Philippine Literary Periods

• 1. Pre-colonial Period (Early times-1564)The roots of Philippine literature can be traced back to the pre-colonial period.
• • Literature in this period is any literature which existed before the Spaniards entered the Philippine soil.
• • Literature was based on oral tradition since no form of writing existing during that period.
• • Pre-colonial literature explains how life and the world were created in the form of legends and myths.
• • Subject matter is about the common experience of the people in the village, like their experiences in food gathering, caring for the children, nature, etc.
• 2. Spanish Period (1565-1898)The period of Spanish colonization started in 1565 during the time of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first Spanish governor-general in the Philippines.
• Spanish language became the-literary language.The colonizers used the Catholic religion to substitute the existing tradition.
• PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

  • riddles
  • proverbs
  • folk song
  • epics
  • folk tales
  • legends
  • myths
• Until the 19th century, the religious orders owned and managed the printing presses.The Propaganda movement was formed. It is a reform movement that arose among young Filipino expatriates in the late 19th century.
• 3. American Period (1898-1946)During the American colonization (1898-1946), free public instruction for all children were introduced.English was the medium of instruction in all levels.
• The use of English as medium of instruction"introduced Filipinos to Anglo-American modes of thought, culture and life ways that would be embedded not only in the literature but also in the psyche of the educated class."
• Because of this, Philippine literature was imitative of the American models of writing.
• 4. Japanese Period (1941-1945)Between 1941-1945, the development of Philippine Literature was interrupted due to the Japanese colonization.There was no freedom of speech and of the press.
• Newspapers in English were banned by the Japanese. This became a blessing in disguise as writers started writing in Filipino.
• The common literary themes were nationalism, country, and life in the barrios.
• 5. Under the Republic (1946-1985)Post-war poetry and fiction were dominated by writers in English who were educated and trained in writers' workshops in the United States orEngland.
• In the 1950s, every artist, writer, musician, critic or academician was given a grant to stay in the U.S. through the Educational Exchange Program or the"Fulbright Program."
• 6. Contemporary Period (1986-present)The development of Philippine literature in various languages continue especially with the new publications after the Martial Law years.
• This was a period of activism and literary revolution. The writers during this period used words to confront Martial Law and repression.
• Behind these scenes, oral literature flourished in the outlying communities of the Cebuanos, the llokanos, the Tagalogs, the Samals, and the llonggos. The Philippine novel has remained social-realist.
• • Established in 1950, the Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature had been giving cash prizes for short story, poetry and one-act play writing as an incentive to Filipino writers.• The prizes come from La Tondena, Inc., the firm founded by the late Carlos Palanca Sr.