Study Guide 2

Early Philippine Poetry in English

(Abad, Villa, Manalang-Gloria, Subido, Tiempo)

The emergence of Philippine poetry in English is necessarily tied to the American colonial
experience of the Philippines. In “Mapping the Poetic Terrain,” Gemino Abad traces the
development of early Philippine poetry from the 1900s to the 1990s. Abad touches upon several
issues that scholars and critics of Philippine Literature in English must grapple with—the early
entanglements with romanticism, the dawn of the New Criticism, and the role of the Imagination,
among others. Abad also stresses that in amidst all this, a critic must look at the subjectivity of the
poet and their engagement with social reality, a kind of subjectivity and relationship that exceeds the
impositions and limitations of American colonialism and its byproducts in our Literature. Perhaps
the most contentious issue that Abad tackles in the essay, and with Philippine Literature in English
in general, is the use of the English language in this new literary tradition. In this module, we unpack
the configuration between writer, world, and language as seen through early Philippine poetry in
English.

As you read, think of the following questions:

1. What are the three strains/phases of early Philippine poetry in English as discussed by
Abad?
2. What are the dangers and merits of New Criticism and romanticism?
3. What were the sociopolitical and cultural conditions that coalesced during the time period
covered and catalyzed the shifts in early Philippine poetry in English?

On the literary texts for this unit:

1. Read the poems of Villa and Trinidad. How do these poems exhibit what Abad talks about
regarding the poet’s use of language?
2. Read the poems Angela Manalang-Gloria. How does she render the experiences of being a
woman during this time? How does this align—or not—with romantic sensibility and
language use during this time?
 3. Examine Tiempo’s poems—as the “priestess” of the New Critical tradition in the
Philippines, how do these poems fit New Criticism and in what ways do these poems exceed
it?

Look up: new criticism, romanticism, imagination, modern poetry, Philippine English

Discussion Forum
Main Discussion Question: Abad traces the phases of early Philippine poetry as a way of
discussing the poet's relationship with language, the self (subject matter), and social reality. Abad
distills his point when he explains that “at first indeed we wrote in English and freely borrowed and
adopted, and then, we wrought from English and forged (in its double sense) ourselves and our own
scene where we worked our own destiny.” What does he mean by the distinction between writing in
English and working from English? What is your take on his thesis?

Forum Mechanics
1. Post your own response to the main discussion question no later than February 24, 5 PM.
2. Respond to at least one classmate no later than February 27, 1 PM.
Note: Kindly see guidelines on participating in the discussion forums on your syllabus.

Supplementary Sources
Gemino Abad, Edna Manlapaz (Eds.), Man of Earth: An Anthology of Filipino Poetry and Verse
from English 1905 to the Mid-50s. ADMU Press, 1989.
Gemino Abad, Our Scene so Fair: Filipino Poetry in English, 1905 to 1955. UP Press, 2008.
Edith Tiempo, Beyond, Extensions. UP Press, 1993.
Edna Manlapaz, Our Literary Matriarchs, ADMU Press, 1996.
Jonathan Chua (Ed.), The Critical Villa, ADMU Press, 2002.

• End of Study Guide 2 •