Asian and Ilonggo Literature

• West Visayas is comprised of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Negros Occidental and Guimaras
• Hiligaynon and Aklanon


  Languages that grew from Kinaray-a
• Kinaray-a


  • The mother language of West Visayas and Hiligaynon literature
  • The language of the 10 datus from Borneo
• According to the stories of the old folks, the 10 datus gave a golden headgear and a necklace that reached the ground to the aboriginal Ati, in exchange of Panay
• Folk Songs


  Usually accomplished by string, percussion, or wind instruments
• Panay epics


  • Labaw Donggon
  • Hinilawod
• Composo


  • A ballad sung as a tribute to a folk hero or a milestone event in a community
  • This was prominent when the Spaniards arrived
• Bordon


  • A game played during the vigils for the dead
  • The loser would then have to recite a quatrain called luwa
• Flores de Mayo


  • A devotional prayer sung to the Virgin Mary during the month of May
  • There were novenas prayed for nine days
  • Pagdayaw or ode - local poets would perform this as a tribute to the fiesta queen
• Mariano Perfecto


  • A notable name during that time who was Bicolano by birth
  • He contributed greatly to Hiligaynon literature by establishing Imprenta La Panayama in Iloilo City (1800s)
  • Alamanake Panayanhon - widely popular creation which contained the passion, novenas, and works by early Hiligaynon writers and is still published until today
• Zarzuela, moro-moro and corrido


  The Hiligaynon tradition came to include these
• Rodrigo de Villas


  The most popular corrido from West Visayas during this time
• Corrido


  Octosyllabic that is sung
• Rosendo Mejica


  Was responsible for the establishment of Makinaugalingon Press in Iloilo City
• Liwayway Publications (Manila)


  They came up with Hiligaynon magazine which allowed the Hiligaynon voice to be heard in the nation's capital and beyond
• Yuhum Magazine (La Defensa Press) and Kasanay (Dioloso Publications)


  During the Post-War Period, this momentum of the Hiligaynon persisted through these publications
• Jose E. Yap and Conrado Norada


  Kept the Hiligaynon fiction strong
• During the Aquino Government, campus writing in Kinaray-a was heavily promoted and prominence in multilingual writing rose in the Hiligaynon region
• In 1997, the Palanca Awards began to recognize exemplary Hiligaynon short stories
• Elements of a Poem


  • Meter
  • Rhyme
  • Scheme - rhyming pattern
  • Verse - collection of metrical tones
  • Stanza - group of lines within a verse
• Characteristics of a Poem


  • Persona - person telling the story
  • Tone - emotion or the atmosphere
  • Theme - the central idea
  • Imagery
• Literature in the Eastern hemisphere chronicles the history of civilization spanning thousands of years
• As religion, war, and politics shaped Asian societies, literature prospered to mirror these developments
• China has had an unbroken literary tradition that started back in the 14th Century
• China has 3,000 years of preservation of Chinese language both spoken and written
• Tang Dynasty


  The finest era of Chinese literature
• Japanese literature is highly influenced by Chinese language and literature
• Haiku


  • A short descriptive poem with 17 syllables
  • Three lines, 5 syllables first line, 7 syllables second line, and 5 syllables last line
• Noh and Kabuki


  Theater in Japanese literature
• Japanese literature reflects the traditional Japanese cultural identity: simple yet complex, imperfect yet abounding with beauty
• Korean poets wrote poetry in Classical Chinese as early as the 4th BCE
• It was only by the 15th Century that the Koreans developed Hangul
• Hangul


  Korean distinct writing system that gave birth to a new wave of Korean literature
• Hindu writings are the hallmark of Indian literature
• Hindu writings


  • Veda
  • Brahmanas
  • Upanishads
• Veda was written in Sanskrit which first gave birth to literary works as early as 1500 BCE
• By the 16th Century, written literature appeared in India
• Due to British colonization, English literature would emerge as a key influence in India - an influence that pervades up to the present day
• Central Asian literature is affected by political in culture were the tsarist and Soviet regimes that emanated from what is now Russia
• Islam was an essential component to Arabic literary tradition