SURVEY IN THE PHILIPPINES LITERATURE IN ENGLISH ➢ Influence on literary forms

FINALS REVIEWER
Literary forms
Spanish Colonial Era in Philippine Literature
➢ Corridos
➢ Awit
Historical Background ➢ Pasyon
➢ In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan arrived on the Philippine island.
➢ In 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi established the first Prominent writers
permanent settlement of the Spanish colony in Cebu. ➢ Fracisco Baltazar
➢ Gaspar Aquino de Belen
Policies and Aims of Spain ➢ Andres Bonifacio
➢ Spread of Christianity ➢ Jose de la Cruz
➢ Encomienda System ➢ Dr. Jose Rizal
➢ Galleon Trade
➢ Cultural and Linguistic influence Notable works
➢ Polo y servicio ➢ Florante at Laura
➢ Ibong Adarna
First Spanish Writings ➢ Noli Me Tangere
➢ Latin alphabet ➢ El Filibusterismo
➢ Creation of Grammars and Dictionaries ➢ Doctrina Christiana
➢ Religious Texts ➢ Pasion
➢ Chronicles and letters ➢ Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Natin na
Tola
Religious Influence ➢ Doce Pares de Francia y Doce Pares de Francia Regalado
➢ Dissemination of Christian Teachings ➢ Pasyon
➢ Use of Religious Symbols and Imagery ➢ La Loba Negra
➢ Preservation of Indigenous beliefs
➢ Religious festivals and Rituals Social and Political Themes
➢ Morality and Ethical Themes ➢ Portrayal of Social Injustices
➢ Hymns and prayers ➢ Religious critique
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 ➢ Critique of Colonial Oppression ➢ Philippine - American War
➢ Expression of Nationalism Impact of American colonization on Philippine Society and Culture
➢ Advocacy for Reforms ➢ Language and Education
➢ Fostering Solidarity ➢ Politics and Legal systems
➢ Raising Awareness ➢ Infrastructure and Modernization
➢ Popular Culture
Influence to Modern Philippine Literature ➢ Religion
➢ Language and Literary Technique ➢ National Identity
➢ Cultural and Historical References ➢ Economic Transformation
➢ Themes of Identity and Nationalism ➢ Women’s Rights
➢ Religious and Moral Themes Cultural and Linguistic Influences
➢ Literary Forms and Genre ➢ Language
➢ Championing Indigenous Culture ➢ Literary Forms
➢ Critiques of SocioPolitical Realities ➢ Themes and Contents
➢ Resurgence of Indigenous Languages ➢ Literary Movements
➢ Interplay of Global and Local Elements ➢ Cultural Exchange
➢ Synthesis of Culture
American Colonial Literature in the Philippines ➢ Literary Expressions

Early American Colonial Writers

Historical Background Dean Worcester
➢ American Rule in the Philippines ( 1898 - 1946) ➢ Documentation of Philippine Flora and Fauna
➢ 1898: Treaty of Paris ➢ Ethnographic Research
➢ Impact on Philippine society and culture Charles Derbyshire
Treaty of Paris ➢ Making Philippine literature and historical texts accessible to
➢ Cession of Territories English-speaking audiences.
➢ Cuba’s Independence ➢ Translated mostly works of Jose Rizal
➢ Spanish - American War Claro M. Recto
➢ Payment to Spain ➢ Known for his essays, speeches, and literary works, which
➢ American Imperialism focused on social and political issues
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 ➢ La Ruta de Damasco ➢ Satire and Irony
➢ Solo entre las sombras ➢ Social Realism
Jose Garcia Villa Philippine Literature during the Japanese Era
➢ Pope of Philippine Poetry
➢ Introduced reverse consonance or comma poems.
➢ Pseudonym: Doveglion Historical Background
Manuel Arguilla ➢ Pre Colonial - 900 AD - 1565
➢ Short story writer and essayist ➢ Spanish - 1565 - 1898
➢ Rural life in the Philippines ➢ American - 1898 - 1941
➢ "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife" ➢ Japanese - 1942 - 1945

