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The Literary Forms in Philippine Literature
By: Christine F. Godinez- Ortega
The diversity and richness of Philippine literature evolved side by side with the country's
history. This can best be appreciated in the context of the country's pre-colonial cultural
traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial and contemporary traditions.
The average Filipino's unfamiliarity with his indigenous literature was largely due to what
has been impressed upon him: that his country was "discovered" and, hence, Philippine "history"
started only in 1521.
So successful were the efforts of colonialists to blot out the memory of the country's largely
oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and journalists are trying to correct this inequity
by recognizing the country's wealth of ethnic traditions and disseminating them in schools and in
the mass media.
The rousing of nationalistic pride in the 1960s and 1970s also helped bring about this change
of attitude among a new breed of Filipinos concerned about the "Filipino identity."
Pre-Colonial Times
Owing to the works of our own archaeologists, ethnologists and anthropologists, we are able
to know more and better judge information about our pre-colonial times set against a bulk of
material about early Filipinos as recorded by Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and other chroniclers of
the past.
Pre-colonial inhabitants of our islands showcased a rich past through their folk speeches,
folk songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals and mimetic dances that affirm our ties with
our Southeast Asian neighbors.
The most seminal of these folk speeches is the riddle which is tigmo in Cebuano, bugtong in
Tagalog, paktakon in Ilongo and patototdon in Bicol. Central to the riddle is the talinghaga or
metaphor because it "reveals subtle resemblances between two unlike objects" and one's power
of observation and wit are put to the test. While some riddles are ingenious, others verge on the
obscene or are sex-related:
Gaddang:
Gongonan nu usin y amam If you pull your daddy's penis
Maggirawa pay sila y inam. Your mommy's vagina, too,
(Campana) screams. (Bell)
The proverbs or aphorisms express norms or codes of behavior, community beliefs or they
instill values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming verse.
The extended form, 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." Some examples are the basahanon or extended didactic sayings from Bukidnon
and the daraida and daragilon from Panay.
The folk song, 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 naive as in
the children's songs or Ida-ida (Maguindanao), tulang pambata (Tagalog) or cansiones para
abbing (Ibanag).
A few examples are the lullabyes or Ili-ili (Ilongo); love songs like
the panawagon and balitao (Ilongo); harana or serenade (Cebuano); the bayok(Maranao); the
seven-syllable per line poem, ambahan of the Mangyans that are about human relationships,
social entertainment and also serve as a tool for teaching the young; work songs that depict the
livelihood of the people often sung to go with the movement of workers such as
the kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing song) or the mambayu, a Kalinga rice-pounding
song; the verbal jousts/games like the duplo popular during wakes.
Other folk songs are the drinking songs sung during carousals like the tagay (Cebuano and
Waray); dirges and lamentations extolling the deeds of the dead like the kanogon (Cebuano) or
the Annako (Bontoc).
A type of narrative song or kissa among the Tausug of Mindanao, the parang sabil, uses for
its subject matter the exploits of historical and legendary heroes. It tells of a Muslim hero who
seeks death at the hands of non-Muslims.
The folk narratives, i.e. epics and folk tales are varied, exotic and magical. They explain
how the world was created, how certain animals possess certain characteristics, why some places
have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or fauna and, in the case of legends, an explanation
of the origins of things. Fables are about animals and these teach moral lessons.
Our country's epics are considered ethno-epics because unlike, say, Germany's
Niebelunginlied, our epics are not national for they are "histories" of varied groups that consider
themselves "nations."
The epics come in various
names: Guman (Subanon); Darangen (Maranao); Hudhud (Ifugao); and Ulahingan (Manobo).
These epics revolve around supernatural events or heroic deeds and they embody or validate the
beliefs and customs and ideals of a community. These are sung or chanted to the accompaniment
of indigenous musical instruments and dancing performed during harvests, weddings or funerals
by chanters. The chanters who were taught by their ancestors are considered "treasures" and/or
repositories of wisdom in their communities.
Examples of these epics are the Lam-
ang (Ilocano); Hinilawod (Sulod); Kudaman (Palawan); Darangen (Maranao); Ulahingan (Livun
ganen-Arumanen Manobo); Mangovayt Buhong na Langit (The Maiden of the Buhong Sky from
Tuwaang--Manobo); Ag Tobig neg Keboklagan (Subanon); and Tudbulol(T'boli).
The Spanish Colonial Tradition
While it is true that Spain subjugated the Philippines for more mundane reasons, this former
European power contributed much in the shaping and recording of our literature. Religion and
institutions that represented European civilization enriched the languages in the lowlands,
introduced theater which we would come to know as komedya, the sinakulo, the sarswela, the
playlets and the drama. Spain also brought to the country, though at a much later time, liberal
ideas and an internationalism that influenced our own Filipino intellectuals and writers for them
to understand the meanings of "liberty and freedom."
Literature in this period may be classified as religious prose and poetry and secular prose
and poetry.
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. Fernando
Bagonbanta's "Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas" (Unending thanks) is a
fine example that is found in theMemorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala (Guidelines for
the Christian life in the Tagalog language) published in 1605.
Another form of religious lyrics are the meditative verses like the dalit appended
to novenas and catechisms. It has no fixed meter nor rime scheme although a number are written
in octosyllabic quatrains and have a solemn tone and spiritual subject matter.
But among the religious poetry of the day, it is the pasyon in octosyllabic quintillas that
became entrenched in the Filipino's commemoration of Christ's agony and resurrection at
Calvary. Gaspar Aquino de Belen's "Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon natin
na tola" (Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Verse) put out in 1704 is the country's earliest
known pasyon.
