LITERATURE

came from Latin word “litera” which means letters

❑ is a record, oral and written of man’s thoughts, man’s experiences, man’s values, in language that is
beautiful, presented in manner that is unforgettable.

❑Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction and whether it is poetry or
prose.

❑literature was first produced by some of the world's earliest civilizations—those of Ancient Egypt and

Sumeria—as early as the 4th millennium BC

PRE COLONIAL PERIOD (1954)

One of the defining features of the Philippine culture is our rich literature. Most literary works during
the precolonial period were passed down by word of mouth. This form of transmission is called oral
tradition.

The writing system used by Filipinos during the precolonial period is the baybayin. This was derived from
Kavi, a Javanese (Indonesian) script.

LEGENDS – form of prose that tells about the origin of a thing, place, location, or name. The events are

imaginary.

FOLKTALES – made up of stories about life, adventure, horror, and humor that mirrors a certain group of

people. These stories are passed from one generation to another through word of mouth.

EPICS – long narrative poems about heroic achievements. It is also considered the highest form of

oral literature as these are performed or sung in tribal gatherings.

Ex: Biag-ni-Lam-Ang

FOLK SONGS – oldest form of Philippine literature. These are songs that mirror the early form of culture.

Ex: Kundiman

RIDDLES, CHANTS – consists of stanzas of wit and wisdom

PROVERBS AND SAYINGS – laws and rules for good behavior.

SPANISH COLONIZATION

During this period, many changes occurred in the lives of Filipinos that eventually bled into its literature.
In some records, many literatures during the pre-colonial period were destroyed by the Spanish
colonizers. This explains why there were few records of written literature during the pre-colonial and
the only remaining way to preserve it at that time was through oral tradition.

The first Filipino alphabet was replaced by Roman Alphabet.

The first book was printed in the Philippines then titled “Doctrina Cristiana en lengua Espanola y Tagala”.

The first university was established in 1611: The University of Santo Tomas.

The teaching of the Christian Doctrine became the basis of religious practices.

The Spanish language became the literary language with many of its words still in use

today.

European legends and traditions brought here became assimilated in our songs, corridos, and

mor-moros.

Ancient literature was collected and translated to Tagalog and other dialects.

PERIOD OF ENLIGHTENMENT (1872-1898)

The Filipino spirit reawakened after the martyrdom of the three priest: GOMEZ, BURGOS, ZAMORA.

It was the time that propagandist started to emerge.

Propagandist – are intellectual men who were educated in Europe who pushed for the Philippines to be
liberated from the hands of Spanish rulers.

Dr. Jose P. Rizal

NOLI ME TANGERE EL FILIBUSTERISMO-The book that gave spirit to the propaganda movement.

EL FILI BUSTERISMO- The sequel of Noli that talks about politics and the corruption within the Spanish
government

MARCELO H. DEL PILAR - Popular with his pen name PLARIDEL, Pupdoh, Piping Dilat, and Dolores
Manapat.

GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA- He established the first magazine LA SOLIDARIDAD