Literature

❑ It’s literally an “acquaintance with letters” (from the Latin word littera meaning
letter)
❑ A collection of texts or works of art

❑ The class of writing in which imaginative expressions, aesthetic form, universality

of ideas, and permanence are characteristic features, as fiction, poetry, and
drama;
❑ It may also mean any printed material.
-Oxford English Dictionary
❑ Literature is “a performance in words”
-Robert Frost
“Literature consists of writing which interpret the meanings of nature and life, in words
of charm and power, touched with the personality of the author in artistic forms of
permanent interest”
-Henry Van Dyke
“Literature is life which presents human experience”
-Arsenia Tan of University of Santo Tomas,

1. Riddles
BUGTONG

Purpose of RIDDLES

1. TO ENTERTAIN.
2. TO EDUCATE.
3. TO EXCITE.
4. TO CURSE, WITHOUT EXPRESSLY CURSING.
5. TO PRESERVE THE CULTURE.

2. SALAWIKAIN, SAWIKAIN AT KASABIHAN

✔ Ang salawikain ay isang patalinhagang pahayag na ginagamit ng matatanda
noong unang mangaral, magpayo, at ituwid ang mga kabataan sa tamang landas
at kabutihang asal. Karaniwan itong may sukat at tugma.
o Examples:
Ang matapat na kaibigan, tunay na maaasahan.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

You will know a true friend in time of need.

✔ Ang sawikain o idyoma ay isang pagpapahayag na ang kahulugan ay hindi
komposisyunal — sa ibang salita, hindi binubuo ng tumpak na kahulugan ang
mga kanya-kanyang salita na nabuo. Ito ay di-tuwirang pagbibigay kahulugan at
pagpapakita ng kaisipan at kaugalian ng isang lugar.

● Ang hindi marunonglumingo sa kanSamantalang

ang kasabihan naman o saying ay isang makaluma at
maiksing pariralang nagpapahayag ng ideya na
pinaniniwalaan ng nakararami na tunay o totoo. Madalas
na sinasabi ito upang magbigay ng payo o impormasyon
tungkol sa buhay at karanasan ng tao.

o KASABIHAN/MAXIMS
 ▪ About Education:

● Pag may tiyaga, may nilaga.

▪ About Language:

● yang pinanggalingan ay di makararating sa kanyang

patutunguhan.

