Philippine literature is as rich and diverse as the 7500-plus islands that

make up our archipelago. This is not surprising considering that we have

183 living languages (ethnologue.com) across 17 regions comprised of
82 provinces. One can only imagine the many forms of artistic
communication (oral or written) that have been passed on to and
through generations, communities, and groups. Then and now, literature
in the Philippines has come in various genres (forms) and has been
appreciated and analyzed for its forms, elements, structures, and
traditions.

The origin of Philippine literature can only be traced by exploring its

evolution from pre-colonial up to the present. Thus, studying the past
becomes imperative in understanding the literature of the present.
Different genres that appeared from each period seem to reflect the
place, language, culture, social and ethnic dimensions of literature
produced. The nature and essence of literature has evolved over time.
Traditionally, literature was strictly viewed as any form of written work,
especially during the 18th century. Today, its definition and scope can be
considered more restrictive for there are certain standards set by some
critiques before a work can be considered as a body of literature. Among
the common words used by scholars and other sources that are
associated with literature are excellence, expression, experience,
artistry, and imagination. Its connection to human life and experiences,
which the audience can easily relate with, is the major characteristic of
literature. Emerging habitually into quality literary works will help us gain
a better understanding of people, society, and culture.

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 can either be in oral or written form. The oral literature

handed down from one generation to another, then later on transformed
into written form. The products of written literature are called literary
text. 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. Reading for
entertainment and learning is the most common reason why people read
literature.

Simply, the best way to describe the characteristics of literary text is

that (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.
Also, literature contains a specific structure. Literary structure
refers to the organizational method used in literature in which the most
common type is the narrative. Parts of the narrative structure (or plot)
are the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
(denouement). In a much broader context, the literary structure is not
only limited to content and form but may also refer to "the general
features or characteristic of genre, style, a specific literary trend,
literature as an art form, and finally, art as a whole" (The Great Soviet
Encyclopedia). For Murphy (n.d.), the literary structure may involve
arrangement of various elements according to purpose, style, and genre
to effectively convey the intended meaning for the audience.

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: narrative, dramatic, and
lyrical poetry.
a. Narrative Poetry. This poetry tells a story and has the
elements of a narrative such as characters, setting, conflict,
etc.
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.
c. Lyric Poetry. It is the most common type of poetry that
focuses on expressing feelings rather than telling a story.
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.
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.

Some Examples of Major Forms of Literature

 POETRY PROSE

NARRATIVE DRAMATIC LYRIC FICTION NON-FICTION

Epic Dramatic Haiku Short Story Biography/

Ballad Monologu Ode Novel Autobiography
Metrical e Elegy Play Narrative Essay
Tales Soliloquy Sonnet Legend Memoir
Song Fable Diaries and
Journal

Genre refers to the forms of literature. The general ones are oral and
written. The main types are prose and poetry. Many other forms have
sprung through the years. Specifically, it is defined in the curriculum
guide as something that “may be determined by literary technique, tone,
content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. The distinctions
between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, often
with subgroups. The most general genres in literature are (in loose
chronological order) epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative nonfiction. They
can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as
satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as
a sub-genre, but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the
general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were
composed. Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which
literature may be classified as either adult, young adult, or children's.
They also must not be confused with format, such as graphic novel or
picture book.” (Glossary, Curriculum Guide)
Literary elements refer “to particular identifiable characteristics of a
whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; they represent the
elements of storytelling which are common to all literary and narrative
forms. For example, every story has a theme, a setting, a conflict, and
has a particular point of view, etc. To be discussed legitimately as part of
a textual analysis, literary elements must be specifically identified for
that particular text.” (Glossary, Curriculum Guide). The common
elements of a story are setting, character, conflict, theme, point of
view, and plot. Plot also has its own elements such as exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution or denouement
/ˌdeɪˈnuːmɒ̃/. In poetry, there are four essential elements: form,
imagery, rhythm, and sound. Poetry comes in different forms such as
whether it is free verse, couplet, limerick, etc. Imagery on the other hand
is the reason why we see pictures in words and it adds color to any type
of literature, especially in poetry. Rhythms and sounds are somehow
similar. In fact, rhythm falls under the broad category of sound. Sound
deals with the common use of rhymes and other literary devices such as
repetition (repeating of words, phrases, or lines), alliteration (repeating
the same consonant sounds), assonance (repeating the same vowel
sounds), and onomatopoeia (the use of the actual sound to represent
someone or something), rhythm is more concerned with the flow of the
beat such as whether it is fast or slow. In general, both sounds and
rhythms are the key ingredients that give poetry a musical effect
(Encyclopedia Britannica).
The term "Traditions" refers to the specific traits of literary works that
define a generation or period in history. A literary tradition “is a
collection of works that have an underlying interconnectedness and
coherence that makes them more than simply a group of works sharing
geography or group. Irish poetry and drama, for example, extend over
several centuries, involving writers with a range of voices and
preoccupations; and yet it is often thought that they are distinctively
"Irish." This means that you can have someone who doesn't come from
Ireland, perhaps doesn't even have Irish ancestors, but they can write in
the Irish Literary Tradition because they will draw on the same
references, structure, mythology, focal points for cultural meanings and
historical moments.” (Glossary, Curriculum Guide)