Other known pasyons chanted during the Lenten season are in Ilocano, Pangasinan, Ibanag,
Cebuano, Bicol, Ilongo and Waray.
Aside from religious poetry, there were various kinds of prose narratives written to prescribe
proper decorum. Like the pasyon, these prose narratives were also used for proselitization. Some
forms are: dialogo (dialogue), Manual de Urbanidad (conduct book); ejemplo (exemplum)
and tratado (tratado). The most well-known are Modesto de Castro's "Pagsusulatan ng
Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza" (Correspondence between the Two Maidens
Urbana and Feliza) in 1864 and Joaquin Tuason's "Ang Bagong Robinson" (The New Robinson)
in 1879, an adaptation of Daniel Defoe's novel.
Secular works appeared alongside historical and economic changes, the emergence of an
opulent class and the middle class who could avail of a European education. This Filipino elite
could now read printed works that used to be the exclusive domain of the missionaries.
The most notable of the secular lyrics followed the conventions of a romantic tradition: the
languishing but loyal lover, the elusive, often heartless beloved, the rival. The leading poets were
Jose Corazon de Jesus (Huseng Sisiw) and Francisco Balagtas. Some secular poets who wrote in
this same tradition were Leona Florentino, Jacinto Kawili, Isabelo de los Reyes and Rafael
Gandioco.
Another popular secular poetry is the metrical romance, the awit and korido in Tagalog.
The awit is set in dodecasyllabic quatrains while the korido is in octosyllabic quatrains. These
are colorful tales of chivalry from European sources made for singing and chanting such as
Gonzalo de Cordoba (Gonzalo of Cordoba) and Ibong Adarna (Adarna Bird). There are
numerous metrical romances in Tagalog, Bicol, Ilongo, Pampango, Ilocano and in Pangasinan.
The awit as a popular poetic genre reached new heights in Balagtas' "Florante at Laura" (ca.
1838-1861), the most famous of the country's metrical romances.
Again, the winds of change began to blow in 19th century Philippines. Filipino intellectuals
educated in Europe called ilustrados began to write about the downside of colonization. This,
coupled with the simmering calls for reforms by the masses gathered a formidable force of
writers like Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, Emilio Jacinto and Andres
Bonifacio.
This led to the formation of the Propaganda Movement where prose works such as the
political essays and Rizal's two political novels, Noli Me Tangere and the El
filibusterismo helped usher in the Philippine revolution resulting in the downfall of the Spanish
regime, and, at the same time planted the seeds of a national consciousness among Filipinos.
But if Rizal's novels are political, the novel Ninay (1885) by Pedro Paterno is largely cultural
and is considered the first Filipino novel. Although Paterno's Ninaygave impetus to other
novelists like Jesus Balmori and Antonio M. Abad to continue writing in Spanish, this did not
flourish.
Other Filipino writers published the essay and short fiction in Spanish in La Vanguardia, El
Debate, Renacimiento Filipino, and Nueva Era. The more notable essayists and fictionists were
Claro M. Recto, Teodoro M. Kalaw, Epifanio de los Reyes, Vicente Sotto, Trinidad Pardo de
Tavera, Rafael Palma, Enrique Laygo (Caretas or Masks, 1925) and Balmori who mastered
the prosa romantica or romantic prose.
But the introduction of English as medium of instruction in the Philippines hastened the
demise of Spanish so that by the 1930s, English writing had overtaken Spanish writing. During
the language's death throes, however, writing in the romantic tradition, from the awit and korido,
would continue in the novels of Magdalena Jalandoni. But patriotic writing continued under the
new colonialists. These appeared in the vernacular poems and modern adaptations of works
during the Spanish period and which further maintained the Spanish tradition.
The American Colonial Period
A new set of colonizers brought about new changes in Philippine literature. New literary
forms such as free verse [in poetry], the modern short story and the critical essay were
introduced. American influence was deeply entrenched with the firm establishment of English as
the medium of instruction in all schools and with literary modernism that highlighted the writer's
individuality and cultivated consciousness of craft, sometimes at the expense of social
consciousness.
The poet, and later, National Artist for Literature, Jose Garcia Villa used free verse and
espoused the dictum, "Art for art's sake" to the chagrin of other writers more concerned with the
utilitarian aspect of literature. Another maverick in poetry who used free verse and talked about
illicit love in her poetry was Angela Manalang Gloria, a woman poet described as ahead of her
time. Despite the threat of censorship by the new dispensation, more writers turned up "seditious
works" and popular writing in the native languages bloomed through the weekly outlets like
Liwayway and Bisaya.
The Balagtas tradition persisted until the poet Alejandro G. Abadilla advocated modernism
in poetry. Abadilla later influenced young poets who wrote modern verses in the 1960s such as
Virgilio S. Almario, Pedro I. Ricarte and Rolando S. Tinio.
While the early Filipino poets grappled with the verities of the new language, Filipinos
seemed to have taken easily to the modern short story as published in thePhilippines Free Press,
the College Folio and Philippines Herald. Paz Marquez Benitez's "Dead Stars" published in
1925 was the first successful short story in English written by a Filipino. Later on, Arturo B.
Rotor and Manuel E. Arguilla showed exceptional skills with the short story.
Alongside this development, writers in the vernaculars continued to write in the provinces.