3. Bulong/ Tabi-tabi

4. FOLK SONGS
Awiting bayan
EPIKONG PILIPINOAwtiting pandigma

a. Kumintang

2. Awiting Pag- ibig

a. Kundiman

3. Awiting tungkol sa kasal

a. Diyona

4. Awiting panghele

a. Oyayi

5. Awit panrelihiyon

a. Dalit

6. Awit sa pamamangka

a. talindaw

7. Awit sa pagtatagumpay

a. sambotani

8. Awiting panghaharana

a. pananapatan
9. Awit na sama- samang paggawa o work songs

a. maluway

10. Awiting panlansangan

a. Kutang- Kutang
“Baybayin” or also known as “Alibata” which was an old writing system widely used in
the northern part of our country during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since our country
has its unique geographical structure, we also had various alphabet symbols which were
used by a specific ethnic group across the archipelago. Our next activity will now let you
remember the different regions in our country.
Our country is divided geographically into 17 regions. What makes it more
interesting is the rich number of ethnic groups and the dialects each region has. Also,
this region is represented by their provinces.
These regions are varied with distinct dimensions and have unique literary pieces
that represent their culture, tradition. These literary pieces are sometimes presented
using their own dialects and later translated into English Language.
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. Before we land to the center of this
adventure, let us discover first how it all began. Our first stop is the Philippine literary
history and its dimensions.
I. PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (--BC to 1564)
The first period of the Philippine literary history is the longest. Long time before
the Spaniards and other foreigners landed on Philippine shores, our forefathers
already had their own literature stamped in the history of our race.
A. Characteristics
a. Based on oral traditions
b. Crude on ideology and phraseology
B. Literary Forms
a. Oral Literature
i. Riddles (bugtong) – battle of wits among
participants
1. Tigmo –Cebu
2. Paktakon – Ilonggo
3. Patotdon – Bicol
ii. Proverbs (salawikain) – wise sayings that contain
a metaphor used to teach as a food for thought
etc.
iii. Tanaga - a mono-riming heptasyllabic quatrain
expressing insights and lessons on life is "more
emotionally charged than the terse proverb and
thus has affinities with the folk lyric."
b. Folk Songs- It is a form of folk lyric which expresses
the hopes and aspirations, the people's lifestyles as
well as their loves.
These are often repetitive and sonorous, didactic and
naïve.
i. Hele or oyayi – lullaby
ii. Ambahan (Mangyan) – 7-syllable per line poem
that are about human relationships and social
entertainment
iii. Kalusan (Ivatan) - work songs that depict the
livelihood of the peopled.
iv. Tagay (Cebuano and Waray) – drinking song.
v. Kanogan (Cebuano) – song of lamentation for
the dead.
c. Folk Tales
i. Myths – explain how the world was created, how
certain animals possess certain characteristics,
why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes,
mountains, flora or fauna.
ii. Legends – explain the origin of things Why the
Pineapple Has Eyes
Example: The Legend of Maria Makiling
 iii. Fables – used animal characters and allegory
iv. Fantastic stories – deal with underworld
characters such as “tiyanak”,“aswang”, “kapre”
and others.
v. Epics- These are “narratives of sustained length
based on oral tradition revolving around
supernatural events or heroic deeds” (Arsenio
Manuel)
Examples: Lam-ang (Ilocano)
Hinilawod (Panay)
Kudaman (Palawan)
Darangen (Maranao)
Others: Folk narratives, Indigenous rituals,Mimetic dance, Proverbs/
aphorisms

II. SPANISH COLONIZATION PERIOD (1565 – 1863)

A. Characteristics
1. It has two distinct classifications: religious and secular
2. It introduced Spanish as the medium of communication.
B. Literary Forms
1. Religious Literature - Religious lyrics written by ladino
poets or those versed in both Spanish and Tagalog were
included in early catechism and were used to teach
Filipinos the Spanish language.
a. Pasyon – long narrative poem about the passion and
death of Christ. The most popular was “Ang Mahal na
Passion ni Jesu Cristong Panignoon Natin” byAguino
de Belen
d. Senakulo – dramatization of the pasyon, it shows the
passion and death of Christ
2. Secular (non-religious) Literature
a. Awit - colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and
chanting
Example: Ibong Adarna
b. Korido – metrical tale written in octosyllabic quatrains
Example: Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar
c. Prose Narratives – written to prescribe proper decorum
1. Dialogo
2. Ejemplo
3. Manual de Urbanidad
4. tratado
 C. Examples: Modesto de Castro's "Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang
Binibini na siUrbana at si Feliza" and Joaquin Tuason's "Ang
Bagong Robinson" (The New Robinson) in 1879.
III. AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD (1910 – 1945)
Philippine literature in English, as a direct result of American colonization of the
country, could not escape being imitative of American models of writing
especially during its period of apprenticeship.
A. Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930)
1. Filipino Writers imitated English and American models
2. Poems -- written were amateurish and mushy, which
phrasing and diction is awkward and artificial.
i. Short Stories
1. Dead Stars – Paz Marquez Benitez
2. The Key – Paz Latorena
3. Footnote to Youth – Jose Garcia Villa .
ii. Novels
1. Childe of Sorrow – first novel in English, by
Zoilo Galang

B. Period of Emergence (1920-1930)

- Highly influenced by Western literary trends like
Romanticism and Realism.
i. Short Stories – most prevalent literary form
● Jose Garcia Villa – earned the international
title “Poet of the Century”

