ST

21 Century Literature from

the Philippines and the World

Grade 11
UNIT 1: 21st Century Literature
from the Region

MODULE 1: Various Dimensions of Philippines

Literary History from Pre-colonial to
Contemporary

(Week 1)
Prepared by:

MARILOU T. LUNA, JRA, LPT.

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 Republic of the Philippines
UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES
University Town, Northern Samar, Philippines
Web:http://uep.edu.ph; Email: uepnsofficial@gmail.com

University of Eastern Philippines Laboratory Senior High School

MODULE 1: Various Dimensions of Philippines

Literary History from Pre-colonial to
2
Contemporary

In this module, you will be able to:

1. Identify the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary
history from pre-colonial to the contemporary. EN12Lit-Ia-21
Specifically, you are expected to:
a) Understand and appreciate the elements and contexts of 21st century
Philippine literature from pre-colonial to contemporary.
b) Compare and contrast the selected literary pieces using a Venn Diagram.
c) Create a timeline showing the changes and improvement of the Philippine
literary history from pre-colonial to contemporary.

I hope that in this journey towards learning another lesson, you stay
curious and motivated as you do this first activity.

LET’S BEGIN

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 THE PRE- COLONIAL PERIOD ( - 1564)

This is considered as the longest period in Philippine literature. It started from the
Nomads to 1564, though its literary output cannot be called substantial, because there
were fewer evidences and simply because much of it was oral in the forms of epics, tales,
songs, riddles, and proverbs. It is worth note-taking to know that they had alphabet known
as alibata/baybayin. This was authenticated and established by the early Spanish
missionaries. Closely linked with the literary activities of the early Filipinos were the
religious beliefs and ceremonies of the time.

Ancient literature is the literature of a formative past possessed by the various

groups of people who once inhabited over Archipelago. It is also a literature of
varying human interests.

Riddles and proverbs are the simpliest and probably the earliest of oral literatures.
There were also songs which were sung on important occasions, such as birth,
death, weddings, wars, harvesting, and planting seasons. Among them were
kudanag (songs giving accounts of battle, and tagumpay (songs of hanging
captured enemy). According to Diego Lopez Povedano (1578), the people of
Negros had the “hibais or iboyis”, song which tells about the warriors and
ancestors. There were also ballads, the balayang, which according to Antonio de
Morga (1592) was a wedding ballad in Batangas.

I am providing you some important terms from the Pre-Spanish

period. It is for you to remember them.

Term Origin Meaning

Bothoan Panay Schools in Panay. Teachers were chiefly priests
and priestesses.
Hinilawod Panay The longest and oldest epic in Panay.
Hudhud Ifugao Tells about the ancient culture of the Ifugaos and
the life and adventure of their hero, Aliguyon.
Alim Ifugao Tells of the lives of Ifugao gods.
Darangin Maranao Ancient epic of the Muslim group around Lake
Lanao in Mindanao.
Maragtas Visayas Tells the origin of the Visayas and its people.
Ibalon Bicol Ancient epic in Bicol. This was preserved for
posterity by Fr. Jose Cascaño.
Historia a Ilocos Religious epic in Ilocos.
Papasaritaan ti

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Pinagbiag ni
Lam-ang
Indarapatra at Maranao From the Sanskrit literature.
Sulayman
Vinta Zamboanga Flying war vehicle.
Duplo An elaborate dramatic debate in verse, originally it
was introduced to relieve the monotony and
sadness of the prayers for the dead.
Karagatan Is a duplo with erotic sauce of Ignacio Manlapaz.

For your further understanding, below is a matrix-outline of literary

forms based on the country’s historical period. Be guided.

Outline of Literary Forms Based on Philippine Historical Period

Ancient Literature/ Meaning Example

Folk Literature

Myth A traditional story in prose ▪ Visayan Creation Myth

concerning details of gods and ▪ Bagobo Creation
demigods and the creation of the ▪ Tungkung Langit and
world and its inhabitants. Alunsina
Heroic Narratives Folk epics which narrate the ▪ Lam-ang
or Epic adventures of tribal heroes which ▪ Ulalim
embody in themselves the ideals ▪ Ibalon
and values of the group. ▪ Indarapatra and Sulayman
Ethiological Legends which explain how things ▪ Legend of Mayon Volcano
Legends came to be, why things are as ▪ Legend of the Tagalogs
they are. ▪ Gadding
Folk Tales Prose narrative regarded as
animal tale, folk speech, and folk
songs

a. Animal Tale A folktale using animals as ▪ The Monkey and the

characters. Turtle
▪ The Cow and the Carabao

b. Folk Speech Simplest form of oral literature.

b.1. Riddles
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 Description of object in terms ▪ Nidalagan si Juan,
intended to suggest something napikas ang dalan
entirely different. (Tumakbo si Juan, nahati
ang daan) Ans. Zipper
b.2. Proverbs
Short popular sayings that ▪ “Ang hindi lumingon sa
express effectively some pinanggalingan, hindi
commonplace truth or useful makararating sa
thought. paroroonan.
c. Folk Songs
Verses set into music by the
members of a community. ▪ Manang Biday
▪ Dandansoy

You may take some rest for a while. Have a stretching

and you may have your iced tea or iced coffee, or better
yet, if you have a hammock to enjoy to.

