21st Century Literature
Literature
- From the Lati n word “Litera” which means
lett er and “Literatura” which means “to write”.
- Mirror of life.
Two Kinds of Literature
Fictional Literature
- is imaginary composed writi ng or work of art
that is meant to provide informati on, educati on
and entertainment top the reader.
- is based on the writer’s imaginati on rather
than reality. (Short story, novels, song, oral
literature, play and poem)
Non-Fiction Literature
- is factual writi ng or writt en work that gives
facts that can be proved as it provides real
places, events, characters, ti mes or reality than
imaginary things. (Essays, journals, diaries,
autobiographies, biographies, magazines and
newspaper)
Two Literary Forms
1. Prose
2. Poetry
Importance of Literature
-Improves your command of language
-Teaches us about life, cultures and experiences
of people in the other parts of the world.
-It entertains you and provides useful
occupati on in your free ti me.
-It makes you wiser and more experienced
person by forcing you to judge, sympathize with,
or criti cize
the characters you read about.
-It helps you to compare your own experiences
with the experiences of the other people.
Aims of Literature
• To instruct and inform
• To entertain
• To express personal joy and pain
• To refl ect religious devoti on
• To glorify hero
• To advocate a parti cular point of view
about politi cal, economical, social etc.
PERIODS OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
PRECOLONIAL LITERATURE
The PRECOLONIAL LITERATURE (below-1520)
includes all literature produced before the
Spanish colonizati on like chants, proverbs,
songs, and folk narrati ves. These were all passed
down from generati on to generati on by word of
mouth. Philippine folk narrati ves are varied and
disti nct. They depict the people’s livelihood,
customs, and traditi ons.
1. Folktale – This is a characteristi cally
anonymous, ti meless, and placeless tale
circulated orally among a people.
2. Fable – This feature animal characters or
inanimate objects that behave like people.
3. Legend – This is presented as history but
is unlikely to be true.
4. Myth – This is told to explain a belief, a
practi ce, or a natural phenomenon.
5. Epic – This narrati ve poem celebrates the
adventures and achievements of a hero.
Narrati ves like folk tales, fables, legends, myths,
and epics that were all passed down from
generati on to generati on through the word of
mouth.
SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD (1521–1898)
The SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD (1521–1898)
expediti ons to the Philippines were sent by
Spain in the 16th century.The clergy made a
great impact on faith, educati on, and
government. Through the Manila-Acapulco trade
(1565–1815), liberal ideas entered the country.
Eventually, the nati ves became fl uent in Spanish
and became known as ladinos. Ladinos mainly
wrote devoti onal poetry. Two of them were
Fernando Bagongbanta and Gaspar Aquino de
Belen. Bagongbanta wrote “Salamat nang walang
hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas,” which
appeared in Memorial de la vida cristi ana en
lengua tagala (1605), a book containing basic
Catholic doctrines.
On the other hand, de Belen wrote “Ang Mahal
na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon nati n na
tola” (1704), the earliest version of pasyon.
Also, the nati ve drama called the komedya or
moro-moro was popular. It depicted the war
between Christi ans and Muslims, wherein the
former always wins. The poet Jose de la Cruz
(1746–1829) was a master of such art form.
Francisco Baltazar (1788-1862),
- the master of traditi onal Tagalog poetry,
became well-known for his work Florante
at Laura (1838–1861), the most famous
metrical romance of the country. Pedro
Paterno (1857–1911) wrote Sampaguitas
y poesias varias (1880), the fi rst poetry
collecti on in Spanish by a Filipino; and
the novel in Spanish Ninay (1885),
considered to be the fi rst Filipino novel.
Jose Rizal (1861–1896)
- a prominent ilustrado and the country’s
nati onal hero, is famous for the novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
These novels portray the corrupti on and
abuse of the Spanish offi cials and the
clergy.
Andres Bonifacio (1863–1897)
- The founder of the Kati punan, wrote the
poem “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa.” This
poem appeared in the Kalayaan, the
offi cial newspaper of the Kati punan, in
March 1896.
Leona Florentino (1849–1884)
- Known as the “mother of Philippine
women’s literature,” was a poet in both
Ilocano and Spanish. Twenty of her
poems were preserved and exhibited in
Europe. The poems were included in the
Encyclopedia Internati onal des Oeuvres
des Femme in 1889.
Philippine Literature during the Spanish
occupati on was mostly infl uenced by Christi anity
as well as the European ideals of liberty and
freedom through trade. Filipino writers either
wrote in Spanish or in their own tongue or both.
AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD (1898–1940)
The AMERICAN COLONIAL (1898–1940) the US
established a civil government in 1901. Free
public educati on was introduced. Also, English
was the medium of instructi on. In 1934,
President Roosevelt signed a bill making the
Philippines a commonwealth. On May 14, 1935
Manuel L. Quezon was elected president.
JAPANESE OCCUPATION PERIOD (1941–1945)
The JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1941–1945) On
December 8, 1941, the Japanese att acked
Manila. On January 2, 1942, Japanese occupied
Manila. They set up a Council of State in the
country and started propaganda to remold the
Filipinos. In October 1943 the Japanese declared
the Philippines “independent.” On September
20, Jose P. Laurel was elected president.
MacArthur and his Allied forces returned to the
country in 1944. They landed on Leyte on
October 20, and the biggest naval batt le in
history ensued. The Japanese surrendered
formally on September 2, 1945.
POSTWAR AND CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE
POSTWAR AND CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE
include all literary works writt en and published
in the Philippines from 1946.
1. Nick Joaquin, a Nati onal Arti st for
Literature awardee, wrote arti cles under the
name of Quijano de Manila. His short story
"May Day Eve," published in 1947, is about
love in a patriarchal society. It also made
use of magic realism.
2. F. Sionil Jose, one of the most widely
read Filipino writers in English, wrote the
short story "Waywaya," which is about pre-
Hispanic society and the people’s struggle
for moral order.
3. Alejandro Roces, a Filipino author,
essayist, and dramati st, wrote the short
story "We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers." This
story focuses on the drinking habits and
culture of Filipinos and Americans.
4. Edith L. Tiempo's poem "The Return" is a
senti mental piece that talks about life in old
age. Horacio de la Costa wrote the essay
"History and Philippine Culture," which
emphasizes the importance of
understanding and presenti ng a nati on’s
culture.
5. Stevan Javellana wrote the fi rst postwar
Filipino novel in English, Without Seeing the
Dawn. This novel narrates what people
experienced during World War II under the
Japanese rule in the Philippines.
LITERARY CRITICISM - comparison, analysis,
interpretati on, and/or evaluati on of works of
literature. It is essenti ally an opinion, supported
by evidence, relati ng to theme, style, setti ng or
historical or politi cal context.
FORMALISM/ NEW CRITICISM - reacti on to
traditi on, works interpreted or judged purely
what it is in the text - closed reading.
STRATEGIES TO USE TO READ USING FORMALISM:
● analyze the dicti on or choice of words
● examine the syntax or use of sentence,
clause, phrase, line cuts, etc.
● Observe the use of fi gurati ve language
● Analyze the mood or tone
● Observe overall structure
● Analyze context
DIFFERENT LITERARY APPROACHES
 Feminism- batt le of the sexes or a
reacti on or result of oppressive
patriarchy.
 Marxism- involves how elements of the
class struggle.
○ bourgeois- upper class
○ proletariat- lower class
 Sociological Approach - focus on man’s
relati onship to others in the society,
politi cs, religion, and business.
 Surrealism- arti sti c att empt to bridge
together reality and the imaginati on
 Magic Realism- depicts the real world as
having an undercurrent of magic or
fantasy; part of fi cti on.
 Psychoanalyti c/ Psychological Approach -
focuses on psychology of characters.
 Biological Approach - begins with simple
but central insight that literature is
writt en by actual people and
understanding life of author helps
comprehend their work.
ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY
SHORT STORY
- one sit story
- fi cti onal narrati ve prose w/ few characters,
limited setti ng and single major event
Characters- part of the story; mental and moral
qualiti es disti ncti ve to individual.
 Round Character- dynamic one who
recognize changes
 Flat Character- stereotypes not
developed; representati on involved
in confl ict.
TYPES OF CHARACTERS
a. Protagonist: undergoes change or learn
something
b. Antagonist: contends the protagonist
c. Deuteragonist: person second
importance to the protagonist
d. Fringe: destroy by his inner confl ict
e. Typical or Minor Character
Setti ng- locati on and ti me of the story taking
place
Plot- main event
○ plot devices:
a. flashback
b. foreshadowing
c. suspense
d. surprise ending
e. in media res
○ parts of a plot
a. Expositi on (characters and setti ng intro)
b. Rising acti on (tension builds up)
c. Climax (highest point of interest)
d. Falling acti on (follows climax— story
draws to close)
e. Resoluti on (loose ends are ti ed)
Point Of View- particular attitude of considering a
matter; writer’s feeling and attitude toward his subject ○
Types Of Point Of View
 First Person- narrator uses “I” and
tells the story and is a character
 Third Person- narrator narrates
using “he/ she” and is not part of
the story
 OMNISCIENT- the narrator, who is
not in the story tells the story
through the use of “she” or “he”.
The narrator can see into the minds
of the characters and tell their
thoughts.
Conflict- serious disagreement Blue Blood Of The Big Astana

