philippines also includes various national anthems, revolutionary

propaganda and nationalist articles. Most of the literature of the land was initially in
the Spanish language and the contributions were profound writings by Marcelo H. Del Pilar and
Claro M. Recto, among a host of others. Philippine literature was preserved well through
private publications like 'Plaridel' and the first Spanish newspaper 'El Boletín de Cebú' and 'Flora
Sentino', by Orlando Agnes.
Literature in the Philippines was developed and preserved by native Filipino intellectuals. Isidro
Marfori, Enrique Fernandez Lumba, Cecilio Apostol, Fernando Ma. Guerrero, Jesús Balmori,
Flavio Zaragoza Cano and Francisco Zaragoza played a major role in the preservation of the
stories handed down in time. Writers such as Castrillo, Fernandez, Rivera, Licsi and Estrada also
spent a major part of their lives in the documentation of 'by-word-of-mouth' hand-downs.
Columns and articles in newspapers such as El Renacimiento, La Vanguardia, El Pueblo de Iloilo,
La Democracia and El Tiempo and magazines such as 'Independent' and 'Philippine Review' kept
the legacies alive in Spanish and English.
 Many of the world's best short stories are native to the Philippines. When the Filipino
writers began using the English language for artistic expression, they took the original works of
the Philippines to the west. The folk tales and epics were, in time, put into written word along
with poems and chants that were the legacies of the ethnolinguistic groups. Literary work now
available includes articles on Spanish conquest, native cultural heritage, pre-colonial literature
and traditional narratives. Another very interesting segment of Philippine literature includes
inspiring speeches and songs.

This segment has effectively maintained the mystifying characteristic of Philippine epics
and folk tales. The narratives and descriptions of various magical characters, mythical objects
and supernatural are surreal, distinctly adhering to the ideologies and customs of the natives.
Ethno-epics such as Biag ni Lam-ang or the Life of Lam-ang, Agyu or Olahing, Sandayo of
Subanon, Aliguyon, the Hudhud and Labaw Donggon are great examples of assimilated styles
and language variations. Today, Philippine literature reflects national issues through political
prose,essay writing and novels. Novels by Jose Rizal, El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere
patronize the revival of the rich folk traditions.

Philippine Literature is a diverse and rich group of works that has evolved side by side
with the country’s history. Literature has started with fables and legends made by the ancient
Filipinos long before the arrival of the Spanish influence. The main themes of Philippine
literature focus on the country’s pre-colonial cultural traditions and the socio-political histories
of its colonial and contemporary traditions.

It is not a secret that many Filipinos are unfamiliar with Philippine literature especially
those written long before the Spanish arrived in our country. This is due to the fact that the
stories of ancient time were not written, but rather passed on from generation to generation
through word of mouth. Only in 1521 did the Filipinos become to be acquainted with literature
due to the influence of the Spaniards on us. But the literature that the Filipinos became
acquainted with are not Filipino made, rather, they were works of Spanish authors.
So successful were the efforts of colonialists to blot out the memory of the country's
largely oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and journalists are trying to correct
this inequity by recognizing the country's wealth of ethnic traditions and disseminating them in
schools and through mass media.

Divisions of Literature

• FICTION – it is a form of any narrative or informative work that deals with information/
events that are imaginary.

Example: Novels, Short stories, films(etc.)

• NON-FICTION – a form of any narrative, account or other communicative works based

on facts.

Example:Bibliographies, histories

Importance of literature

• Studying literature is like looking at the mirror of life where man’s experiences, his
innermost feelings and thoughts are reflected.

• Through literature, we learn the culture of people across time and space.

• We understand not only the past of a nation but also its present.

• Moreover, we become familiar not only with the culture of neighboring countries but
also with the others living that very far from us.
 Why do we need to study Philippine Literature?

• To trace our rich heritage of ideas and handed down to us from our forefathers reader’s
world.

• Means of preserving the culture and appreciating literary heritage.

• It is a conforming mirror of reality.

• Serves as an expression of ideas and feelings.

• Enlarges the

• For appreciation of our heritage.

• To understand what noble traditions we have in which can serve as the means to
assimilate other cultures.