LITERATURE different types of texts including novels, non-fiction, poetry,

and plays, among other forms

Important Events - early Filipinos were living in scattered barangays and was
During the Spanish Era  ruled by a datu
- nobility, freeholders, dependents
- women were given importance (they could hold high status
in the community and could handle leadership roles and
fight as a warrior
- houses: bamboo, nipa, palm
- PH established a trading system (India, Indonesia, China,
Majapajit) 
- through trading, Sanskrit writing style was shared from
which Alibata/Baybayin came from
- divorce is allowed
- there was sexual freedom
- knew how to make fireguns and cannons aside from
wielding swords and spears
PRECOLONIAL/ PRE- - includes all literature produced before the Spanish
SPANISH colonization. Ex. chants, proverbs, songs, spells, and
LITERATURE different folk narratives like folk tales, fables, legends,
myths, and epics that were all passed down from generation
to generation through the word of mouth. 
Work and activity songs - described how people earn their livelihood like farming,
fishing, pottery and a lot more. Example: Magtanim ay di
Biro
1. Folk tales - characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale
circulated orally among people.

Examples:
- Folktales about Juan
- some emphasize certain virtues, and some serve as warning
about behavior.
- some are for the reader’s amusement.

Example: Juan Gathers Guavas (Tagalog) Juan Pusong and

His Father’s Cows (Visayan)
• Folk Songs  - one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that
emerged in the pre-Spanish period.
- mirrored the early forms of culture.
 - many of these have 12 syllables.

Ex. Kundiman (love song), Kumintang o Tagumpay, Ang

Dalit o Imno, Ang Oyayi o Hele, Diana, Soliraning and
Talindaw

2. Fable - features animal characters or inanimate objects that behave

like people
- monkey is a common animal character in Philippine fables
(often depicted as a cunning animal)

ex: The Monkey and the Crocodile (Tagalog) 

3. Legend - presented as history but is unlikely to be true.

- accdng. to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, it is a story
coming from the past and is one popularly regarded as
historical although not verifiable

- The Flood Story (A Legend of Bukidnon)

- The Flood Story (A Legend of the Igorot)
- The Legend of King Arthur
4. Myth - explains a belief, a practice, or a natural phenomenon

- The Creation (An Igorot Myth)- tells that Lumawig the

Great Spirit created people
- The Creation (A Tagalog Myth)- tells that the first man and
woman came from a bamboo.

5. Epic - a narrative poem that celebrates the adventures and

achievements of a hero
- Philippine epics are sung or chanted in episodes- features
supernatural characters and reflect the society where they
originated

ex: Biag ni Lam-ang (Iloco) Hinilawod (Panay) 

MUSIC OF THE PHILIPPINES (PRE-SPANISH ERA)

Accdg to Pigafetta, the official historian of Magellan expedition, women

from Cebu were harmoniously playing:
cymbals plan tiles

Nose flutes

Bamboo mouth organs Aphiw

brass gong Gansa

flute bansic

Long drum Colibao

Bamboo harp Subing

water whistle Paiyak

guitar bugtot

xylophone agong

drum tugo

CHARACTERISTICS - More conservative style of sacred music.

OF PRE-SPANISH ERA - They play music by using indigenous musical
MUSIC instruments. (bamboo canes, palm leaves,
and bark of trees)
- Religious and musicality-salvation of self
Expression
 - Recitative
- Mostly simple two note music, music was
composed of few notes.

Spanish Influences On Philippine Literature (1565-1898)

o Alibata was the earliest Filipino writing system which was replaced by the Roman alphabet
o The basis for religious practices was the Christian Doctrine.
o The Spanish language, which lent many of its words to our language, served as the medium of
instruction and language of literature.
o Our songs, corridos, andmoro-moros were mostly about the legends and traditions from Europe.
o Ancient literature was translated and became available in Tagalog and other dialects.
o Grammar books were published in different Filipino languages such as Tagalog, Ilocano, and
Visayan. o Several magazines and periodicals were written in religious light and tone.

