21st century Literature Reviewer

EXPLORING LITERARY FORMS, GENRES, ELEMENTS AND TRADITIONS

Philippine literature is as rich and diverse as the 7500 plus islands that make up our
archipelago. This is not surprising considering that we have 183 living languages
(ethnologue.com) across 17 regions comprised of 82 provinces.
The origin of Philippine literature can only be traced by exploring its evolution from
pre-colonial up to the present. Thus, studying the past becomes imperative in
understanding the literature of the present.

LITERATURE- is derived from the Latin word "littera" which means "a letter of the alphabet".

literature is traditionally defined as body of written works associated to imaginative

and creative works of poetry and prose and can be classified according to variety of
systems such as language, national origin, historical period, genre and subject matter.
-Can be oral or written form
LITERARY TEXTS- A text can be considered literary if it has the elements of
psychological characterization and chronology. Also, literature uses literary devices
such as metaphor and symbolism.
(1) it narrates a story;
(2) it expresses feelings, thoughts, and ideas which can either be based from the
imagination or real life experiences of the author or other people;
and (3) it delivers significant information and crosses boundaries of time, places,
cultures and languages.
LITERARY STRUCTURE- refers to the organizational method used in literature in
which the most common type is the narrative.
TWO MAJOR FORMS OF LITERATURE
PROSE- this literary piece applies a natural flow of speech and grammatical
structures which are mainly consisting of complete sentences arranged logically
and sequentially in a paragraph form.

a. Fiction. Its three types are: short story, novel, and novella. The main genres
are crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction, western, inspirational, historical
fiction and horror.

b. Non-fiction. These are stories inspired by real events where the writers aim
to present, interpret, or describe experiences based on facts. The judgments,
opinions, and commentaries of the writers may be presented in the form of
essays, journals, diaries, feature articles, editorials, and the like.
Genre- refers to the forms of literature. The general ones are oral and written.
The main types are prose and poetry. There are many other forms that have
sprung through the years.

Literary elements- refer “to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole

text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; they represent the elements of
storytelling which are common to all literary and narrative forms.

The term "Traditions"- refers to the specific traits of literary works that define a
generation or period in history.

A literary tradition “is a collection of works that have an underlying

interconnectedness and coherence that makes them more than simply a group
of works sharing geography or group.

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

The beginning period of Philippine literary history can be considered as the

longest as evidenced by the artifacts of different periods recovered ranging from
50,000 years ago to 14th century A.D. in the Tabon Cave of Palawan.

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (before the arrival of Spaniards)

Certain events in the Philippines during pre-colonial period started to be
recorded in the year 1521. Our rich past was reflected in "folk speeches, folk
songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals and mimetic dances that affirm
our ties with our Southeast Asian neighbors" (Godinez-Ortega, n.d.)

✔ Early Filipinos heavily believed on spirits and supernatural entities (animism).

✔ Social ranking and classes were practiced.
✔ Economic and political dimensions involved trading, marriage, feasting, and alliance.

Dimensions of Pre-colonial Literature

✔ Philippine literature during the pre-colonial era is mostly based on oral traditions passed
down from generation to generation.
✔ The language used pertains to daily life.
✔ Common forms of oral literature are riddles, proverbs, and songs to express a thought or
emotion.
✔ Epic was considered as the most exciting poetic and narrative form of literature in which the
ASEAN-sponsored study of Filipino asserted that there are more than 100 epics discovered
where majority came from Palawan (as cited by Quindoza-Santiago, n.d.).
✔ Majority of proverbs, epigrams, and proverbs collected by researchers come from Tagalog,
Cebuano, and Ilocano dialects
. ✔ The ancient pre-Spanish form of writing called Baybayin which was often cited in the work of
Pedro Chirino during the 1500s, was later on approved as the National Writing System of the
Philippines through House Bill No. 1022.
✔ The experiences of the people during pre-colonial period such as food hunting, work at home,
caring for the children, and creatures or objects of nature served as the common subject in oral
literature.
✔ Anyone who knew the language and the convention and forms could be a poet, singer, or
storyteller.
✔ All important events such as rites and ceremonies reflect religious observance where people
commonly recite, sing, or utter a chant