IV. JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1942 - 1960)

A. War Years (1942-1944)
1. Tagalog poets broke away from the Balagtas tradition
and instead wrote in simple language and free verse
2. Fiction prevailed over poetry
a. 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino
(1943) – compilation of theshort story contest by
the military government.
b. Suyuan sa Tubigan – Macario Pineda
c. Lupang Tinubuan – Narciso Reyes
d. Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa – Liwayway Arceo
B. Period of Maturity and Originality (1945-1960)
1. Bountiful harvest in poetry, fiction, drama and essay
2. Filipino writers mastered English and familiarized
themselves with diverse techniques
 3. Literary “giants” appeared
i. Palanca Awards for Literature
❖ Jose Garcia Villa

❖ Nick Joaquin

❖ NVM Gonzales

❖ Bienvenido Santos

❖ Gregorio Brillantes

❖ Gilda Cordero Fernando

ii. National Artist Awards
❖ Jose Garcia Villa

❖ Nick Joaquian

V. CONTEMPORARY/MODERN PERIOD (1960 – PRESENT)

Many novels in English seem to have been written for literary contests like
Palanca and Asia Man. The debate over textual and contextual criticism,
balagtasismo and modernism, formalism and historical criticism has
persisted to this day in the academe. The more popular but banal issue is
called “literature (art) and propaganda.”
A. Characteristic
1. Martial Law repressed and curtailed human rights,
including freedom of the press.
2. Writers used symbolisms and allegories to drive home
their message, at the face of heavy censorship
3. Theater was used as a vehicle for protest, such as the
PETA (Phil. Educational Theater Association) and UP
Theater.
4. From the eighties onwards, writers continue to show
dynamism and innovation
Literary Forms
a. Chick lit
b. Mobile phone text tula
c. Speculative fiction
d. Flash fiction
e. Blog
f. Hyperpoetry
 Philippine Representative Texts and Authors
Main Islands in the Philippines
1. Luzon
2. Visayas
3. Mindanao

Literature of the Pre-Christian Tribes from the main islands in the Philippines

Fay-Cooper Cole was the author of Traditions of the

Tinguian: A Study of Philippine Folk-Lore. He also worked as Assistant Curator of
Malayan Ethnology of the Field Museum of natural History in Chicago. He collected the
Tinguian stories from 1907-1908 when he stayed with the Tinguian in Abra for a year
and four months. He credited the help of Dumagat, a Tinguian tribesmen. Cole also
noted that his translation “follow closely the language of storytellers rather than to offer
a polished translation.”
Mabel Cook Cole was the compiler and annotator of
Philippine Folk Tales published by A.C. McClurg & Co. in 1916. She was the wife of Fay-
Cooper Cole and he contributed his photographs of the communities to her book. She
spent four years with the different tribes of the Philippines.

Representative Texts and Authors from each Region in the Philippines

Region Text Author
I Ilocos Region Puppy Love F. Sionil Jose
II Cagayan Valley The Builder Edith Tiempo
III Central Luzon Florante at Laura Francisco Balagtas
IV-A- Calabarzon Mariang Makiling Jose Rizal
IV-B- Mimaropa Seven Hills Away NVM Gonzalez
V Bicol Region Sarong Banggi Potenciano Gregorio Sr.
VI Western Visayas Monyeka Alice Tan- Gonzales
VII Central Visayas The Clay Pipe Marcel M. Navarra
VIII Eastern Visayas An Iroy na Tuna Illuminado Lucente
IX Zamboanga Peninsula The White Horse of Alih Emigdio Alvarez Enriquez
X Northern Mindanao The Battle of Tagoloan Regino L. Gonzales Jr.
XI Davao Region Love in the Cornhusk Aida Rivera- Ford
XII Socsksargen Indarapatra and Sulayman Bartolome del Valle
CARAGA Tuwaang Attends a Wedding E. Arsenio Manuel
Cordillera Administrative Region The Wedding Dance Amador T. Daguio
National Capital Region Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa Andres Bonifacio

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

Source: https://infogram.com/different-periods-of-philippine-literature-
1g0q3plyvx5n21g

Prepared by: MARISOL S. ESPONGJA