The Short Story Tradition Background

➢ Accessibility and Dissemination of Ideas
➢ Linguistic Transition
➢ Cultural Synthesis
➢ Social Realism, Resistance, and Nationalism
The Impact of Periodicals in Disseminating Literature
● Newspapers and Magazines
➢ Wider Readership
➢ Publication of Literary Talents
➢ Historical and cultural artifacts
● Notable Publications
➢ Philippine Free Press and Manila Tribune
➢ Development of Journalism
➢ Recognition of Literary and Journalistic Talent
Social and Political Commentary
➢ Critique of Colonialism
➢ Social Reforms
➢ Occupation Period
➢ Resistance and Guerrilla Warfare
➢ Comfort Women
➢ Liberation and End of Occupation
➢ Aftermath
❖ Philippine Literature in English came to a halt.
Literary Themes
➢ Resistance and Patriotism
➢ Suffering and Survival
➢ Cultural Identity and Nationalism
➢ Human Spirit and Hope
➢ Collaboration and Betrayal
➢ Narratives of Survival and Testimonies
"Under the Balete Tree" by Kerima Polotan Tuvera
"We were supposed to be defeated, to vanish in thin air. But we
clung to life, and no matter how cruel the times were, we remained,
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like the balete tree, whose roots descend to the ground and never
die." Haiku
➢ Free-verse
Literary Forms and Genres ➢ 17 syllables, 3 lines.
➢ Line count: 5-7-5
➢ Poetry Ex.
➢ Essays and Articles Anyaya
➢ Short Stories and Novels ulilang damo
➢ Drama sa tahimik na ilog
halika, sinta.
Japanese Poetry
➢ Poetry has been one of the channels used by Filipino writers to Invitation
voice out their frustrations and emotions towards what’s lonely grass
happening. by the silent river
come, my dear
Poetry
Haiku TANAGA
➢ Blanked-verse ➢ Has measure and rhyme
➢ 17 syllables, 3 lines. ➢ Four lines
➢ Line count: 5-7-5 ➢ Each line has 7 syllables
Ex. ➢ Usually has no title
Tutubi Rhyme Scheme
hila mo’y tabak… Traditional: AAAA
ang bulaklak, nanginig! Modern: AABB, ABBA, or ABAB
sa paglapit mo.
Ex.
Dragonfly PALAY
pulling your sword... Palay siyang matino,
the flower trembled Nang humangi’y yumuko;
as you approached Nguni’t muling tumayo
Nagkabunga ng ginto
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 ➢ Third Prize: Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales
KABIBI LUNSOD, NAYON AT DAGAT-DAGATAN
Kabibi, ano ka ba?
May perlas, maganda ka; Lasting Legacy
Kung idiit sa taynga, ➢ Formation of National Identity
Nagbubunitunghininga! ➢ Themes of Struggle and Resistance
➢ Evolution of Literary Forms
Essays and Articles ➢ Cultural Impact
➢ Except for the TRIBUNE and the PHILIPPINE REVIEW, almost ➢ Legacy and Historical Documentation
all newspapers in English were stopped by the Japanese.
➢ The weekly LIWAYWAY was placed under strict surveillance until
Literature After EDSA Revolution
it was managed by Japanese named Kanji Ishiwara.
(1986 – 1995)
Drama
➢ Movie houses were turned into stage shows.
➢ English plays translated into Tagalog. 1986 EDSA Revolution
➢ Dramatic Philippines ★ The year 1986 demarcates the beginning of a new scene in the
unfolding narrative of contemporary Philippine Literature.
1. Jose M. Hernandez – wrote PANDAY PIRA ➢ It saw the fall of the dictatorship that President Marcos set up
2. Francisco Soc Rodrigo – wrote sa PULA, SA PUTI on September 21, 1972, when he placed the Philippines under
3. Clodualdo del Mundo – wrote BULAGA martial rule, initiating a regime that did not only suppress the
4. Julian Cruz Balmaceda – wrote SINO BA KAYO?, DAHIL SA writers’ right to free expression but also created conditions that
ANAK, and HIGANTE NG PATAY. made collaboration and cooptation convenient choices for
artists struggling for recognition and survival.
Short Stories and Novels ➢ Writing under the Martial Law Regime was characterized by
➢ Golden age of Filipino written Short Stories militancy and belligerence, even when it showed up in the legal
➢ The Committee of Judges of Short Stories (1945) press. Especially after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983,
➢ First Prize: Narciso Reyes the temper of poetry and theater derived much of its heat and
LUPANG TINUBUAN direction from the political culture of the underground national
➢ Second Prize: Liwayway Arceo’s democratic movement.
UHAW ANG TIGANG NA LUPA