Others like Lope K. Santos, Valeriano Hernandez Peña and Patricio Mariano were writing
minimal narratives similar to the early Tagalog short fiction called dali or pasingaw (sketch).
The romantic tradition was fused with American pop culture or European influences in the
adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan by F. P. Boquecosa who also penned Ang Palad ni
Pepe after Charles Dicken's David Copperfield even as the realist tradition was kept alive in the
novels by Lope K. Santos and Faustino Aguilar, among others.
It should be noted that if there was a dearth of the Filipino novel in English, the novel in the
vernaculars continued to be written and serialized in weekly magazines like Liwayway, Bisaya,
Hiligaynon and Bannawag.
The essay in English became a potent medium from the 1920's to the present. Some leading
essayists were journalists like Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge Bocobo, Pura Santillan Castrence, etc.
who wrote formal to humorous to informal essays for the delectation by Filipinos.
Among those who wrote criticism developed during the American period were Ignacio
Manlapaz, Leopoldo Yabes and I.V. Mallari. But it was Salvador P. Lopez's criticism that
grabbed attention when he won the Commonwealth Literay Award for the essay in 1940 with his
"Literature and Society." This essay posited that art must have substance and that Villa's
adherence to "Art for Art's Sake" is decadent.
The last throes of American colonialism saw the flourishing of Philippine literature in
English at the same time, with the introduction of the New Critical aesthetics, made writers pay
close attention to craft and "indirectly engendered a disparaging attitude" towards vernacular
writings -- a tension that would recur in the contemporary period.
The Contemporary Period
The flowering of Philippine literature in the various languages continue especially with the
appearance of new publications after the Martial Law years and the resurgence of committed
literature in the 1960s and the 1970s.
Filipino writers continue to write poetry, short stories, novellas, novels and essays whether
these are socially committed, gender/ethnic related or are personal in intention or not.
Of course the Filipino writer has become more conscious of his art with the proliferation of
writers workshops here and abroad and the bulk of literature available to him via the mass media
including the internet. The various literary awards such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature, the Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Home Life and Panorama
literary awards encourage him to compete with his peers and hope that his creative efforts will be
rewarded in the long run.
With the new requirement by the Commission on Higher Education of teaching of Philippine
Literature in all tertiary schools in the country emphasizing the teaching of the vernacular
literature or literatures of the regions, the audience for Filipino writers is virtually assured. And,
perhaps, a national literature finding its niche among the literatures of the world will not be far
behind.
Philippine Literature during the American Period
DR. LILIA QUINDOZA-SANTIAGO
Philippine literary production during the American Period in the Philippines was spurred by
two significant developments in education and culture. One is the introduction of free public
instruction for all children of school age and two, the use of English as medium of instruction in
all levels of education in public schools.
Free public education made knowledge and information accessible to a greater number of
Filipinos. Those who availed of this education through college were able to improve their social
status and joined a good number of educated masses who became part of the country’s middle
class.
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 produced but
also in the psyche of the country’s educated class. It was this educated class that would be the
wellspring of a vibrant Philippine Literature in English.
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. The poetry written by early poets manifested studied attempts at versification as
in the following poem which is proof of the poet’s rather elementary exercise in the English
language:
Vacation days at last are here,
And we have time for fun so dear,
All boys and girls do gladly cheer,
This welcomed season of the year.
In early June in school we’ll meet;
A harder task shall we complete
And if we fail we must repeat
That self same task without retreat.
We simply rest to come again
To school where boys and girls obtain
The Creator’s gift to men
Whose sanguine hopes in us remain.
Vacation means a time for play
For young and old in night and day
My wish for all is to be gay,
And evil none lead you astray
- Juan F. Salazar Philippines
Free Press, May 9, 1909
The poem was anthologized in the first collection of poetry in English, Filipino Poetry,
edited by Rodolfo Dato (1909 – 1924). Among the poets featured in this anthology were Proceso
Sebastian Maximo Kalaw, Fernando Maramag, Leopoldo Uichanco, Jose Ledesma, Vicente
Callao, Santiago Sevilla, Bernardo Garcia, Francisco Africa, Pablo Anzures, Carlos P. Romulo,
Francisco Tonogbanua, Juan Pastrana, Maria Agoncillo, Paz Marquez Benitez, Luis Dato and
many others. Another anthology, The English German Anthology of Poetsedited by Pablo Laslo
was published and covered poets published from 1924-1934 among whom were Teofilo D.
Agcaoili, Aurelio Alvero, Horacio de la Costa, Amador T. Daguio, Salvador P. Lopez, Angela
Manalang Gloria, Trinidad Tarrosa, Abelardo Subido and Jose Garcia Villa, among others. A
third pre-war collection of poetry was edited by Carlos Bulosan, Chorus for America: Six
Philippine Poets. The six poets in this collection were Jose Garcia Villa, Rafael Zulueta da
Costa, Rodrigo T. Feria, C.B. Rigor, Cecilio Baroga and Carlos Bulosan.
In fiction, the period of apprenticeship in literary writing in English is marked by imitation
of the style of storytelling and strict adherence to the craft of the short story as practiced by
popular American fictionists. Early short story writers in English were often dubbed as the
Andersons or Saroyans or the Hemingways of Philippine letters. Leopoldo Yabes in his study of
the Philippine short story in English from 1925 to 1955 points to these models of American
fiction exerting profound influence on the early writings of story writers like Francisco
Arcellana, A.E. Litiatco, Paz Latorena. .