A. ALIBATA The first Filipino alphabet and was replaced by the Roman alphabet
-formally called as Baybayin
B. Christian Doctrine
- became the basis of religious practices. European legends and
traditions being brought here were assimilated in our songs, corridos,
and moro-moros.

 Komedya or Moro-
moro depicted the war between Christians and Muslims

Recreational Plays (poetic in form)

 Cenaculo
passion of Christ that describes the sacrifices and sufferings
 Panunuluyan
looking for a place where Mary can deliver Baby Jesus
- Philippine Christmas dramatic ritual
- narrating the whole family's search for a
- place to stay in Bethlehem for Jesus
- Christ's birth through songs.
 SALUBONG - Dramatizes the reunion of the risen Christ and his mother.
- Describes the first meeting of Mama Mary and Jesus after His
resurrection
 Zarzuela - a combination of poem, song and dances.
- The father of drama, a musical comedy or melodrama three
acts which death with men's passion and emotions like love,
hate, revenge, cruelty , avarice or some political problem.
 LAGAYLAY - A special occasion for the Pilareños of Sorsogon during
maytime to get together
 TIBAG - Dramatic performance for the purpose of manifesting devotion
for the holy cross.
 CARILLO - A form of dramatic entertainment perform on a moonless night
during a town fiesta or on dark nights after a harvest.
 SAINETE - A short musical comedy popular during the
18th century. They were exaggerated comedy
shown between acts plays and were mostly performed by
characters from the lower class.
 KARAGATAN - This is a poetic vehicle of a socio-religious nature celebrated
during the death of a person.
 DUPLO - replaced the Karagatan.
- is a poetic joust in speaking and reasoning.
 BALAGTASAN - This is a poetic joust or a contest of skills in debate on a
particular topic or issue.
 DUNG-AW - This is a chant in free verse by a bereaved person or his
representative beside the corpse of the dead.
 AWIT - is in dodecasyllabic verse
- are fabricated stories from writers’ imagination although the
setting and characters are European.
- refers to chanting
- Example: Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas
 CORRIDO
- is in octosyllabic verse.
- were usually on legends or stories from
European countries like France, Spain, Italy
and Greece.
- refers to narration.
- Example: Ibong Adarna by Jose de la Cruz
 Gaspar Aquino de The indigenous form of the Pasyón was
Belén First written down by this author in
"Ang Mahal na Pasión Ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Natin na Tola" –
earliest version of Pasyon (1704)
originated from the words "taghoy” which means lament and "alalay"
 TAGULAYLAY which means sustained.
(BICOLANO FOLK - It's grieving over such a tragic event.
SONG) - Panambitan or Tagulaylay is a funeral song or eulogies, it is
for mourning or a mournful song.
 Kumintang - name given to several distinct styles, techniques and forms in
music and dance probably originating in the areas used by
early Spanish cartographers and chronicles to denote a large
province centering around what is known as Batangas.
- Love and courtship
 Ladinos - natives who learned the Spanish language and used it as their
way of writing
  Fernando - "Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas”
Bagongbanta which appeared in Memorial de la vida cristiana en lenqua
tagala (1605), a book containing basic Catholic doctrines.
C. Folk Songs
- manifest the Filipinos’ artistic feelings and innate appreciation for
love of beauty

PERIOD OF ENLIGHTENMENT
(1872-1898)
The Propaganda Movement
(1872-1896)
The Propaganda Movement This movement was spearheaded mostly by the intellectual middle-class
like Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar; Graciano Lopez Jaena, Antonio Luna,
Mariano Ponce, Jose Ma. Panganiban, and Pedro Paterno.
Some of Rizal's writings: Noli Me Tangere, Mi ultimo Adios, Sobre La Indolencia Delos Filipinos
and Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años,
Some of Del Kaingat Kayo (Be Careful), and Dasalan at Tocsohan (Prayers and Jokes).
Pilar's writings:
Some of Jaena's writings: Ang Fray Botod, La Hija Del Fraile (The Child of the Friar), and
Everything Is Hambug (Everything is mere show), Sa Mga Pilipino.…
1891), and Talumpating Pagunita Kay Kolumbus (An Oration to
Commemorate Columbus).
Add’l info corrido, awit, dalit, cenaculo, moro-moro, duplo, karagatan, zarzuela, Bahay
Kubo, kundiman, tapat, Francisco Baltazar
- Florante at Laura, Pedro Paterno- Sampaguitas y poesias varias and Ninay,
Jose Rizal - Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Andres Bonifacio-Pag-
ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa, Leona Florentino- "Mother of
Philippine women's literature"

