21st lit

pre colonial literature of the philippines

When did literature start in the Philippines?

- Nobody knows exactly when. That is why the period of literary history before the
Spaniards arrived is the longest.

Literature is any printed material about significant human experiences.

What did early Filipinos write about?

- They wrote about common experiences of life in their village like food-gathering,
creatures and objects of nature, work in the home, field, forest or sea, caring for children,
etc.

Where did they write their literary pieces? How come we still know them after hundreds
of years?
- Since paper was not yet invented during that time, our ancestors wrote on barks of trees,
leaves or even bamboo. Most of their literatures were passed down from one generation
to another through oral tradition. Each generation contributed in the development of the
story in what is known as communal authorship.

What is communal authorship?

- It means that the community where the story came from is the author, or there is no one
person who can claim that he/she wrote the tale.

Why did early Filipinos have literature?

- Stories were told to explain why things happen, to help them understand better the world
they live in. Others were shared to preserve their culture and history, and some for
entertainment. Literary pieces that teach a lesson on values or morals are described as
didactic.

SOME FORMS OF PRE COLONIAL PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

1.Proverbs (salawikain)
– statements that are wise and in figurative language. They are usually written in rhyming
scheme.

ex.
Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo.
(What good is the grass if the horse is already dead.)
This proverb often pertains to help or relief that came too late. It can also refer to orders that
took too long to arrive that it is no longer needed.

2.Sayings (kasabihan)
– are phrases that state a general truth but in more direct language. Like proverbs, they too are
usually written to rhyme.

ex.
Ang buhay ay parang gulong, minsan nasa ibabaw, minsan nasa ilalim.
(Life's a wheel, sometimes on top, sometimes at the bottom.)
It means that we sometimes experience favorable events in life but sometimes
we experience not so favorable ones; the ups and downs in life.

3.Riddles (bugtong)
– statements that demand deeper answers and deals with everyday life. It usually has common
things as answers and was used in the past as forms of entertainment through a battle of wits
among the listeners.

ex.
 Heto na si Kaka, bubuka-bukaka.
(Here comes Kaka, walking with an open leg.)
Answer: scissors

4.Folk Songs (awiting bayan)

– are folk lyrics that are usually chanted. It usually contains ideas on aspirations, hopes,
everyday life and expressions of love for loved ones. It is bounded by the learning of good
morals. It is easy to understand because it is straightforward and figurative in nature.

(Ex. kundiman [sad love songs], hele/uyayi [lullaby], kumintang [war songs], dalit
[worship songs])

5.Folk Tales (kwentong bayan)

- are stories of origin for certain places, their names and their creation. These are also known as
myths and legends. They are usually used to explain certain events or phenomena.
- Both legends and myths can have deities (gods and goddesses) as characters. Their
difference lies in their time setting. Legends have evidences of human civilization, while myths
do not.

6.Epics (epiko)
– are very long poems about a hero and his adventures. The epic hero has all the ideal qualities
of a man and who also has superhuman capabilities. He goes on to a journey usually to obtain a
prize or defeat an enemy nobody has done before.

philippine literature during the spanish period

What was the focus of Philippine literature

during the Spanish Period?
- The Spaniards used literature to spread Catholicism, so our legends and myths became
stories of the lives of saints and characters from the Bible.

What were the changes that the Spaniards introduced to Philippine literature?
- They brought with them the printing press and introduced the use of the Latin alphabet in
writing. A style of writing called the Euro-Hispanic tradition was born during this period.

What is the Euro-Hispanic tradition?

- It is the literary style that imported characteristics popular in Europe and in Spain. These
include love stories about knights or heroes, and are usually set in a foreign country.
- Example? Francisco Baltazar’s Florante at Laura. This also showed the creativity of our
Filipino literary artists to adapt works and make them accessible to a listening audience
because many Filipinos did not know how to read or write in Spanish.

What genres in literature did the Spanish introduce?

- The Spaniards taught the Filipinos the novel, the essay and print journalism. The
Propaganda Movement utilized these literary forms to advocate against Spanish crimes
and abuses like Jose Rizal in his novels, Noli me tangere and El filibusterismo, and
Graciano Lopez Jaena and Marcelo H. Del Pilar in their articles in the newspaper, La
Solidaridad.

SOME FORMS OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN THE SPANISH TRADITION

1.Korido
– a narrative that is based on legend and fantasy; sung at a faster pace and has a plot
for entertainment purpose.

Example: Ibong Adarna by Jose de la Cruz

2.Awit
– a narrative poem about a hero and his love interest; sung at a slower pace and is didactic.

Example: Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar

3.Komedya
– a theatrical presentation of a Spanish romance story that shows the values of religiosity and
loyalty to the king.

4.Duplo
– a poetic joust or a debate in the form of poetry.

5.Moro-moro
– a melodrama depicting battles between Spanish forces and Muslims, where the
former always wins over the latter.

6.Sarswela
-can either be musical comedies or melodramas that make fun of social issues or the trials in
life.

- The life of Jesus Christ was a popular subject for many of the literary forms during the
Spanish Period. The pasyon was a long narrative poem about the life and death of
Jesus Christ, and was often sung during Holy Week. The sinakulo was a dramatization
of the Passion of Christ including His crucifixion. The tibag originated the santacruzan.
Panunuluyan was a drama about the search of St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary of a place
for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

Andres de Castro Bonifacio (1863-1897)

- is often called the Father of Philippine Revolution.
- He was one of the founders and later on became Supremo of the Kataas-taasang,
Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or more commonly known as
the Katipunan, which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial
rule.
- Compared to the members of the Propaganda Movement, Bonifacio wrote in Tagalog,
making his works more accessible to the ordinary Filipinos especially during the
Philippine Revolution of 1896.
- In the succeeding part are selected stanzas from one of his poems titled Pag-ibig sa
Tinubuang Lupa which was first published in March 1896 in the first issue of Kalayaan
–the newspaper of the Katipunan

- Philippine literature during the Spanish Period can either be classified as religious or
secular.
- Religious literary pieces were largely inspired by subjects from the Bible or the lives of
saints, as these were used extensively to promote the Catholic faith. Examples are:
pasyon, sinakulo,
panunuluyan and tibag.
- Secular literature featured themes from the Euro-Hispanic tradition such as love stories
about knights or heroes, usually set in a foreign country. Examples are: awit, duplo,
korido, moro-moro, komedya and sarswela.
- The Spaniards introduced the following literary forms: novel, drama, essay and print
journalism. The Propaganda Movement used these forms to promote nationalism.
- Theme is the underlying message of a literary work.