Types of Pre-colonial Literature

✔ Folk Tales. These are stories which can be characterized as anonymous,

timeless, and placeless tales circulated orally among a group of people.
✔ Legends. These are a form of prose which deal with the origin of a thing,
location or name.
✔ Myths. Unlike legends where the characters have realistic human qualities,
the characters here usually have supernatural powers where the main purpose
is to provide explanation about the existence of something or someone.
✔ Epics. These pertain to a type of a long narrative poem mainly focusing on
the heroic achievements and deeds of the main character.
✔ Folk Songs. These can be considered as the oldest forms of Philippine
literature that mirror the culture which expresses hopes, aspirations, lifestyles,
and emotions of early Filipinos. Some examples are kundiman, kumintang,
oyayi or hele and some drinking songs.
✔ Other Forms. Some examples are proverbs (salawikain), riddles (bugtong),
chant (bulong), maxims or those with rhyming couplets of 5, 6, or 8 syllables,
sayings (kasabihan), and idiom (sawikain). Tanaga is another favorite poem
consisting of four rhyming lines of 7 syllables each.

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING COLONIAL PERIOD

Spanish colonial period (1965-1898)

✔ This can be divided into two major periods: Early Spanish Period (1565-1863)
and Later Part or Revolutionary Period (1864-1896).
✔ Early Spanish Period can be categorized as either religious or secular.

Dimensions of Philippine Literature

✔ The type of literature produced during this period used Spanish, Tagalog, and the vernacular
form of languages.
✔ Spanish was introduced as the medium of communication and later shifted to Tagalog when a
sense of nationalism arose during the revolutionary period.

✔ The introduction of the printing equipment called xylographic press by the Dominicans
resulted in publication of various religious materials and earliest books.
✔ Poetically inclined writers led by Tagalog versifiers called Ladinos (natives who were also fluent
in Spanish) such as Fernándo Bágongbantâ and Tomas Pinpin tackled mostly morality and
religion.
✔ Folk songs still existed.
✔ Drama, as another type of literary genre, as well as metrical tales based on European origin
(such as awit and corrido) flourished.
✔ Diaryong Tagalog (1882), a Spanish-Tagalog newspaper, published bulk of Filipino writings. The
publication signaled the open campaign for reforms.
✔ In 1889, the La Solidaridad, an underground newspaper, became the mouthpiece of the
Reform Movement.

Emergence of Other Types of Literature during Spanish Colonial Period

✔ Books. In 1593, the book written by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva entitled
"Doctrina Cristiana" (The Christian Doctrine) was first printed. Among the other notable books
printed are "Nuestra Señora del Rosario" by Fr. Blancas de San Jose, "Barláan at Jósaphát" (first
published in 1708) translated from Greek to Tagalog by Fr. Antonio de Borja, and "Urbana at
Felisa" by Modesto de Castro who is considered as the Father of Classic Prose in Tagalog.
✔ Folk Songs. These were songs modified based on the folkways of Filipinos during this period.
✔ Recreational Plays. These were mostly poetic in nature and intended to be performed during
the Spanish era. Cenaculo, Carillo, Zarzuela, Moro-Moro, Balagtasan, Duplo, and Karagatan are
among the examples.
✔ Novels. These are fictitious prose usually lengthy and complex in nature. Pedro Paterno's work
entitled "Ninay" is the first novel published by a Filipino author. This was originally written in
Spanish language and translated into English and Tagalog in 1907 and 1908.
✔ Newspapers. There has been a debate on whether newspapers should be categorized as
literature or not. Bulk of Filipino writings produced were mostly published in Diaryong Tagalog.