PEN NAMES
Jose Rizal (Laong Laan and Dimasalang)

Marcelo H. del Pilar (Plaridel, Dolores Manapat,

Piping Dilat, Siling Labuyo,
Cupang, Maytiyaga, Patos,
Carmelo, D.A.
Murgas, and L.O. Crame)

Graciano López Jaena (Diego Laura)

Mariano Ponce (Tikbalang, Kalipulako,

Naning)

Antonio Luna (Taga-llog)

JoséeMaria Panganiban (Jomapa)

Dominador Gomez (Ramiro Franco)

Philippine Literature during the American Period

Characteristics of Literature
Apprenticeship Period
1. Own dialect, Tagalog and Spanish
were used in their writings.
2. Tagalog writers focuses on the
lamentations regarding our country’s
condition and attempted to arouse love
for one’s native tongue.
3. English writers imitated the themes
and methods of the Americans.
1900-1930

THE JAPANESE PERIOD

(1941-1945)
FILIPINO POETRY common theme of most poems: nationalism, country, love, and life
DURING THIS in the barrios, faith, religion and the arts.
PERIOD

LIWAYWAY was placed under strict surveillance until it was managed by


Tanka
Haiku
Karaniwang Anyo
Jose Ma. Hernandez
Francisco Soc Rodrigo
Clodualdo del Mundo
Julian Cruz Balmaceda
The field of the short story
widened during the Japanese
Occupation. Many wrote short
stories.
The best writings in 1945 were
selected by a group of judges
First Prize: Narciso Reyes
Second Prize: Liwayway
Arceo
Third prize: NVM Gonzales
DARK PERIOD
Noteworthy writer of the
period was Carlos P. Romulo
Salvador P. Lopez
Leon Ma. Geurrero
Raul Manglapuz
Japanese named ISHIWARA. In other words, Filipino literature
was given a break during this period.
five-line, 31-syllable poem that has historically been the basic form
of Japanese poetry
- term tanka is synonymous with the term waka (q.v.) which
more broadly denotes all traditional Japanese poetry in
classical forms.
- love
- a poem of free verse that the Japanese like. It was made up
of 17 syllables divided into three lines.
- The first line had 5 syllables, the second, 7 syllables, and the
third, five. The Haiku is allegorical in meaning, is short and
covers a wide scope in meaning.
FEW PLAYWRITERS WERE
wrote PANDAY PIRA
wrote SA PULA, SA PUTI
Wrote BULAGA
Wrote SINO BA KAYO?, DAHIL SA ANAK, and HIGANTE NG
PATAY
Among them were:
Brigido Batungbakal, Macario
Pineda, Serafin Guinigindo,
Liwayway Arceo, Narciso Ramos.,
NVM Gonzales, Alicia Lopez Lim,
Ligaya Perez, and Gloria Guzman.
Francisco Icasiano, Jose Esperanza Cruz, Antonio Rosales,
Clodualdo del Mundo and Teodoro Santos.
LUPANG TINUBUAN - Unang gantimpala
- pinakamahusay na akda noong 1945
- Pumunta si Danding sa probinsya ng kanyang ama at kinilala niya
ang kanyang mga kamag-anak at ang lugar
UHAW ANG TIGANG NA LUPA
LUNSOD NAYON AT DAGAT-DAGATAN
Philippine literature in English experienced a dark period. The few
who dared to write did so for their bread and butter or for
propaganda.
won the Pulitzer Prize for his bestsellers I SAW THE FALL OF
THE PHILIPPINES, I SEE THE PHILIPPINES RISE and his
MOTHER AMERICA AND MY BROTHER AMERICANS.
Journalists
Carlos Bulosan THE LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER (1944)
THE VOICE OF BATAAN (1943)
SIX FILIPINO POETS (1942)
Nick Joaquin THE WOMAN WHO LOOKED LIKE LAZARUS
Fred Ruiz Castro wrote a few poems
F.B.. Icasino wrote essays in The Philippine Review
Alfredo Litiatco published With Harp and Sling and in 1943
Jose P. Laurel published Forces that Make a Nation Great.
The Commonwealth Literary Gave prizes to meritorious writers
Awards

