Introduction to Philippine Literature

• 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 body of written works associated to imaginative and creative works of poetry and prose and can be classified according to variety of systems such as language, national origin, historical period, genre and subject matter.
• Literature can either be in oral or 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.
• literature uses literary devices such as metaphor and symbolism.
• Characteristic of literary text (1): it narrates a story
• Characteristic of literary text (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
• Characteristic of literary text (3): it delivers significant information and crosses boundaries of time, places, cultures and languages.
• 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).
• The Two Major Forms of Literature are Poetry and Prose
• Poetry is usually written in lines and is characterized by having the element of rhythm, sound, imagery, and form.
• Poetry's main purpose is to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
• 3 Types of Poetry: narrative, dramatic, and lyrical poetry.
• Narrative Poetry tells a story and has the elements of a

  narrative such as characters, setting, conflict, etc.
• Dramatic Poetry 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.
• Lyric Poetry is the most common type of poetry that focuses on expressing feelings rather than telling a story.
• Prose - 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.
• Prose can be classified into two types: Fiction and Non-Fiction
• Fiction 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.
• The three types of fiction are: short story, novel, and novella.
• The main genres of fiction are: crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction, western, inspirational, historical fiction and horror.
• Non-fiction 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.
• Genre refers to the forms of literature.
• Literary elements refer “to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text.
• The common elements of a story are setting, character, conflict, theme, point of view, and plot
• In poetry, there are four essential elements: form, imagery, rhythm, and sound.
• Imagery is the reason why we see pictures in words and it adds color in any types of literature especially in poetry.
• Poetry comes in different forms such as whether it is free verse, couplet, limerick, etc.
• sound deals with the common use of rhymes and other literary devices such as repetition, alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia
• rhythm is more concerned with the flow of the beat such as whether it is fast or slow.
• both sounds and rhythms are the key ingredients that give poetry a musical effect
• 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.
• All literary works produced before the Spanish colonization such as chants, proverbs, songs, and folk narratives are considered under pre-colonial period which are mostly of oral traditions.
• The focus of literature suddenly changed upon the arrival of Spaniards.
• An emphasis on morality and religion was common in literary forms such as Corrido, Pasyon, and Cenaculo.
• Filipinos started to write about oppression, corruption, and other social ills such as in the works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal entitled Noli Me Tangere and its sequel El Filibusterismo.