Some Notable Writers

✔ Francisco Baltazar (1788-1862) was hailed as the "Master of Traditional Tagalog Poetry". His
well-known literary work, Florante at Laura (1838–1861), is regarded as the most famous
metrical romance of the country.
✔ Pedro Paterno (1857–1911) was the first Filipino who wrote poetry collection in Spanish
entitled Sampaguitas y poesias varias (1880). His novel in Spanish Ninay (1885) was considered
to be the first Filipino novel.
✔ Jose Rizal (1861–1896), a prominent ilustrado and the country’s national hero, is famous for
the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These novels portray the corruption and abuse
of the Spanish officials and the clergy.
✔ Andres Bonifacio (1863–1897), the founder of the Katipunan, wrote the poem “Pag-ibig sa
Tinubuang Lupa” which appeared in the official newspaper of the Katipunan called Kalayaan 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 and were included in the Encyclopedia Internationaldes Oeuvres des Femme in 1889.

AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD (1910-1945)

✔ American colonial period is divided into two periods: the period of apprenticeship (1910-
1930) and the period of emergence (1920-1930).
 ✔ The surrender of first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo in 1901 signified the end of the
military struggle for independence.
✔ Aguinaldo promised allegiance to America but still continued to be very vocal of achieving
independence for the Philippines.
✔ In 1935, Aguinaldo was soundly defeated by Manuel L. Quezon as the first President of the
Commonwealth.

Dimensions of Philippine Literature

✔ During the transition period many Filipino writers still preferred to write in Spanish since
English was still a foreign language to them.
✔ Filipino writers were into all forms of literature during the period of apprenticeship but most
of their works were critiqued as an imitation of English and American models.
✔ Short stories became the most prevalent literary form during the latter part of American
colonial period.
✔ The existence of American literary works and periodicals as well as the coming of American
teachers encouraged many aspiring Filipino writers to use the English language.
✔ A new type of literature began when American system of education and English language
were introduced

Other Type of Literature Existed during American Colonial Period

✔ Short Stories. These are stories that can typically be read in one sitting revolving around one
subject and may range between 1,000 up to 20,000 words. The first short story written in English
is entitled "Dead Stars" by Paz Marquez Benitez.

Some Notable Writers

✔ Juan C. Laya. He won first prize for his novel "His Native Soil" in the First Commonwealth
Literary Awards in 1940.
✔ Zoilo M. Galang. His work entitled "A Child of Sorrow" in 1921 is considered as the first Filipino
novel in English.

JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD (1942-1945)

✔ Japan invaded the Philippines on December 8, 1941 which was strongly opposed by the
Guerillas.
✔ Captured soldiers and American deportees were forced to have "Death March" to a prison
camp where they walked for 100 kilometers from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga.
An estimated 10,000 prisoners died here.
✔ Aguinaldo cooperated with the Japanese to end Filipino and American opposition.
✔ Japanese colonizers failed to gain the trust of Filipinos

Dimensions of Philippine Literature

✔ All forms of writings were censored during this time because there was no freedom of speech
and of the press.
✔ Only those who were living in the United States such as Carlos P. Romulo and Manuel L.
Quezon could write freely.
✔ The use of English language was stopped in almost all publications and only Tagalog and the
vernaculars were permitted.
✔ Few literary works were printed and mostly considered as pessimistic and bitter according to
the author Victoria Abelardo.

✔ Another type of poetry that emerged is the Haiku consisting of three lines with 5-7-5 syllables
or 17 syllabic poetry in alL.