Philippine Literature in the include all literary works written and published in the Philippines from
Post war and Contemporary Period 1946.
The Literary Revolution - The youth became vocal with their
sentiments. They demanded a change in the
government. It was manifested in the
bloody demonstrations and the sidewalk
expressions and also in literature.
21st CENTURY PERIOD - 21st Century learners are demanded to be ICT
inclined to compete with the style and format of
writing as well.
- New codes or lingos are used to add flavor in
the literary pieces produced nowadays.

LITERARY GENRE - refers to a type or category of literature

- has a specific form, content, and style

The four main genres of literature are poetry, fiction,
nonfiction, and drama. Under each of those genres are different
genres.
1. Poetry
Elements
  Rhythm a pattern created with sound
 Meter the systematic regularity in rhythm
(describes the number of feet (syllable) in a line and its rhythm
structure)
 Stanza a part of a poem with similar rhythm and rhyme that will
usually repeat later in the poem
 Rhyme the repetition of similar sounds in the lines of a poem
 Rhyme a pattern of rhyme. Either the last words of the first and second
scheme lines rhyme with each other, or the first and the third line, or the
second and the fourth, and so on. It is denoted by alphabets like
aabb (1st line rhyme with 2nd line and 3rd line rhyme with 4th
line); abab (1st line rhyme with 3rd line and 2nd line rhyme
with 4th line); abba (1st line rhyme with 4th line and 2nd line
rhyme with 3rd line); and so on
 Theme
– the central idea of the poem, the poet wants to convey to the
reader.

 Symbolism
– an object, idea or word that is used to represent another idea,
thought or feelings that will create such a strong effect
 Imagery
– the mental pictures the poet creates through language
- words used by the poet to create an image in the mind of the
readers. Imagery appeals to the five senses

 Allusion
– using this literary device, the writer refers to a significant
person, place, thing, or idea in culture, history, literature, or
politics briefly and indirectly.
-symbol is an image that evokes an objective, concrete reality to
suggests another level of meaning accessible to the reader

 Apostrophe
– with this literary device, the writer addresses someone or
something that is not present in his work.
-addressing a personified object
2. Drama
a literary work that tells a story through actions and dialogues.
It is usually performed on stage.

Elements
  Characters

 Dialogues
–conversations between the characters.
 Plot
–series of events that take place
 Stage
directions – these statements tell the actors how they should look, move,
and speak. They also give the director a picture of how the
setting looks like, and what music and other sounds would set
the mood of the play.
3. Creative Nonfiction
- refers to narratives of real events using a literary style of
writing
KINDS

Memoir focused on a single event in a person’s life.

Biography a detailed account of a person’s life written by another person.

Autobiography a written account of the life of a person written by the subject

himself or herself
Diary a collection of discrete accounts of a person’s experiences and
thoughts each day
Essay features any subject that the writer personally comments about
or describes.

4. Fiction
Popular Fiction refers to works of literature that are intended
for the masses or large audience. Its main purpose is to appeal
to the general public.

Features of popular fiction:

• Its story is plot-drivewell-constructed plot.

• Its characters are mostly stock figures(a character in literature

that represents a type and that is recognizable as belonging to a
certain genre)

• Its setting is either familiar or exotic.

• Its language is closer to everyday spoken language.