When the University of the Philippines was founded in 1908, an elite group of writers in
English began to exert influence among the culturati. The U.P. Writers Club founded in 1926,
had stated that one of its aims was to enhance and propagate the "language of Shakespeare." In
1925, Paz Marquez Benitez short story, "Dead Stars" was published and was made the
landmark of the maturity of the Filipino writer in English. Soon after Benitez, short story writers
began publishing stories no longer imitative of American models. Thus, story writers like
Icasiano Calalang, A.E. Litiatco, Arturo Rotor, Lydia Villanueva, Paz Latorena , Manuel
Arguilla began publishing stories manifesting both skilled use of the language and a keen
Filipino sensibility.
This combination of writing in a borrowed tongue while dwelling on Filipino customs and
traditions earmarked the literary output of major Filipino fictionists in English during the
American period. Thus, the major novels of the period, such as the Filipino Rebel, by Maximo
Kalaw, and His Native Soil by Juan C. Laya, are discourses on cultural identity, nationhood and
being Filipino done in the English language. Stories such as "How My Brother Leon Brought
Home a Wife" by Manuel Arguilla scanned the scenery as well as the folkways of Ilocandia
while N.V. M. Gonzales’s novels and stories such as "Children of the Ash Covered
Loam," present the panorama of Mindoro, in all its customs and traditions while configuring its
characters in the human dilemma of nostalgia and poverty. Apart from Arguilla and Gonzales,
noted fictionists during the period included Francisco Arcellana, whom Jose Garcia Villa lauded
as a "genius" storyteller, Consorcio Borje, Aida Rivera, Conrado Pedroche, Amador Daguio,
Sinai Hamada, Hernando Ocampo, Fernando Maria Guerrero. Jose Garcia Villa himself wrote
several short stories but devoted most of his time to poetry.
In 1936, when the Philippine Writers League was organized, Filipino writers in English
began discussing the value of literature in society. Initiated and led by Salvador P. Lopez, whose
essays on Literature and Societyprovoked debates, the discussion centered on proletarian
literature, i.e., engaged or committed literature versus the art for art’s sake literary orientation.
But this discussion curiously left out the issue of colonialism and colonial literature and the
whole place of literary writing in English under a colonial set-up that was the Philippines then.
With Salvador P. Lopez, the essay in English gained the upper hand in day to day discourse
on politics and governance. Polemicists who used to write in Spanish like Claro M. Recto,
slowly started using English in the discussion of current events even as newspaper dailies moved
away from Spanish reporting into English. Among the essayists, Federico Mangahas had an easy
facility with the language and the essay as genre. Other noted essayists during the period were
Fernando Maramag, Carlos P. Romulo , Conrado Ramirez.
On the other hand, the flowering of a vibrant literary tradition due to historical events did
not altogether hamper literary production in the native or indigenous languages. In fact, the early
period of the 20th century was remarkable for the significant literary output of all major
languages in the various literary genre.
It was during the early American period that seditious plays, using the form of the
zarsuwela, were mounted. Zarsuwelistas Juan Abad, Aurelio Tolentino ,Juan Matapang Cruz.
Juan Crisostomo Sotto mounted the classics like Tanikalang Ginto, Kahapon, Ngayon at
Bukas and Hindi Ako Patay, all directed against the American imperialists. Patricio
Mariano’s Anak ng Dagat and Severino Reyes’s Walang Sugat are equally remarkable
zarsuwelas staged during the period.
On the eve of World War II, Wilfredo Maria Guerrero would gain dominance in theatre
through his one-act plays which he toured through his "mobile theatre". Thus, Wanted a
Chaperone and The Forsaken Housebecame very popular in campuses throughout the
archipelago.
The novel in Tagalog, Iloko, Hiligaynon and Sugbuanon also developed during the period
aided largely by the steady publication of weekly magazines like
the Liwayway, Bannawag and Bisaya which serialized the novels.
Among the early Tagalog novelists of the 20th century were Ishmael Amado, Valeriano
Hernandez Peña, Faustino Aguilar, Lope K. Santos and Lazaro Francisco.
Ishmael Amado’s Bulalakaw ng Pag-asa published in 1909 was one of the earliest novels
that dealt with the theme of American imperialism in the Philippines. The novel, however, was
not released from the printing press until 1916, at which time, the author, by his own admission
and after having been sent as a pensionado to the U.S., had other ideas apart from those he wrote
in the novel.
Valeriano Hernandez Peña’s Nena at Neneng narrates the story of two women who
happened to be best of friends as they cope with their relationships with the men in their lives.
Nena succeeds in her married life while Neneng suffers from a stormy marriage because of her
jealous husband.
Faustino Aguilar published Pinaglahuan, a love triangle set in the early years of the
century when the worker's movement was being formed. The novel’s hero, Luis Gatbuhay, is a
worker in a printery who isimprisoned for a false accusation and loses his love, Danding, to his
rival Rojalde, son of a wealthy capitalist. Lope K. Santos, Banaag at Sikat has almost the same
theme and motif as the hero of the novel, Delfin, also falls in love with a rich woman, daughter
of a wealthy landlord. The love story of course is set also within the background of development
of the worker’s trade union movement and throughout the novel, Santos engages the readers in
lengthy treatises and discourses on socialism and capitalism. Many other Tagalog novelists wrote
on variations of the same theme, i.e., the interplay of fate, love and social justice. Among these
writers are Inigo Ed Regalado, Roman Reyes, Fausto J. Galauran, Susana de Guzman, Rosario
de Guzman-Lingat, Lazaro Francisco, Hilaria Labog, Rosalia Aguinaldo, Amado V. Hernandez.