Some Notable Writers

✔ Carlos P. Romulo. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his notable works such as "I Saw the Fall of the
Philippines", "I See the Philippines Rise", "Mother America", and "My Brother Americans".
✔ Narciso Reyes. He won first prize with his short story "Lupang Tinubuan"

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING POST-COLONIAL PERIOD

✔ CHARACTERISTICS OF 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE:

-written by contemporary authors within the last decade
-deals with current issues and themes
-reflects technological culture
-literature of emerging genres
-often breaks traditional writing
MULTIMEDIA FORMATS IN INTERPRETING LITERARY TEXTS
Blog or a “weblog” is a website containing informational articles about a person’s own
opinions, interests and experiences. These are usually changed regularly (DepEd
2013, 9).
Mind mapping is a graphical technique to visualize connections of ideas and pieces of
information. This tool structures information to better analyze, comprehend,
synthesize, recall and generate new ideas. You can use Microsoft Word or online mind
mapping tools in creating a mind map (Pasuello 2017)
Mobile phone text tula is a traditional Filipino poem. A particular example of this
poem is a tanaga that consists of 4 lines with 7 syllables each with the same rhyme at
the end of each line. (DepEd 2013, 8)
Slideshow presentation is created with the use of Microsoft PowerPoint. It contains
series of pictures or pages of information (slides) arranged in sequence and often
displayed on a large screen using a video projector (Computer Hope 2018).
Tag cloud is a visual, stylized arrangement of words or tags within a textual content
such as websites, articles, speeches and databases (Techopedia 2020).
Video is an electronic device used to record, copy, playback, broadcast, and display
moving visual media (Lexico 2020)

APPLYING ICT SKILLS IN INTERPRETING LITERARY TEXTS

An anecdote is a short entertaining or interesting story about a real incident or
person (Nagpal 2016).
Anecdotes tell about a variety of stories and tales, since they can be about any topic
under the sun.

purposes of anecdotes:

1. To Bring Cheer Stories pop up anywhere and these are just sometimes making people laugh to
brighten their mood.

2. To Reminisce In most anecdotes, people are talking about their experiences in the past. They try to
look back on moments in their lives and share the joy of that time with others

3. To Caution Sometimes, just giving rules for individuals is not effective. Sharing to them frightening
stories of dangers can be helpful for them to realize the possible consequences of their actions.

4. To Persuade or Inspire Sometimes, people share stories on how they surpassed their struggles in life.
These, most of the time, give encouragement to others who have been in similar situations. The message
usually conveys successes in life as a fruit of hard work.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY
Character– A character in a short story is a person, in some stories an animal, who
takes part in the action of the story or other literary work.

a. The protagonist is considered as the main character or most important of all the characters.
b. The antagonist is the character that challenges the main character. It has no concern for the
well-being of the main character.

Setting– The place (locale) and time (period )when the story happens is called the
setting. The setting may be based on real place and real time or it may also be based
on the author’s imagination.
Plot– A plot is the actual story. It is what the story is all about.

a. Exposition –This is the beginning of the story. This is where the author introduces the characters,
identifies where the story is happening, and establishes the main conflict.

b. Rising Action–This event occurs as you begin to move throughout the story. This is where conflicts
start to build.

c. Climax– It is the most exciting part of a short story. This is the part in the story when important
decisions are made or important things are discovered.

d. Falling Action– This point occurs after the climax as the problems in the story start to work
themselves out. The excitement becomes less and less as the conflict is resolved. e. Resolution– This is
the solution to the problem in a story. The solution may not be what you hoped for but as long as it fits
the story in tone and theme, the conflict has been resolved.

Conflict– Every story needs to have a problem and this problem is called conflict.

• man versus man;

• man versus nature;
• man versus himself; and
• man versus society.
Theme- This is the central idea in a short story and a general truth. This is considered
as the author’s message to the readers.
Point of View – This is the way the story is told or narrated. It is also known as the
vantage point that a writer uses to narrate the story.
a. First Person – the narrator participates in and tells the story using the pronoun ‘I’.
b. Limited Third Person – the narrator is not in the story and narrates using the pronouns ‘she’ or ‘he’.
Also, the narrator is unable to see into the minds of the characters.
c. Omniscient Third Person – the narrator is not in the story and tells the story using the pronouns ‘she’
or ‘he’. In this point of view, the narrator can tell the thoughts of the characters as he can see into their
minds.