• It contains a lot of dialogues
 Science Fiction
- a genre of speculative fiction dealing with imaginative
concepts such as futuristic science and technology,
space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, a
 parallel universe and extra-terrestrial life.
- deals with science and technology
- “what if.”
 Chick Lit
- It is a genre fiction which addresses issues of modern
womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly
- The usual target readers are young and single women
especially in their 20s or 30s.
 Ghost stories- horror
fiction - part of Filipino pop culture
- features a ghost as one of its characters. Like any story
in the horror fiction genre, a ghost story is meant to
scare its reader.
- OKATOKAT
- SINDAKIN SA TAKOT SI BARBARA

- ASWANG/ MAMBABARANG

New and Emerging Literary Forms in the 21st Century

Graphic Novel
- A narrative work in which a story is told using a comic
form
- tells a story in comic book format.
- The term is employed in a broad manner, encompassing
non-fiction works and thematically linked short stories
as well as fictional stories across a number of genres.
Illustrated novel
presents images that tell some parts of the story, while the other
parts are told in words.

- Example: Zsazsa Zaturnah sa Kalakhang Maynila

Doodle Fiction
- the literary presentation where the author incorporates
scribble writing and drawings and handwritten graphics
in place of the traditional font Spanish Period
- Drawing enhances the story, often adding humorous
elements that would be missing if the illustrations were
omitted.
Digi-Fiction
- the literature integrating ICT skills that uses links and
includes parts that move or mutate.
- a literary experience that combines three media: book,
movie/video, and internet website. In order to get the
full story, students must engage in navigation, reading,
viewing, in all three formats.
- Known as “born digital” – that is, they would lose
 something of their aesthetic and/or structural form and
meaning if they were removed from the digital medium.
- may contain hyperlinks, moving images, mini-games or
sound effects.
Manga
the Japanese word for comics

- it is used in the English-speaking world as a generic term for

all comic books and graphic novels originally published in
Japan.- considered an artistic and storytelling style.

the term “Ameri-Manga” is sometimes used to refer to comics

created by American artists in manga style.
Electronic literature
- refers to works commonly published and shared on the
Web.
- only presented through multimedia.

KINDS
1. Hyperpoetry - - This is a kind of graphic poetry, which combines
words with images. It has no standard lines or verses,
but its words are arranged in a way that it creates
meaning and visual effect.

2. Hyperfiction - This contains hyperlinks. When readers click on a

hyperlink, they go to another Web page that contains the
next part of a story.

- uses real-life images or electronically generated images

3. Photo poem as representation of the textual poem
4. Silent comics - have no verbal dialogues. The dialogues are presented
through symbols.
5. Textula - it is a mobile phone poetry using traditional formal
verses like.
- intended to be shared through the SMS. It is poetry
written and read on a mobile phone.
- It is popularized by the playwright Frank Rivera, who
came to be known as the “makata sa cell phone.” His
works of textula and other poems are performed in
different occasions, such as rallies, school programs,
and contests; published in newspapers
6. Blog - where a person writes about his or her personal
opinions, activities, and experiences.
- A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or
informational website displaying information in the