Many of these writers were able to produce three or more novels as Soledad Reyes would bear
out in her book which is the result of her dissertation, Ang Nobelang Tagalog (1979).
Among the Iloko writers, noted novelists were Leon Pichay, who was also the region’s poet
laureate then, Hermogenes Belen, and Mena Pecson Crisologo whose Mining wenno Ayat ti
Kararwa is considered to be the Iloko version of a Noli me Tangere.
In the Visayas, Magdalena Jalandoni and Ramon Muzones would lead most writers in
writing the novels that dwelt on the themes of love, courtship, life in the farmlands, and other
social upheavals of the period. Marcel Navarra wrote stories and novels in Sugbuhanon.
Poetry in all languages continued to flourish in all regions of the country during the
American period. The Tagalogs, hailing Francisco F. Balagtas as the nation’s foremost poet
invented the balagtasan in his honor. Thebalagtasan is a debate in verse, a poetical joust done
almost spontaneously between protagonists who debate over the pros and cons of an issue.
The first balagtasan was held in March 1924 at the Instituto de Mujeres, with Jose Corazon
de Jesus and Florentino Collantes as rivals, bubuyog (bee) and paru-paro (butterfly) aiming for
the love of kampupot (jasmine). It was during this balagtasan that Jose Corazon de Jesus, known
as Huseng Batute, emerged triumphant to become the first king of the Balagtasan. Jose Corazon
de Jesus was the finest master of the genre. He was later followed by balagtasistas, Emilio Mar
Antonio and Crescenciano Marquez, who also became King of the Balagtasan in their own time.
As Huseng Batute, de Jesus also produced the finest poems and lyrics during the period. His
debates with Amado V. Hernandez on the political issue of independence from America and
nationhood were mostly done in verse and are testament to the vitality of Tagalog poetry during
the era. Lope K. Santos, epic poem, Ang Panggingera is also proof of how poets of the period
have come to master the language to be able to translate it into effective poetry.
The balagtasan would be echoed as a poetical fiesta and would be duplicated in the Ilocos
as thebukanegan, in honor of Pedro Bukaneg, the supposed transcriber of the epic, Biag ni Lam-
ang; and theCrissottan, in Pampanga, in honor of the esteemed poet of the Pampango, Juan
Crisostomo Sotto.
In 1932, Alejandro G. Abadilla , armed with new criticism and an orientation on modernist
poetry would taunt traditional Tagalog poetics with the publication of his poem, "Ako ang
Daigdig." Abadilla’s poetry began the era of modernism in Tagalog poetry, a departure from the
traditional rhymed, measured and orally recited poems. Modernist poetry which utilized free or
blank verses was intended more for silent reading than oral delivery.
Noted poets in Tagalog during the American period were Julian Cruz Balmaceda,
Florentino Collantes, Pedro Gatmaitan, Jose Corazon de Jesus, Benigno Ramos, Inigo Ed.
Regalado, Ildefonso Santos, Lope K. Santos, Aniceto Silvestre, Emilio Mar. Antonio , Alejandro
Abadilla and Teodoro Agoncillo.
Like the writers in English who formed themselves into organizations, Tagalog writers also
formed the Ilaw at Panitik, and held discussions and workshops on the value of literature in
society. Benigno Ramos, was one of the most politicized poets of the period as he aligned
himself with the peasants of the Sakdal Movement.
Fiction in Tagalog as well as in the other languages of the regions developed alongside the
novel. Most fictionists are also novelists. Brigido Batungbakal , Macario Pineda and other
writers chose to dwell on the vicissitudes of life in a changing rural landscape. Deogracias Del
Rosario on the other hand, chose the city and the emerging social elite as subjects of his stories.
He is considered the father of the modern short story in Tagalog
Among the more popular fictionists who emerged during the period are two women writers,
Liwayway Arceo and Genoveva Edroza Matute, considered forerunners in the use of "light"
fiction, a kind of story telling that uses language through poignant rendition. Genoveva Edroza
Matute’s "Ako’y Isang Tinig" and Liwayway Arceo’s "Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa" have been
used as models of fine writing in Filipino by teachers of composition throughout the school
system.
Teodoro Agoncillo’s anthology 25 Pinakamahusay na Maiikling Kuwento (1945) included
the foremost writers of fiction in the pre-war era.
The separate, yet parallel developments of Philippine literature in English and those in
Tagalog and other languages of the archipelago during the American period only prove that
literature and writing in whatever language and in whatever climate are able to survive mainly
through the active imagination of writers. Apparently, what was lacking during the period was
for the writers in the various languages to come together, share experiences and come to a
conclusion on the elements that constitute good writing in the Philippines.
PHILIPPINE LITERARTURE DURING PRE-COLONIAL PERIODPresentation
Transcript
1. Philippine LiteratuMidterm Group
2. SpaniSh Colonial period
3. Spanish occupied Philippinesin early 15th century. The
FirstFilipino alphabet is Alibata –when Spanish colonizedPhilippines
they changedalibatas into Roman alphabet. Spanish banned the use
ofAlibata because they believedthat it is a work of evil. SoSpanish
fully introduced theSpanish literary language usingmany Spanish
terms.
4. The European literature wasbrought by the Spaniardsand are
assimilated inFilipino songs andindigenous themes.The
early printing press inthe Philippine is run andmonopolized by
theSpaniards friars.