THE SPANISH PERIOD (1965-1863)

Filipino literature cannot be dated earlier than 1565, though Magellan came to the
Philippines in 1521 and the first Spanish settlement was before 1565 established by
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The literatures during the Spanish or Colonial Period took on religious character
due to the Christianization of the Philippines. Most of the readings fare of the Filipinos
came from short pamphlets, usually on some moral or religious subject and partly from
Novenas and prayer books. Spanish priests of Filipino writers translated them in
Tagalog or vernacular.

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 The Spanish Period was marked by literary imitation. They were fanciful but lacked
imagination. The plots were repetitious and the themes trite. The characters were not
striking and vivid but were mere clichés.

Metrical romance was introduced in the form of corrido, a legendary-religious

verse narrative, and the awit, a heroic-chivalric narrative form. They were interspersed
with touches of the culture of the Filipinos.

Poems in Spanish and Tagalog were written by the “ladinos”, versifiers who were
well versed in both languages. To help Christianize the natives, the Spanish missionaries
introduced sacred drama. The most important of these was the pasion. The cenaculo was
a dramatization of the pasion, concentrating on the death of Jesus.

Filipino poetry attained distinction in Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar.

Florante at Laura showed the best of the poet’s creative power in his own native Tagalog.
The importance of Florante at Laura lies in its sharply drawn image of the victory of man
over the forces of evil in his own country. Social criticism was embodied in this awit.

I am giving you some leads as regards the most important

information about this period.

The Spanish missionaries taught the gospel through the native language, so they
hired natives to translate Spanish religious instructional materials. Eventually, the
natives became fluent in Spanish and became known as ladinos.

Ladinos mainly wrote devotional poetry. Two of them were Fernando Bagongbanta
and Gaspar Aquino de Belen. Bagongbanta wrote “Salamat nang walang
hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas,” which appeared in Memorial de la vida
cristiana en lengua tagala (1605), a book containing basic Catholic doctrines. On
the other hand, de Belen wrote “Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong
Panginoon natin na tola” (1704), the earliest version of pasyon.

Also, the native drama called the komedya or moro-moro was popular. It depicted
the war between Christians and Muslims, wherein the former always wins. The
poet Jose de la Cruz (1746–1829) was a master of such art form.

Native literature continued. Though the Spaniards destroyed the written literature
in their effort to replace it with their own, the oral tradition survived and flourished
in areas beyond the reach of the Spaniards.

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 PERIOD OF NATIONALISM / THE PROPAGANDA AND
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1864-1896)

The literature of the Filipinos during the last of the 19th century shifted from religion
and moralistic themes to revolutionary and nationalistic themes. The influx of liberal ideas
from Europe stimulated men’s minds and encouraged works of violent expression.
Liberalism from the West inspired and directed the line of action of the movement. In place
of religiosity, there arose a story feeling of nationalism.
The literature of the Reform Movement centered around the writings of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal. Other writers were Graciano Lopez Jaena (editor of La Solidaridad), Marcelo H. del
Pilar, satirist, and anti-cleric. He attack the Spanish friars in paradical religion form of
writing, Andres Bonifacio (Katpusang Hibik ng Pilipinas), and Apolinario Mabini
(Decalogo).

There are other important information in this period. These are

enumerated below.

Pedro A. Paterno. He is a novelist and historian, the first Filipino poet in Spanish
to publish his poems in book form.

Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila. This is Rizal’s autobiography where he

used a penname, “P. Jacinto”.

Noli Me Tangere. The bets novel ever written by a Filipino. It is called “the work
of art”.

El Filibusterismo. It is known as the “work of mind”.

A la Juventud. Considered the crowning glory of Rizal’s early pretic

achievement. It is Rizal’s winning entry in poem contests sponsored by the
Lyceum of Arts and Letters of UST.

Mi Ultimo Adios. Rizal’s poetic masterpiece.

Andres Bonifacio. The writer of “Pag-ibig sa Tinibuang Lupa”.

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 Marcelo H. del Pilar. Known as “Plaridel”, known as the greatest propagandist of
his time. He gained recognition as a writer, not only because of the clarity of his
style but because of the progressive views, he held as well. He published “La
Solidaridad”, the organ of the Propaganda Movement.

Graciano Lopez Jaena. He was the founder and the first editor of “La
Solidaridad”. He was considered as an oratorical genius.

Antonio Luna. He founded La Independencia, a revolutionary newspaper

published in Manila.

