21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the

World
 What is literature?
 The term literature is derived from the Latin word "littera" which means
"a letter of the alphabet".
 According to the website Britannica, literature is traditionally defined as a
body of written works associated with imaginative and creative works of
poetry and prose and can be classified according to a variety of systems
such as language, national origin, historical period, genre, and subject
matter.
 Literature plays a vital role in our lives. It mirrors human experiences and
it lets you go around the world and learn and experience different cultures.
It comes in various forms like poetry, riddles, stories, legends etc.
 Literature can either be in oral or written form.
 Literary Texts
 products of literature in written form
 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.
 Characteristics of Literary Texts
(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.
 TWO MAJOR FORMS OF LITERATURE
1. Poetry. This literary type is usually written in lines and is
characterized by having the element of rhythm, sound,
imagery, and form. Its main purpose is to express feelings,
thoughts, and ideas. It can be divided into three types:
a. Narrative Poetry. This poetry tells a story and has the
elements of a narrative such as characters, setting, conflict, etc.
EXAMPLES: Epic, Ballad,Metrical Tales
 DRAMATIC POETRY
b.Dramatic Poetry. This is an emotionally appealing drama
written in verse that tells a story and is intended to be recited or
sung in front of the audience by a character speaking in poetry.

EXAMPLES: Dramatic Monologue, Soliloquy

 LYRIC POETRY
c. Lyric Poetry. It is the most common type of poetry that
focuses on expressing feelings rather than telling a story.
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
1. Imagery is the concrete representation of a sense
impression, feeling, or idea that triggers our imaginative
ere-enactment of a sensory experience.
2. Alliteration is a repetition of the same consonant sounds
in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a
word or stressed syllable: “descending dew drops;”
“luscious lemons.”
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Assonance is the repetition of similar internal vowel sounds
in a sentence or a line of poetry, as in “I rose and told him of
my woe.” is the repetition of similar internal vowel sounds
in a sentence or a line of poetry, as in

“I rose and told him of my woe.”

 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the
"dictionary definition."
For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary,
you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any
of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles,
having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most
tropical and temperate regions."
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations
that are connected to a certain word or the emotional
suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings
of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The
connotations of the word snake could include evil or danger.
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and
qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are
different from their literal sense.
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Theme is defined as the main idea or underlying meaning of
a literary work, which may be stated directly or indirectly.

Repetition is a literary device that repeats the same words

or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more
memorable.
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
A figurative language is a form of language use in which the writers and speakers
mean something other than the literal meaning of their words. Two figures of speech
that are particularly important for poetry are simile and metaphors.
A simile involves a comparison between unlike things using like or as. For instance,
“My love is like a red, red rose.”
A metaphor is a comparison between essentially unlike things without a word such as
like or as. For example, “My love is a red, red rose.”
Synecdoche is a type of metaphor in which part of something is used to signify the
whole, as when a gossip is called a “wagging tongue.”
Metonymy is a type of metaphor in which something closely associated with a
subject is substituted for it, such as saying the “silver screen” to mean motion
pictures.
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Irony is when one thing is said, while another thing is meant.
For example, if it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say,
“What a beautiful day!” Or, alternatively, if you were suffering
from a bad bout of food poisoning, you might say, “Wow, I feel
great today.”
Hyperbole is an over-the-top exaggeration used for emphasis.
“ I could eat a horse and this bag weighs a ton.” Cry me a river.”
An Oxymoron is the combination of opposite or extremely
dissimilar words into a single phrase.
Deafening silence, alone together, bittersweet
 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Euphemism is a mild or indirect word or expression
substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when
referring to something distasteful, inappropriate, or unpleasant.
Examples of common euphemisms include saying something
like passed away instead of died or saying We have to let you
go instead of You're fired!
Paradox- is a self-contradictory statement.
Save money by spending it.
This is the beginning of the end.
 TWO MAJOR FORMS OF LITERATURE
2. Prose. In contrast to poetry, 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.
 TWO MAJOR FORMS OF LITERATURE
a. Fiction. This serves as a product of the writer's wild imagination and
creative thinking where the characters react to the conflict and
various issues central to the main idea of a literary work. 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.
 PHILIPPINE PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE
PROVERBS are practical observations and philosophy of
everyday life that are written usually in a rhyming scheme. It is
obviously meant to entertain while teaching basic skills in
surviving local life. In Filipino, these are called salawikain.
Ex. Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga. (Whatever the tree, so is the fruit.)
 PHILIPPINE PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE

RIDDLES are like proverbs with one main difference: they

demand an answer and are used to test the wits of those who are
listening to them.
Ex. Heto na si Kaka, bubuka – bukaka. (Here comes Kaka, walking with an open
leg.)
FOLKSONGS are beautiful songs that are informal
expressions of our ancestors’ experiences in life. These range
from courtship (which they sing in a harana or a serenade for a
girl), to lullabies, harvests, funerals, and others.
Ex. Paru parong Bukid (Filipino Folk Song
 PHILIPPINE PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE

TALES are stories of origin for certain places, their names, and
their creation. These are also known as myths and legends.
Ex. Mount Makiling, Mount Arayat
EPICS are long- winded poems about a hero and his adventures
and misadventures. It usually tells of a male hero and who also
has superhuman capabilities.
Ex. The Hinilawod (Epic in Central Panay
 SPANISH COLONIAL LITERATURE
CORRIDO is a legendary religious narrative form that usually
details the lives of saints or the history of a tradition. Ex. Ibong
Adarna, by Jose de la Cruz
AWIT is a chivalric poem about a hero usually about a saint. It is
also usually sung and used in religious processions.
Ex. Florante at Laura, by Francisco Balagtas
PASYON is a narrative poem about the life of Jesus Christ,
beginning from his birth and up to his death. This is usually sung
during Lenten season.
Ex. Panalangin sa Mahal na Birhen
 SPANISH COLONIAL LITERATURE
CENACULO is the dramatization of the passion of Christ. It highlights
the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, and it is also done during
Lenten season.
Ex. The Malibay Cenaculo
MORO –MORO or COMEDIA DE CAPA Y ESPADA is a blood –
and –thunder melodrama depicting the conflict of Christians and
Muslims. It is usually about battles to the death and the proofs of faith.
Ex. “Prinsipe Rodante”
CARILLO is a play that uses shadows as its main spectacle. This is
created by animating figures made from cardboard, which are projected
onto a white screen.
 SPANISH COLONIAL LITERATURE
TIBAG is the dramatic reenactment of St. Helena’s search for the Holy
Cross. St. Helena is the mother of Constantine and is oftentimes credited
with influenced her son to be the great Christian leader he is known today.
Ex. Search of St. Helena for the Sacred Cross
DUPLO OR KARAGATAN are native dramas that are connected to
Catholic mourning rituals and harvest celebrations.
Ex. Ang Duplo, by: Abuag, E.R. et al.
ZARSUELA is probably one of the most famous forms of entertainment
back in the Spanish era. Zarsuelas are musical comedies or melodramas
that deal with the elemental passions of human beings.
Ex. Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) by
Aurelio Tolentino
Chick lit -addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously
and lightheartedly. The genre gained popularity in the late 1990s, with
chick lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints
devoted entirely to chick lit. Although it sometimes includes romantic
elements, chick lit is generally not considered a direct subcategory of
the romance novel genre, because the heroine’s relationship with her
family or friends is often just as important as her romantic
relationships.
 Mobile phone text tula- is a mobile phone poetry, short traditional
formal verses are used in this form of genre. it is composed of 7777
syllable count with rhyme scheme aabb, abab, abba.
Speculative fiction - Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction
encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality,
recorded history, nature, or the present universe. Such fiction covers
various themes in the context of supernatural, futuristic, and other
imaginative realms.

Flash fiction - fictional work of extreme brevity that still offers character
and plot development. It is characterized by being very short, typically
consisting of only a few hundred words.
Blog - A blog (a shortened version of “weblog”) is an online journal or
informational website displaying information in reverse chronological order, with
the latest posts appearing first, at the top. It is a platform where a writer or a
group of writers share their views on an individual subject

Hyper poetry – Hyper poetry refers to the genre of poetry that is always
produced and presented with the computer. It involves lines of verse that
appear with links to footnotes, poetry generators, sub-poems, or poetry with
images or movement. It highly includes visuals.
 Philippine Representative Texts and Authors

Main Islands in the Philippines

• 1. Luzon
• 2. Visayas
• 3. Mindanao
Representative Texts and Authors from each Region in the Philippines
 Literature of the Pre-Christian Tribes from the main islands
in the Philippines
Fay-Cooper Cole
author of Traditions of the Tinguian: A Study of Philippine Folk-Lore.
worked as Assistant Curator of Malayan Ethnology of the Field Museum of
natural History in Chicago.
collected the Tinguian stories from 1907-1908
he stayed with the Tinguian in Abra for a year and four months.
credited the help of Dumagat, a Tinguian tribesmen.
also noted that his translation “follow closely the language of storytellers
rather than to offer a polished translation”
Mabel Cook Cole
compiler and annotator of Philippine Folk Tales published
by A.C. McClurg & Co. in 1916.
wife of Fay- Cooper Cole who contributed his photographs
of the communities to her book.
spent four years with the different tribes of the
Philippines.
Representative Texts and Authors from each Region in the Philippines
 Dimensions of Philippine Literary History
• Geography- the study of places and the relationships between
people and their environments
• Language- a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed),
or written symbols by which individuals express themselves
• Ethnicity- a notion that refers to social entities sharing real
or putative ascriptive features like a common origin or
cultural-linguistic legacy which assumedly command special
collective commitment, as well as their retention and
transmission
 Indarapatra at
Sulayman

(Epikong Mindanao)