5. During Spanish colonizationFilipinos felt that they beingharassed
by the Spaniards.Then the Birth of thePropaganda movement andLa
Solidaridad.Then Filipino fought andintroduced Tagalog to be
thelanguage of revolution of thenationalist movement.
6. SpaniSh Colonial periodliteratureunderSpaniSh Colonial
periodliteratureunder
7. ORALLITERATUREDRAMASONGSRELIGIOUSDRAMA
8. SONGSA song is a composition for voice or voices,performed
by singing. Achoral or vocal song maybe accompaniedby musical
instruments,or it may beunaccompanied, as in thecase of a
cappella songs.The lyrics (words) ofsongs are typically ofa poetic,
rhyming nature,though they maybe religious verses orfree prose.
9. SONGSThis song depictshumbleness. Its thestory of a man who
triesto show what he got towin the heart of hisbeloved
one. LERONLERONSINTA
10. SONGSa Kundiman whichmeans “one night” or“one evening” in
Bicol.A kundiman is aFilipino love songtraditionally sung by aman
wooing the womanof his dreams.SARUMBANGGI
11. reliGiouS draMaThe religious drama, as settingforth events
recorded in the Bible ormoral lessons to be drawn fromreligious
teaching, is distinctivelymedieval in character, and in originis closely
connected with theservices of theChurch.
12. RELIGIOUS DRAMAPanunuluyan (Tagalog for "asking for
lodgings")is a Philippine Christmas dramaticritual narrating the Holy
Familyssearch for a place to stay inBethlehem forJesus Christs birth
through song.
13. DRAMADrama is
thespecific mode of fiction represented in performance. The
enactment ofdrama in theatre, performedby actors on a
stage beforean audience, presupposes collaborative modes
ofproduction and a collective form ofreception.
14. DRAMA“Why Women Wash the Dishes” is a playthat depicts a
betting game between couplewhom either one would not like to
wash thedishes. The play is filled withhumor and antiques.Bakit
Babae ang Naghuhugas ng Pinggan
15. WRITTENLITERATURESHORTSTORIESPOETRY
16. POETRYPoetry is an imaginative awareness ofexperience
expressed through meaning, sound,and rhythmic language choices so
as to evokean emotional response. Poetry has been knownto employ
meter and rhyme, but this is by nomeans necessary. The very nature
of poetry asan authentic and individual mode of expressionmakes it
nearly impossible to define.
17. The story is about the love anddetermination of the Duke
Floranteand the Princess Laura of Albaniawhile being pursued by the
usurperCount Adolfo.POETRYFLORANTE ATLAURA
18. A short story is a briefwork of literature,usually
writtenin narrative prose.A classic definition ofa short story is
thatone should be able toread it in one sittingSHORTSTORIES
19. The short story revolvesaround one thing –Freedom. Or
moreclearly, it seeks todefine what is freedom,and what sense it
makesto those who are notfree; slaved for theatonement of their
sins.SHORTSTORIESCONVICT’STWILIGHT
20. RIZAL AND
HISCONTEMPORARIESJOSERIZALMARCELODEL
PILARANDRESBONIFACIO
21. SELECTEDWORKS OFHe is considered oneof the national
heroes ofthe Philippines. Studying inEurope, he was the most
prominentadvocate for reform in thePhilippines during
the Spanishcolonial era. He was wronglyimplicated as the leader of
theKatipunan Revolution, and that ledto his execution on December
30,1896, now celebrated as Rizal Day,a national holiday in the
country.JOSE RIZAL
22. SELECTEDWORKS OFMI ULTIMOADIOSA poem written by
Philippine nationalhero Dr José Rizal on the eve ofhis execution on
30 December 1896.This poem was one of the last noteshe wrote
before his death; anotherthat he had written was found in hisshoe but
because the text wasillegible, its contents remains amystery.
23. SELECTEDWORKS OFMARCELO H.DEL PILARHe was a
celebrated figurein the Philippine Revolutionand a leading
propagandistfor reforms in thePhilippines. Popularlyknown as
Plaridel, he wasthe editor and co-publisherof La Solidaridad(The
Solidarity).
24. SELECTEDWORKS OFMARCELO H.DEL PILARThis is a
satire on thefriars hypocrisy,licentiousness and greed,which consists
of parodiesof the Sign of the Cross, theAct of Contrition, theLords
Prayer, the HailMary, and the catechism.Rizal considers this as
amodel of classical proseand an excellent example ofTagalog humor,
wit, andDASALAN ATTOCSOHAN
25. SELECTEDWORKS OFHe was a founder and laterSupremo of
the Katipunanmovement which sought theindependence of the
Philippinesfrom Spanish colonial rule andstarted
thePhilippineRevolution.ANDRESBONIFACIO“Father ofthe
PhilippineRevolution,"
26. SELECTEDWORKS OFANDRESBONIFACIOThis poem
whichwas first published in theDiariong Tagalog. As the
titleindicates, the theme is directed tothe Filipinos in order to
arousetheir spirit ofnationalismandself-dependence.PAG-IBIG
SATINUBUANGLUPA
27. AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD
28. Philippine literaryproduction during theAmerican Period in
thePhilippines was spurred bytwo significantdevelopments in
educationand culture. One is theintroduction of free publicinstruction
for all children ofschool age and two, theuse of English as mediumof
instruction in all levels ofeducation in public schools.
29. Free public educationmade knowledge andinformation accessible
to agreater number ofFilipinos. Those whoavailed of this
educationthrough college were ableto improve their socialstatus and
joined a goodnumber of educatedmasses who became partof the
country’s middleclass.
