MODULE IN SURVEY OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Overview
The word literature is derived from the Latin term litera which means “letter”. It has been
defined differently by various writers. Some loosely interpret literature as any printed matter
written within a book, a magazine or a pamphlet. Others define literature as a faithful
reproduction of man’s manifold experiences blended into one harmonious expression. Because
literature deals with ideas, thoughts and emotions of man, literature can be said to be the story of
man. Man’s love, grief, thoughts, dreams and aspirations coached in beautiful language is
literature.
In order to know the history of a nation’s spirit, one must read its literature. Hence it is,
that to understand the real spirit of a nation, one must “trace the little rills as they course along
down the ages, broadening and deepening into the great ocean of thought w hich men of the
present source are presently exploring.” Brother Azurin, said that “literature expresses the
feelings of people to society, to the government, to his surroundings, to his fellowmen and to his
Divine Creator.” The expression of one’s feelings, according to him, may be through love,
sorrow, happiness, hatred, anger, pity, contempt, or revenge.
For Webster, literature is anything that is printed, as long as it is related to the ideas and
feelings of people, whether it is true, or just a product of one’s imagination. In PANITIKING
PILIPINO written by Atienza, Ramos, Salazar and Nazal, it says that “true literature is a piece of
w ritten work which is undying. It expresses the feelings and emotions of people in response to
his everyday efforts to live, to be happy n his environment and, after struggles, to reach his
Creator.”
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, students can:
demonstrate understanding of time periods and growth and development in Philippine
literature;
interpret literary works in the context of socio-historical events;
read and write creatively and critically in the understanding of representative literary
works;
use technology in designing integrated lessons and instructional materials that are
culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate using Philippine literary works in
English.
Learning Activities
REVISIT PHILIPPINE LITERATURE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
Keypoints
Why We Need to Study Philippine Literature?
 We can enumerate many reasons for studying literature. Here are but a few: We study
literature so that we can better appreciate our literary heritage. We cannot appreciate
something that we do not understand. Through a study of our literature, we can trace the rich
heritage of ideas handed down to us from our forefathers. Then we can understand ourselves
better and take pride in being a Filipino.
Like other races of the world, we need to understand that we have a great and noble
tradition which can serve as the means to assimilate other cultures. Through such a study, we
will realize our literary limitations conditioned by certain historical factors and we can take
steps to overcome them. Above all, as Filipinos, who truly love and take pride in our own
culture, we have to manifest our deep concern for our own literature and this we can do by
studying the literature of our country. Of Philippine Literature in English and Time Frames It
can be said that Philippine literature in English has achieved a stature that is, in away,
phenomenal since the inception of English in our culture. Our written literature, which is
about four hundred years old, is one of slow and evolutionary growth. Our writers strove to
express their sentiments while struggling with a foreign medium. The great mass of literature
in English that we have today is, indeed, attribute to what our writers have achieved in the
short span of time. What they have written can compare with some of the best works in the
world.
Much is still to be achieved. Our writers have yet to write their OPUS MAGNUMS.
Meanwhile, history and literature are slowly unfolding before us and we are as witnesses in
the assembly lines to an evolving literary life. Time frames may not be necessary in a study
of literature, but since literature and history are inescapably related it has become facilitate to
map up a system which will aid us in delineating certain time boundaries.
These time boundaries are not exactly well-defined; very often, time frames blend into
another in a seeming continuum. For a systematic discussion of the traditions, customs, and
feelings of our people that can be traced in our literature, we shall adopt certain delimitation.
These times are the time frames:
Time Frames of Philippine Literature in English Different opinions prevail regarding the
stages that mark the development of Philippine literature in English. Let us take the
following time frames for purpose of discussion:
The Period of Re-orientation (1898-19102)
Period of Imitation (1910-19253)
Period of Self-Discovery (1925-1941)

Japanese Period (1941-1945)