Felipe G. Calderon. He is the distinguished author of the Malolos Constitution.

Postwar and Contemporary Literature

Postwar and contemporary literature include all literary works written and
published in the Philippines from 1946.
After World War II, the Philippines had to deal with the economy and the need for
rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructures. There was political, economic, and
social confusion, as well as great poverty, and these issues found their way into the
short stories and novels during that time.
During the postwar period, Filipino writers got their 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. It was also common for writers to write
about the experiences of the Filipino people under the Spanish and American rule and
the Japanese Occupation. Other subjects and themes include:
 religious faith
 superstitions
 fantasy
 social problems
 poverty
 politics
 nationalism
 morality

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REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS

Florante at Laura
Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar

This is a metrical tale of love made triumphant. It takes place against a sinister
background of political intrigue and corruption. Linceo, in this particular story, is the King
of Albania and the father of Laura. Florante, the hero, is the son of the King’s private
counselor, Briseo. Attaro is studying in Athens. Florante returns to Albania, where he
meets the beautiful Laura, with whom he falls madly in love.

Florante who impressed King Linceo, was appointed general and fights
successfully against the invading Persians. He was heralded as hero and is crowned
with a wreath of laurel leaves. Adolfo, a rival of Florante, succeeds in inciting the people
to revolt against the King of Albania. Moreover, he seizes the throne and succeeds in
having the king killed while Florante is away.

Florante, upon his return from war, is seized by Adolfo and sent into a forest,
where he is tied to a tree and left to die. Florante, with his hands and feet bound,
narrates his past history in the form of a soliloquy, describing his love for Laura,for his
country, and his sad fate.

After he has expressed himself at length, two lions emerge from the forest ready
to devour him by a stroke of fortune, a Persian general, Aladin comes to his rescue and
saves his life. Here they narrate their respective plights. At the other side of the forest,
Laura who was about to be raped by Adolfo is rescued by Flerida who happens to
escape from the father of Aladin, who wants Flerida for himself.

Rescued Florante gathers his faithful soldiers together and returns to Albania. He
is also helped by Menandro, a classmate in Athens. They succeed in overthrowing and
killing Adolfo. Florante and Laura are, thereafter, proclaimed King and Queen of
Albania. Aladin and Flerida are converted to Christianity.

Note: You are required to read the complete story. You can search this in the net or the
book, Florante and Laura. You will learn more about the characters, symbols, and the
twists and turns of the story.

Noli Me Tangere
Jose P. Rizal

This is the first novel of Rizal. It was written in spirited Spanish prose to unveil the
hypocrisy of the authorities and to open the eyes of the Filipinos to the abuses to which
they were subjected. It tells the story of a romance set against the background of
oppression by the tyrants. Its principal characters are Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria
Clara.

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 In this novel, several subplots like the stories of Sisa, the deranged mother of
Basilio and Crispin. Described as beautiful and young, once rich, although she loves her
sons very much, she fails to protect them from the beatings of his husband, Pedro. Her
mental ailment become serious after the disappearance of her sons. Filosofo Tasio,
known by his Tagalized name Pilosopong Tasyo, seeks for reform from the government.
He expresses his ideals in paper written in a cryptographic alphabet “that the future
generations may be able to decipher and realize the oppression done by conquerors”.

Chapters are about Don Santiago or Capitan Tiago, a Filipino businessman and
the cabeza de barangay of the town of San Diego, the known father of Maria Clara.
About Elias, Ibarra’s mysterious friend and ally, he wants to revolutionize the country
and to be freed from Spanish oppression. Padre Damaso, a Franciscan friar and the
former parish curate of San Diego, is a cruel, corrupt, and arrogant priest. He is
revealed at the end of the novel as the biological father of Maria Clara.

Each character in the novel represents someone or something during Rizal’s

time. Hypocrisy, social injustices, corruption, and abuses are mirrored in the novel. It
has a tragic ending. Ibarra and Maria Clara are separated. Maria Clara has entered the
convent of Santa Clara. She has an unhappy life and is forever lost to the world.

Note: please read the novel. You can search it in the net.

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Name: _____________________________________
Grade & Section: ___________________________
Date: _______________________________________

Activity 1 VENN DIAGRAM

Direction:
Using Venn Diagram compare and contrast the two selections, Florante at Laura
and Noli Me Tangere in terms of form and theme.

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 Name: _____________________________________
Grade & Section: ___________________________
Date: _______________________________________

Activity 2 Timeline

Direction: Create a timeline showing the changes and improvement of the Philippine
literary history from pre-colonial to contemporary.

Nationalism/
Pre-colonial Spanish Contemporary
Propaganda

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Name: _____________________________________
Grade & Section: ___________________________
Date: _______________________________________

QUIZ

Kindly prepare for a recorded recitation and quiz next

week

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