30. The use of English asmedium of instructionintroduced Filipinos
toAnglo-American modes ofthought, culture and lifeways that would
beembedded not only in theliterature produced but alsoin the psyche
of thecountry’s educated class. Itwas this educated classthat would
be thewellspring of a vibrant
31. Philippine literature inEnglish, as a direct resultof American
colonization ofthe country, could notescape being imitative
ofAmerican models of writingespecially during its periodof
apprenticeship.
32. AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIODLITERATUREunder
33.
RomanticPoetryShortStoriesLITERATUREUNDERAMERICAN
COLONIAL PERIODTagalogNovelBeginning ofPhil Litin English
34. TAGALOGNOVELA novel is along prose narrative that
describesfictionalcharacters andevents in the formof a
sequentialstory, usually. ATagalog novel is anovel written in,of
course, Tagalog.
35. TAGALOGNOVEL is one of the first literarynovels
writtenby Filipino author LopeK. Santos inthe Tagalog
language in1906. As a book thatwas considered as the"Bible of
working classFilipinos", the pages ofthe novel revolvesaround the
life of Delfin,his love for a daughterof a rich landlord, whileLope
K.Banaag at Sikat
36. Romantic PoetryThe dominant theme ofRomantic poetry: the
filteringof natural emotion throughthe human mind in order tocreate
art, coupled with anawareness of the dualitycreatedby such a
process.
37. Romantic PoetryPAG-IBIGJose Corazon DeJesusJosé Corazón
de Jesús , wasa Filipino poet who used Tagalog poetry to expressthe
Filipinos desire for independenceduring the American occupation
ofthe Philippines,a period that lasted from 1901 to 1946.He is best
known for being the lyricist of the Filipino song yan Ko.
38.
SHORTSTORIESA short story is a brief work of literature, usually
written in narrative prose. A classic definition of a short story is that
one should be able to read it in one sitting
39. SHORTSTORIES
This is a short story written by Alejandro Roces during his freshman
year in Arizona State University. He was well known for his humoro
us stories and whit in writing. “We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers” is d
ated back to the 1940s.We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers
40. BeginningofPhilippineLiteratureinEnglishPhilippine literature
inEnglish By 1901, publiceducation wasinstitutionalized in
thePhilippines, with Englishserving as the medium ofinstruction.
That year,around 600 educators inthe S.S. Thomas toreplace the
soldiers whohad been serving as thefirst teachers.
41. BeginningofPhilippineLiteratureinEnglish"How My Brother
LeonBrought Home a Wife"A story about an occasionthat would be
a big day inthe life of any family, theday one of the sons ofthe family
brings hopethe woman he intends tomarry. The story is toldin the
first person byLeons younger brother.
Category:Philippine Short Stories
Philippine short stories, written in Filipino, English and other indigenious languages of the
country, have varieties of themes that mark from the period of colonization to contemporary
social issues. In the midst of the American colonial period, Filipino short story writers found
their way to publish their works through the magazines such as Liwayway (1922, Tagalog),
Bisaya (1930, Cebuano), Hiligaynon (1934, Ilongo) and Bannawag (1934, Iloko).
Below are some of the acclaimed short stories of famous Philippine writers. White Devils Vein
Articles in category "Philippine Short Stories"
There are 34 articles in this category.
A
A Son is Born
D
Dead Stars
Death in a Sawmill
H
Heartland
How My Brother Leon
Brought Home A Wife
M
May Day Eve
Merlie
Midsummer
My Father Goes to Court
O
Oldtimer
P
Pulse of the Land
S
Stranger in An Asian
City
T
The Bird Lover of City
Hall
The Body
The Bread of Salt
The Doubters
The Flood in Tarlac
The Fruit of the Vine
The Hand of God
The Judge
The Little Wars of
Filemon Sayre
The Mats
The Nobel Prize of
Jorge Luis Borges
T cont.
The Other Side
The Outsider
The Painting
The Perpetual Monday Morning
in the Life of Jose Sakay
The Reprieve
The Sky Is Always Blue
The Summer Solstice
The Tangerine Gumamela
The Three Juans And How
They Joined the Revolution
The Virgin
The Witch
Philippine literature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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material may be challenged and removed.(August 2013)
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Map of usage of Filipino languages
Philippine literature is the literature associated with the Philippines and includes the legends of
prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines. Most of the notable literature of the
Philippines was written during the Spanish period and the first half of the 20th century in
Spanish language. Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English,Tagalog, or other
native Philippine languages.
Contents
[hide]
1 Early works
2 Classical literature in Spanish during the 19th Century
o 2.1 Poetry and metrical romances
o 2.2 Prose
o 2.3 Dramas
o 2.4 Religious drama
o 2.5 Secular dramas
3 Modern literature (20th and 21st century)
4 Notable Philippine literary authors
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Early works[edit source]
Doctrina Christiana , Manila, 1593, is the first book printed in the Philippines.
Tomas Pinpin wrote and printed in 1610 Librong Pagaaralan nang mga Tagalog nang
Uicang Castilla, 119 pages designed to help fellow Filipinos to learn the Spanish language in
a simple way. He is also with the first news publication made in the Philippines, "Successos
Felices".
Classical literature in Spanish during the 19th Century[edit source]
Main article: Philippine literature in Spanish
On December 1, 1846, the first daily newspaper, La Esperanza, was published in the country.