○ Types of Conflict: - author: Ibrahim A. Jubaira

a. Man vs man- specifi c person/ society Jafaar

b. Man vs nature- weathers conditi ons or - a young servant, a harelipped young boy, in love
animal with the datu’s daughter
c. Man vs himself- personal life Babo
circumstances or psychological issues
- Aunt of Jafaar
Theme- general truth about life; message of the story
Amboh
Climax- highest point of the story; involves important
discovery or decision. - Mother of Dayang-dayang
Amador Daguio Eting
- born January 8, 1912 - Son of Dayang-dayang
- wrote poems since elementary
- mentored by Tom Inglis Moore, Datu Appah
Australian professor
- graduated UP as one of the top 10 honor - Father of Dayang-dayang
graduates
Muramuraan
- went to Stanford and obtained masterals
in English 1952 - A rich young datu in bonbon
- 1954, obtained his Law Degree from - married to Dayang-dayang
Romualdez Law College
- chief editor of Philippine House of Dayang-dayang
Representati ves
- teacher of University of the East, UP, and - daughter of Datu
Philippine Women’s University for 26 years - married to Muramuraan
- 1967, died from liver cancer age 55 - has blue blood
- awarded Republic Cultural Heritage
(1973) Setting - Patikul, in the big Astana and Bonbon

Theme - history, love

Wedding Dance
- author: Amador Daguio

- characters:

- Awiyao (humorous husband for 7 years)

- Lumnay (can’t bear a child wife)

- Madulimay (awiyao new wife)

Ibrahim A. Jubaira

- best known of the older generati on of

english language- educated Muslim
Filipino writers

- one of the most prolifi c w/ 3 volume

stories and 2 or more collecti ons