Philippine Literature and 21st Century Literary Genres (ppt)

• Literary Periods

  • Pre-colonial Period
  • Spanish Colonial Period
  • American Occupation
  • Japanese Occupation
  • Postwar and Contemporary Period
• Pre-colonial Period


  • Includes chants, proverbs, songs, spells, and different folk narratives like folk tales, fables, legends, myths, and epics passed down through oral tradition
  • Work and activity songs describing how people earn their livelihood
• Pre-colonial Period


  • Magtanim ay di Biro (Planting Rice is Never Fun) - SONGS (UYAYI/HELE)
• Spanish Colonial Period

  • Influenced by Christianity and European ideals of liberty and freedom through trade
  • Writers changed the subject of their writings from nature and natural phenomena to the lives of the saints, hymns, miracles and invocations based on the teachings of the Catholic faith
• American Occupation

  • Filipino writers imitated the forms and style of American writers, which spurred the writing of Filipinos in English
  • Censored literary works contributed to the maturity of the Tagalog short story because English language was not allowed to use
  • Tagalog was declared an official language (together with Nihonggo)
• Postwar and Contemporary Period

  • Filipino writers got inspiration from American teachers and were able to learn their techniques, which also helped in mastering the English language
  • Writers wrote fiction that focused on courageous deeds as well as the sacrifices and suffering in the lives of Filipinos
  • Writers wrote about the experiences of the Filipino people under the Spanish and American rule and the Japanese Occupation
  • Philippine literature flourished even more as writers were able to produce short stories, novels, essays, and poems that continue to be read
• Chants


  The iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones<|>Chanting is a spiritual discipline believed to improve listening skills, heightened energy and more sensitivity toward others
• Chants

  • Bari-bari Apo, makidalan ti tao (Iloko chant)
  • Ikaw ang magnanakaw ng Bigas ko

  Lumuwa sna ang mga mata mo.

  Mamaga sana ang katawan mo.

  Patayin ka ng mga Anito

  English version: You stole my rice.

  May your eye bulge.

  And your body swell

  Be killed by the Anitos (gods)

  Modern version: Tabi tabi po Nuno

  Makikiraan po
• Proverbs or salawikain


  Short sayings or pieces of folk wisdom that often use metaphors or creative imagery to express a broader truth<|>Proverbs contain truth, common sense, experience and wisdom, and they are indisputable
• Proverbs


  • If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both

  Explanation: It is an expression of the general advice that one should choose a single goal and focus on it, rather than trying to do too much and thus failing to accomplish anything.
• Riddle or bugtong (burburtia/burburcha in Iloko)


  A statement or a question having a double or hidden meaning<|>It is a good way to improve your understanding of nuances of English<|>It functions as entertainment, logical thinking practice
• Folk songs

  • Oyayi, Hele (Iloko)

  Manang Biday, Pamulinawen, Naraniag a Bulan
• Folktales (Kuwentong-bayan)


  Prose narratives primarily told for amusement and individual entertainment and instructional value, dealing with events set in an indefinite time and space<|>Stories in the oral tradition, or tales that people tell each other out loud, rather than stories in written form
• Philippine Folk Narratives

  • Folktales
  • Fables
  • Legends
  • Myths
  • Epics
• Folktales

  • Characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tales circulated orally among people
  • Depict the people's livelihood, customs, and traditions
• Folktales


  • Juan Gathers Guavas (Tagalog)

  Juan Pusong and His Father's Cows (Visayan)

  The Monkey and the Crocodile (Tagalog)
• Legends

  • Prose narrative accounts of an extraordinary happening believed to have actually occurred

  May tell of an encounter with marvelous creatures which the folks still believe in – fairies, ghosts, water spirits, the devil, and the like

  May explain the origin of things, places and their names, plants, animals and others

  Used to teach lessons in life
• Legends

  • The Flood Story (A Legend of Bukidnon)

  The Flood Story (A Legend of the Igorot)
• Myths


  • Prose narratives explaining how the world came to their form

  Considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past

  Often associated with theology and rituals

  Characters are not usually human beings but often have human attributes
• Myths

  • The Creation (An Igorot Myth)

  The Creation (A Tagalog Myth)
• Epics


  • Narrative poems that celebrate the adventures and achievements of a hero

  Sung or chanted in episodes

  Feature supernatural characters and reflect the society where they originated

  Have different versions of a story
• Epics

  • Biag ni Lam-ang (Iloco)

  Hinilawod (Panay)

  Indarapatra and Sulayman of Maguindanao

  Tuwaang of the Manobo

  Parang Sabil of the Tausug

  Baybayan of Bukidnon

  Darangen - Maranao
• Philippine Literature during the Spanish Colonial Period

  • Works were imitative of the Spanish theme, forms, and traditions

  Literary Forms: Theater Plays (Komedya/moro-moro, Sinakulo, Sarswela), Religious Poetry (Pasyon, Dalit, Novenas), Religious Prose (dialogo, Manual de Urbanidad, ejemplo, tratado), Secular Poetry (Awit, Korido)
• Philippine Literature during the American Period (1898–1940)

  • Literary Forms: Poetry, Short story, Novel, Sonnet, Plays/Drama
• Literary Forms during the Japanese Era (1941-1945)

  • Freedom of the press and speech were banned

  All publications in English were eliminated

  Tagalog was declared an official language (together with Nihonggo)

  Dramas were stopped, stage shows were conducted with plays translated from English to Tagalog
• Haiku


  Free verse with 17 syllables divided into three lines: 5 syllables for the first line, 7 syllables for the second line, 5 syllables for the third line

  Most haikus are focused on nature as its themes
• Tanaga

  28 syllables divided into four lines, each line has seven (7) syllables

  The end words do rhyme with a rhyme pattern of: aaaa, or aabb, abba, or abab
• Karaniwang Anyo (Usual Form)

  The usual and common form of poetry that exists until now
• Short Stories during the Japanese Period

  • The Japanese period was the Golden Period of Short Stories