LESSON 4.

7
PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
Philippine Literature
- a diverse and rich group of works that has
evolved side-by-side with the country’s history
- literature associated with the Philippines from
prehistory, through its colonial legacies, and on
to the present
- had started with fables and legends made by the
ancient Filipinos long before the arrival of
Spanish influence
- The main themes of Philippine literature focus
on the country’s pre-colonial cultural traditions
and the socio-political histories of its colonial
and contemporary traditions.
 PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE IN
DIFFERENT PERIODS
1. Pre-Colonial Times
– was marked by our ancestors' daily observations about
life, explanations for natural phenomena, and
beginnings of rituals. These also function as an
explanation for society and culture as they know it to be.
- showcases a rich past through their folk speeches, folk
songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals and mimetic
dances that affirm our ties with our Southeast Asian
neighbors.
Examples:
- riddles (bugtong)
- epigrams/proverbs (salawikain & sawikain)
- myths
CHANTS
- much shorter than a cheer
- 2 – 4 lines repeated over and over.

Examples:
• Hornets got the buzz. We ain't full of fuzz.
• Knock 'em down. Turn it around. C'mon defense
work
• Swish! Two points. Swish! Two points.
2. The Spanish Colonial Period
- centered on the Christian faith, and the stories
about natural phenomena suddenly became all
about the lives of saints and other religious
hymns
- literature in this period may be classified as
religious prose and poetry and secular prose and
poetry
CORRIDO
- octosyllabic verse (8 syllables per line)
- were usually on legends or stories from European
countries (France, Spain, Italy, Greece)
- refers to narration

Example:
Ibong Adarna
CORRIDO
AWIT
- means “song”
- dodecasyllabic verse (12 syllables per line; pause
after the 6th)
- Each stanza rhymes AAAA BBBB, etc. (with
grammatically correct sentences)
- tells a story

Example:
Florante at Laura
CORRIDO
PASYON
- a narrative poem about the life of Christ was chanted
during Lenten season
CENACULO
- Lenten play that depicts events from the Old and New Testaments
related to the life, sufferings, and death of Jesus Christ.
ZARZUELA
- a musical thetre genre with alternating sung & spoken
text
3. The American Colonial Period
- introduced the new literary forms such as free
verse [in poetry], the modern short story and the
critical essay
Manuel Arguilla’s short
story,
“How My
Brother Leon Brought
Home a Wife”
weekly magazines
like Liwayway,
Bisaya, Hiligaynon
4. The Contemporary Period
– saw Filipino writers continue to write poetry,
short stories, novellas, novels and essays whether
these are socially committed, gender/ethnic related
or are personal in intention or not
 “Darna”
by
Mars Ravelo
“Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita” by Gilda Olvidado
“Panday” by Carlo J. Caparas
“ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” by Bob Ong