Context
National literature
Biographical context/ authorial
context
“Under My Invisible Umbrella” by
Laurel Fantauzzo.
“Catch a Falling Star” by Cristina
Pantoja Hidalgo.
Socio-cultural context
reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing
first.
- It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers
share their
- refers to anything beyond specific words of a literary
work that may be relevant in understanding its meaning
- All literary texts were written by different authors with
different background, culture, society, language, and
others
- reflects the history and culture of a country and is
usually created by its local writers
- According to Rev. Harley Dewart, a national literature
is an essential element in the foundation of a national
character.
- Hence, national literature is not merely a record of a
country’s mental progress, but also the expression of its
intellectual life, the bond of national unity, and the
guide of national energy.
WAYS TO IDENTIFY THE BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT
IN A LITERARY WORK:
1. Research on what the author believes in and what he or
she does not.
2. Analyze how the author’s belief system is reflected in
his or her work.
3. Look at the author’s other works and analyze if there is
a pattern with regard to the theme that is indicative of
his or her life and beliefs
essay that talks about a Filipino- Italian who was born in the
United States. Because her features are more Italian than
Filipina, she encountered problems with people treating her as
“extra special” in the Philippines, which she finds more
isolating than welcoming
a collection of realistic short stories that revolve around a child
character named Trissy or “Patriciang Payatot”. In the
narratives, you would find out that Trissy is not much involved
in outdoor games, she was inclined to writing, paper doll
making and other simple crafts
about how a particular literary work depicts a society. It
concerns questions like: With what societal issues is it
concerned? What seems to be the author’s attitude towards
society?
This literary context approach tackles on strengths, weaknesses
 and changes occurring in the society during a particular period
wherein the literary work is set. Socio-cultural context
emphasizes on the connection between the society and the
literary wor
1. What is the relationship between the characters or the speakers in the text and their society?
2. Does the text explicitly address issues of gender, race or class? How does the text resolve these
issues?
3. Who has the power? Who does not? What is the reason for this setup?
4. How does this story reflect the nation? What does this say about the country and its inhabitants?
5. Who has the economic or social power? Is there oppression or class struggle? How do the characters
overcome this? Does money or finances play a large role in the narrative?
6. What is the prevailing social order? Does the story or poem accept or challenge it?
Sociological, Economic, and Cultural Perspective
Marxism literature shows class struggle and materialism. It looks into the
social classes portrayed in the work. It also examines
oppression, social conflicts, and solution to these struggles as
shown in the literary text. Ex. El Fili/Noli Me
Feminism This perspective examines the role of the women in the
literature. It looks into how the female character may be
empowered or discriminated against.
Ex. Joyce Bernal
Queer Theory The queer perspective is concerned with the queer or the third
gender. The perspective itself was named in 1991. Under this
perspective, the third gender, meaning the gay, lesbians, and
other characters or persona in literature that may fall under
queer are being examined.
Ex. Vice Gand
Historicism a perspective dealing with the history that influenced the
writing of literature
Postcolonialism. a literary perspective that looks into the changes in the attitude
of the post colonies after the colonial period. Through this
perspective, the dependence or independence of decolonized
countries or people are being examined
New Historicism - Another perspective in the socio-cultural context that
focuses not only on the history when the literary test
was written, but also how the history happened.
- the above-mentioned perspectives can be integrated
with each other
Linguistic context
- a discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps determine
its interpretation
- revolves around the idea that literary texts can be read through
the context of the language used to write the text as well as the
way language was used in the text
STRATEGIES
1. Analyze the diction or choice of words in the text. (cell&sell, minute&minute, read&read,
breath&breath)
2. Examine the text’s syntax or use of sentences, clauses, phrases, line cuts. (arrangement of words)
3. Observe the use of figurative language
4. Analyze the mood and tone of the text.
5. Observe the text’s overall structure.
6. Analyze the content of the text.
APPROACHES
- It relays the texts being examined to a larger structure.
1. Structuralism The structure may be a particular genre, a range of
intertextual connections, a model of a universal
narrative structure, or a system of recurrent patterns or
motifs.
- Accdng to Collins’ Dictionart, Structuralism is a
method of interpreting and analyzing such things as
language, literature, and society, which focuses on
contrasting ideas or elements of structure and attempts
to show how they relate to the whole structure
- Criticism that uses the structure of analysis analyzes
patterns, narratives, or codes of practice to interpret the
text or culture from which it is derived, looking at sub-
structures that make the formation of meaning possible.
- In the criticism of the structure, there is a continuous
movement away from the description of each writing
task to understand the larger structures it contains.
- focuses on the structure of a particular text. It examines
2. Formalism (New a text without considering any outside influence.
Criticism)
- there may be underlying structures that may have
3. Post-structuralism different interpretations based on how the words or
phrases were used in the text
- rejects the idea of a literary text having a single
purpose, a single meaning or one singular existence.
Instead, every individual reader creates a new and
individual purpose, meaning, and existence for a given
text.