Lesson Philippine Literature

2 during the Pre-colonial
Period
The beginning period of Philippine literary history can be
considered as the longest as evidenced by the artifacts of different
periods recovered ranging from 50,000 years ago to 14th century A.D. in
the Tabon Cave of Palawan. The said exploration was headed by a team
from the National Museum where they found the oldest known human
skeletal fossil in the Philippines. The discovery, later on, led to the
realization of our very own indigenous cultures before the presence of the
Spanish colonizers through the analysis of collected oral literature
preserved by our Filipino ancestors.
Literature during this period may be classified into three groups: folk
speech, folk songs, and folk narratives such as riddles, proverbs, myths,
legends, fables, and heroes. Spiritual traditions and regular trading with
our Asian neighbors such as India, China, and other countries from
Southeast Asia had been part of our Filipino ancestors' daily lives during
the pre-colonial period. As a result, early Filipinos were exposed to
various religions and cultures that shaped their values, beliefs, and
traditions. Indigenous animism was predominant at the time, but Islam,
Buddhism, and Hinduism were also embraced. Other than being one of
the largest Christian countries today, our country is also considered as
predominantly Islamic since it was introduced in the 14th century as a
foreign religion. Although, there was no formal education, early Filipinos
already had their own government system.
 Daily experiences and religious rites and ceremonies mostly reflect the
type of literature produced at that time. Experts state the possibility of
having our ancestors’ own system of writing during the pre-colonial
period but unfortunately only few survived in terms of written form
leading to the prevalence of oral literature. This explains why no notable
authors were recorded.

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (before the arrival of

Spaniards)

Certain events in the Philippines during pre-colonial period started to

be recorded in the year 1521. Our rich past was reflected in "folk
speeches, folk songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals and mimetic
dances that affirm our ties with our Southeast Asian neighbors"
(Godinez-Ortega, n.d.).
In terms of government, Filipinos were ruled by chieftains of different
barangay. The Malacañang Palace considered this as more on "alliance
networking rather than territorial" (malacanang.gov.ph). There was no
formal education. Learning was merely through imitation and practice. In
general, the following were commonly practiced:
✔ Early Filipinos heavily believed on spirits and supernatural entities
(animism). ✔ Social ranking and classes were practiced.
✔ Economic and political dimensions involved trading, marriage,
feasting, and alliance.

Dimensions of Pre-colonial Literature

✔ Philippine literature during the pre-colonial era is mostly based on
oral traditions passed down from generation to generation.
✔ The language used pertains to daily life.
✔ Common forms of oral literature are riddles, proverbs, and songs to
express a thought or emotion.
✔ Epic was considered as the most exciting poetic and narrative form
of literature in which the ASEAN-sponsored study of Filipino
asserted that there are more than 100 epics discovered where
majority came from Palawan (as cited by Quindoza-Santiago, n.d.).
✔ Majority of proverbs, epigrams, and proverbs collected by
researchers come from Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilocano dialects.
✔ The ancient pre-Spanish form of writing called Baybayin which was
often cited in the work of Pedro Chirino during the 1500s, was later
on approved as the National Writing System of the Philippines
through House Bill No. 1022.
✔ The experiences of the people during the pre-colonial period such
as food hunting, work at home, caring for the children, and
 creatures or objects of nature served as the common subject in
oral literature.
✔ Anyone who knew the language and the convention and forms
could be a poet, singer, or storyteller.
✔ All important events such as rites and ceremonies reflect religious
observance where people commonly recite, sing, or utter a chant.

Types of Pre-colonial Literature

✔ Folk Tales. These are stories which can be characterized as

anonymous, timeless, and placeless tales circulated orally among a
group of people.
✔ Legends. These are a form of prose which deal with the origin of a
thing, location or name.
✔ Myths. Unlike legends where the characters have realistic human
qualities, the characters here usually have supernatural powers
where the main purpose is to provide explanation about the
existence of something or someone.
✔ Epics. These pertain to a type of a long narrative poem mainly
focusing on the heroic achievements and deeds of the main
character.
✔ Folk Songs. These can be considered as the oldest forms of
Philippine literature that mirror the culture which expresses hopes,
aspirations, lifestyles, and emotions of early Filipinos. Some
examples are kundiman, kumintang, oyayi or hele and some
drinking songs.
✔ Other Forms. Some examples are proverbs (salawikain), riddles
(bugtong), chant (bulong), maxims or those with rhyming couplets
of 5, 6, or 8 syllables, sayings (kasabihan), and idiom (sawikain).
Tanaga is another favorite poem consisting of four rhyming lines of
7 syllables each.