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★ However, when the enemy were overthrown in 1986, the literary
activity showed a certain disorientation manifesting itself in a
proliferation of concerns taken up by individual writers and
groups.
Post EDSA: 2 Creative Writing centers
➢ Academic institutions where Creative Writing is a part of the
curricular offerings.
➢ Writers’ organizations that periodically sponsor symposia on
writers and/or set up workshops for its members and other
interested parties.
★ Through these centers, writers get to hear about new
developments in writing, and derive enthusiasm for their crafts.
Writers’ Organizations
➢ UMPIL (Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipino)
➢ PANULAT (Pambansang Unyon ng mga Manunulat)
➢ Panday Lipi
➢ GAT (Galian sa Arte)
➢ Katha
➢ LIRA (Linangan sa Imahe, Retorika at Anyo)
➢ GUMIL (Gunglo Dagiti Manunurat nga Ilokano)
➢ LUDABI (Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya)
➢ PEN ( Pen, Essay and Novel)
Post EDSA
➢ La Tondeña, sponsors of the venerable Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards in Literature, has made the name “Palanca” a synonym
for quality literary works in both English and Filipino.
➢ The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA) was
created by law in 1992. It has a Committee on Literary Arts
which funds workshops, conferences, publications and a variety
of projects geared towards the production of a “national
literature”. The committee has the aim of developing writing that
is multilingual, multicultural, and truly national.
➢ Non-governmental organizations have helped hand in hand with
some institutions in giving recognition to writers from specific
sectors in the society. These NGO's include the Amado V.
Hernandez Foundation; the GAPAS foundation, and the
KAIBIGAN.
➢ Campus publications are another group of outlets that is of
importance as a source of non-traditional, experimental writing.
These campus publications could either be weekly student
newspapers, quarterly magazines, or annual literary journals.
➢ Overall, the character of the Philippine literary scene after
"EDSA" may be referring to the theories that inform literary
production, to the products issued from the publishers, to the
dominant concerns demonstrated by the writers' output, and to
the direction towards which literary studies are tending.
Characteristics of Post EDSA Literature
1. There is in the academe an emerging critical orientation that draws
its concerns and insights from literary theorizing current in England
and the United States
2. Post-EDSA publishing has been marked by adventurousness, a
willingness to gamble on "non-traditional" projects.
3. The declining prestige of the New Criticism, whose rigorous aesthetic
norms has previously functioned as a Procrustean bed on which
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Filipino authors and their works were measured, has opened a gap in ➢ Filipino writers have become more conscious of their craft as
the critical evaluation of literary works. shown by the regular conduct of writing workshops
4. The fourth and final characteristic of post-EDSA writing is the (Godinez-Ortega 6).
development thrust towards the retrieval and the recuperation of
writing in Philippine languages other than Tagalog. Contemporary Literary Types
➢ Modern Poetry – This is a new style of poetry writing in Tagalog,
Characteristics of Contemporary Literature a deviation from the highly rimed, declamatory tradition known
➢ English and Filipino continue to be the major media of literature. for many centuries.
➢ Literature as a venue for socio-politico-economic-religious ➢ Modern Short Story – These are stories set in the Philippines in
discussions and a vehicle for personal thoughts and feelings has the English language.
become more marked. ➢ The Novel
➢ Literary themes cover a wide range of subjects most ➢ Essay
outstanding among which are existentialism and the search for ➢ Drama
identity in varying levels and settings, deception and violence Short Stories
perpetrated by those in power, grinding poverty especially in the ★ Ang Pinakahuling Kwento ni Huli (The Very Last Story of
country-sides and in some cities, nationalism, tenant-landlord Huli) - Lilia Quindoza Santiago
relationship, human rights violation and the search for the ★ The Execution - Charlson Ong
desaparecidos, and the Filipino diaspora and the experiences of ★ Kabilang sa mga Nawawala (Among the Disappeared) -
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and migrants. Ricardo Lee
➢ The Anglo-American tradition, which includes the free verse and ★ Geyluv - Honorio De Dios
the blank verse, gained acceptance among writers.
➢ The Euro-Hispanic tradition was blended with the tradition of
propaganda and revolutionary literature to become a truly
Filipino tradition.
➢ The ‘60s and the ‘70s saw the resurgence of cause-oriented
literature. This militancy, although markedly toned down, has
continued to the present.
➢ Further development of regional literatures has been given a
stronger impetus through the inclusion of regional literary
masterpieces in the college curriculum.
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