The Rebirth of Freedom (1946-19706)
Period of Activism (1970-19727)
Period of the New Society (1972-1981)
Period of the Third Republic (1981-1985)
 Contemporary Period: 1986
General Types of Literature
Literature can generally be divided into two types: prose and poetry.
Prose consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in sentences and
paragraphs, while poetry refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and
stanza and has a more melodious tone.
Prose
Novel. A long narrative divided into chapters and events are taken from true-to-life
stories.
Examples:
NOLI ME TANGERE by Dr. Jose Rizal
PO-ON A NOVEL by Francisco Sionil Jose
WITHOUT SEEING THE DAWN by Stevan Javellana
Short story. This is a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot and one single
impression.
Examples:
THE LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER by Carlos Bulosan
THE WEDDING DANCE by Amador Daguio
MAGNIFICENCE by Estrella D. Alfon
Plays. This is presented on a stage, is divided into acts and each act has many scenes.
Examples:
THIRTEEN PLAYS by Wilfredo M. Guerrero
THE WORLD IS AN APPLE by Alberto S. Florentino
Legends. These are fictitious narratives, usually about origins.
Example:
THE BIKOL LEGEND by Pio Duran
Fables. These are also fictitious and they deal with animals and inanimate things who
speak and act like people and their purpose is to enlighten the minds of children to events
that can mold their ways and attitudes.
Example:
THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLE
Anecdotes. These are merely products of the writer’s imagination and the main aim is to
bring out lessons to the reader.
Example:
THE MOTH AND THE LAMP
Essay. This expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular problem or
event. The best example of this is the Editorial page of a newspaper.
Biography. This deals with the life of a person which may be about himself, his
autobiography or that of others.
Example:
CAYETANO ARELLANO by Socorro O. Albert
News. This is a report of everyday events in society, government, science and industry,
and accidents, happening nationally or not.
Oration. This is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be spoken in public. It
appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the emotions of the audience.

POETRY
There are three types of poetry and these are the following:
Narrative Poetry. This form describes important events in life either real or imaginary.
The different varieties are:
Epic. This is an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural control.
Example: THE HARVEST SONG OF ALIGUYON translated in English by
Amador T. Daguio
Metrical Tale. This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be classified either as
a ballad or a metrical romance.
Examples: BAYANI NG BUKID by Al Perez HERO OF THE FIELDS by Al
Perez
Ballads. Of the narrative poems, this is considered the shortest and simplest. It has a
simple structure and tells of a single incident. There are also variations of these: love
ballads, war ballads, and sea ballads, humorous, moral, and historical or mythical ballads.
In the early time, this referred to a song accompanying a dance.

Lyric Poetry. Originally, this refers to that kind of poetry meant to be sung to the
accompaniment of a lyre, but now, this applies to any type of poetry that expresses
emotions and feelings of the poet. They are usually short, simple and easy to understand.
Folksongs (Awiting Bayan). These are short poems intended to be sung. The common
theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope and sorrow.
Example: CHIT-CHIRIT-CHIT
Sonnets. This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling, or an idea.
These are two types: the Italian and the Shakespearean.
Example: SANTANG BUDS by Alfonso P. Santos
Elegy. This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and melancholy, and whose
theme is death.
Example:THE LOVER’S DEATH by Ricaredo Demetillo
Ode. This is a poem of a noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no definite number
of syllables or definite number of lines in a stanza.
Psalms (Dalit). This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a
philosophy of life.
Awit (Song). These have measures of twelve syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly sung
to the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria.
Example: FLORANTE AT LAURA by Franciso Balagtas

Corridos (Kuridos). These have measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic) and

recited to a martial beat.
Example: IBONG ADARNA

Dramatic Poetry
Comedy. The word comedy comes from the Greek term “komos” meaning
festivity or revelry. This form usually is light and written with the purpose of
amusing, and usually has a happy ending.

Melodrama. This is usually used in musical plays with the opera. Today, this is
related to tragedy just as the farce is to comedy. It arouses immediate and intense
emotion and is usually sad but there is a happy ending for the principal character.
Tragedy. This involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces; he
meets death or ruin without success and satisfaction obtained by the protagonist in
a comedy.
Farce. This is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse mirth by laughable lines;
situations are too ridiculous to be true; the characters seem to be caricatures and
the motives undignified and absurd.
Social Poems. This form is either purely comic or tragic and it pictures the life of
today. It may aim to bring about changes in the social conditions.