Other early newspapers were La Estrella (1847), Diario de Manila (1848) and Boletin Oficial de
Filipinas (1852). The first provincial newspaper was El Eco de Vigan (1884), which was issued
in Ilocos. In Cebu City "El Boletín de Cebú" (The Bulletin of Cebu), was published in 1890.
On 1863, the Spanish government introduced a system of free public education that increased the
population's ability to read Spanish and thereby furthered the rise of an educated class called
the Ilustrado(meaning, well-informed). Spanish became the social language of urban places and
the true lingua franca of the archipelago. A good number of Spanish newspapers were published
until the end of the 1940s, the most influential of them being El Renacimiento, printed in Manila
by members of the Guerrero de Ermita family.
Some members of the ilustrado group, while in Spain, decided to start a Spanish publication with
the aim of promoting the autonomy and independence projects. Members of this group
included Pedro Alejandro Paterno, who wrote the novel Nínay (first novel written by a Filipino)
((cn)) and the Philippine national hero,José Rizal, who wrote excellent poetry and two famous
novels in Spanish: Noli Me Tangere(Touch Me Not), and El Filibusterismo.
Especially potent was La Solidaridad, more fondly called La Sol by the members of the
propaganda movement, founded in 15 February 1885.[citation needed] With the help of this paper,
Filipino national heroes like José Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Marcelo H. del Pilar were
able to voice out their sentiments.
Poetry and metrical romances[edit source]
Ladino Poems – Were natives of first Tagalog versifiers who saw print: highly literate in
both Spanish and the vernacular.
Corridos – Were widely read during the Spanish period that filled the populace's need for
entertainment as well as edifying reading matter in their leisure moments.
Awit – like corridos, these were also widely read during the Spanish period as entertaining,
edifying, reading manner in their leisure time. It is also a fabrication of the writers
imagination although the characters and the setting may be European. The structure is
rendered dodecasyllabic quatrains.
Prose[edit source]
This section
requires expansion. (August
2013)
The prose works of the Spanish Period consisted mostly of didactic pieces and translations of
religious writings in foreign languages.
Dramas[edit source]
This section is
empty. You can help
by adding to it. (August
2013)
Religious drama[edit source]
The Panunuluyan– Literally, seeking entrance, the Tagalog version of the Mexican Las
Posadas. Held on the eve of Christmas, it dramatizes Joseph's and Mary's search
for Bethlehem.
Cenaculo – Was the dramatization of the passion and death of Jesus Christ.
Salubong – An Easter play that dramatizes the meeting of the Risen Christ and His Mother.
Moriones – Refers to the participants dressed roman soldiers, their identities hidden behind
colorful, sometimes grotesque, wooden masks.
The Santacruzan – Performed during the month of May which have the devotion for the
Holy Cross. It depicts St. Elena's search for the cross on which Christ died.
Pangangaluwa – An interesting socio-religious practice on All Saint's Day which literally
means for The Soul.
Secular dramas[edit source]
These were generally held during the nine nights of vigil and prayers after someone's death, on
the first death anniversary when the family members put away their mourning clothes.
The Karagatan – comes from the legendary practice of testing the mettle of young men
vying for a maiden's hand. The maiden's ring would be dropped into sea and whoever
retrieves it would have the girl's hand in marriage.
The Duplo – A forerunner of the balagtasan. The performances consist of two teams; One
composed of young women calledDupleras or Belyakas; and the other, of young men
called Dupleros or Belyakos.
The Comedia – It is about a courtly love between, a prince and a princess of different
religions. It is about a Christian-Muslim relationship
Modern literature (20th and 21st century)[edit source]
The greatest portion of Spanish literature was written during the American period, most often as
an expression of pro-Hispanic nationalism, by those who had been educated in Spanish or had
lived in the Spanish-speaking society of the big cities, and whose principles entered in conflict
with the American cultural trends.[citation needed] Such period of Spanish literary production—i.e.,
between the independence of Spain in 1898 and well ahead into the decade of the 1940s—is
known as Edad de Oro del Castellano en Filipinas. Some prominent writers of this era
were Wenceslao Retana and Claro Mayo Recto, both in drama and essay; Antonio M.
Abad andGuillermo Gomez Wyndham, in the narrative; Fernando María Guerrero and Manuel
Bernabé, both in poetry. The predominant literary style was the so-called "Modernismo", a
mixture of elements from the French Parnassien and Symboliste schools, as promoted by some
Latin American and Peninsular Spanish writers (e.g. the Nicaraguan Rubén Darío, the
Mexican Amado Nervo, the SpaniardFrancisco Villaespesa, and the Peruvian José Santos
Chocano as major models).
Notable Philippine literary authors[edit source]
Estrella Alfon
Francisco Arcellana
Carlos Bulosan
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
Linda Ty Casper
Gilda Cordero-Fernando
N. V. M. Gonzalez
Nick Joaquin
F. Sionil José
Ambeth R. Ocampo
Alejandro R. Roces
Bienvenido Santos
Edilberto K. Tiempo
Kerima Polotan Tuvera
José Rizal
Francisco Balagtas
Zoilo Galang
Lualhati Bautista
Genoveva Edroza-Matute
Nicanor Abelardo
Kris Astudillo
See also[edit source]
Philippines portal
Cebuano literature
Ilokano literature
Pangasinan literature
Philippine folk literature
Philippine literature in English
Philippine literature in Spanish
Philippine Literature in Filipino
Waray literature
Ninay , first Philippine novel
Languages of the Philippines