Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Division of Pampanga
PAMPANGA CENTRAL COLLEGE (SAN SIMON) INC.
(Formerly: Pampanga Central High School (San Simon) Inc.)
San Agustin San Simon, Pampanga

21st Century Literature from

the Philippines
Mapping Our Literary Past, Present, and Future
1st Semester, Quarter 1, 1st Topic

ALMA D. TAN
Subject Teacher
Content standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and contexts of
21st century Philippine literature from the regions.

Performance standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation of 21st
Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

1. a written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and theme, with a
description of its context derived from research; and

2. an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

MELC: writing a close analyses and critical interpretation of literary texts and doing an adaption of
these require from the learner the ability to identify:

Writing a close analysis analyses

and critical interpretation of literary
texts and doing
an adaptation of these require from
the learner the ability to identify:
a. The geographic, linguistic and
ethnic dimensions of Philippine
literary history from
pre-colonial to the contemporary.
b. Representative texts and authors
from each region (e.g. engage in
oral history
research with focus on key
personalities from the student’s
region/ province/ town)
K to 12 BEC CG:
Objectives:
1) Discuss intelligently the true
meaning of literature;
2) assume responsibility in
learning the history that
st
influenced 21 century
Philippine literature;
3) appreciate and value the history
of the literature in the
Philippines;and
4) appreciate and value the history
of the literature in the Philippines.
Prepared by:
GERALDINE A. BATOY
ACTIVITY SHEET IN
st
21 Century Literature
from the Philippines
and the Wor Writing a close analysis analyses and critical
interpretation of literary texts and doing an adaptation of these require from the learner the ability to identify:
a. The geographic, linguistic and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history from
pre-colonial to the contemporary.
b. Representative texts and authors from each region (e.g. engage in oral history
research with focus on key personalities from the student’s region/ province/ town)

K to 12 BEC CG:
Objectives:
1) Discuss intelligently the true meaning of literature;
2) Identify the Universal characteristics of Literature
3) Discuss and explain why we study Literature

WHAT IS LITERATURE?

Literature (from the latin word” Littera “meaning letters and referring to an acquaintance with the
written word) is the written work of the specific culture, sub-culture, religion, philosophy, or the study of
such written work which may appear in poetry or in prose (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2009). Moreover
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources (although, under circumstances
unpublished source can be exempt). Literally translated, the word literature means acquaintance with
letters”” (as in the arts and letters).
Literature can be defined in several ways: Literature is:

Written works with artistic value written works, e.g. fiction, poetry, drama, and critics that are
recognized as having important or permanent artistic value
Body of written works: the body of a written works of a culture, language, people, or period of time,
example: Philippine Literature Russian Literature etc.
 Writings on subject: the body of published work concerned with a particular subject, example:
scientific literature
Body of Music: the body of musical compositions for a particular instrument or group of
instruments, example literature for the piano
Printed information: printed matter such as brochures or flyers that give information example: The
company’s promotional literature
Production of literary works: the creation of literary work, especially as an art or occupation

According to R A Scott James (The Making of Literature), it is with literature as an artthat it should be
clearly distinguished from the literature which sets out to impart knowledge or produce moral
conviction, obvious as the difference may seem to us, it was not always obvious, and the borderline is
blurred even today. It is the distinction which may be made between two drawings of a house, one
being a ”picture”t he order an architect’s plan. The first as an aesthetic character. The second is a
piece of information its purpose is didactic

According to Thomas De Quincy, Literature of knowledge is didactic (to teach) while Literature of
Power is aesthetic (to move).

Furthermore, Literature is the product of imagination, originality style of expression, thought emotions
and feelings, ideas among others.

Universal Characteristics of Literature

Timelessness

The condition of literature being timeless means that it can be applied to

different contexts and situations.

Eternity
It is a characteristic of literature that pertains to the appeal of the moral
values of the literary masterpieces towards its audience.

Universality
This literature characteristic pertains to the global applicability in which a
work transcends across culture, gender, religion, age and time and
generation.

Permanence
Literature is a permanent expression in words of some thought of feelings
or idea about life and the world. Once it was told, it will never be forgotten.
It is like a mark which endures time and generation that remains in the
hearts and minds of every spectator or reader.

Why we study literature?

We study literature because it feeds our souls. Great works of literature treat
timeless themes that resonate with readers across centuries. The human condition remains
fundamentally the same today as it was when the printed word was first produced. More than this,
there are several reasons why we study literature.
 Understanding social milieu
Understanding culture
Understanding human nature and behavior
Develop historical sense
Relish aesthetics of artistic expression
By studying good literature, we learn more about human problems and difficulties
Universality of such problems and ways to overcome them
Make ourselves better human beings
Humanity and compassion

The 7 Literary Standards

The seven literary standards are: artistry, suggestiveness, intellectual value, spiritual value, permanence,
universality and style. These are a set of characteristics to determine whether or not a work is literary. The
criteria was developed by writer William J. Long in his textbook “English Literature: Its History and Its
Significance for the Life of the English-speaking World.“
1. Universality
It appeals to everyone regardless of culture, race, sex, and time which are considered significant.
Universality describes a piece of writing that appeals to the hearts and minds of almost any reader. The
appeal is considered universal due to its ability to cross gender, racial and cultural barriers, regardless of
the time it’s written.

2. Artistry
It has an aesthetic appeal to everyone and thus possesses a sense of beauty. Artistry describes literature
that is aesthetically appealing and reveals or conveys hidden truth and beauty. This type of literature
appeals to broad audiences and possesses a sense of beauty in the writing that could even feel poetic.

3. Intellectual Value
It stimulates critical thinking that enriches the mental processes of abstract and reasoning, making man
realizes the fundamental truths of life and its nature.

Intellectual value takes readers into a bit of a gray area as they may have different opinions about
what qualifies as intellectual, but from an academic point of view, intellectual works are relevant to
society and thought provoking. Literature with intellectual value promotes critical thinking that enhances
both abstract and reason-based thought processes and makes readers focus on the fundamental truths of
life and nature.

4. Suggestiveness
It unravels and conjures man’s emotional power to define symbolism, nuances, implied meanings,
images and message, giving and evoking visions above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and
experiences. A suggestive piece of literature relies on emotional power to convey nuances, symbolism,
implied meanings, imagery and messages. The power of suggestion allows the work to inspire and provoke
thoughts and understanding beyond the actual words written on the page.

5. Spiritual Value
It elevates the spirit and the soul and thus have the power to motivate and inspire, drawn from the
suggested morals or lessons of the different literary genres.

Literature with spiritual value lifts up the inner spirit and soul and has the power to motivate and inspire
readers. It typically draws on the suggested lessons and moral codes of society that are depicted in various
literary genres.

6. Permanence
It endures across time and draws out the time factor: TIMELINESS, occurring at a particular time,
and TIMELESSNESS, remaining invariably throughout time.

Permanence is determined by a written work’s ability to stand the test of time, which makes it
impossible to determine at the moment of writing. Novels that continue to be read over and over again
across decades, either for enjoyment or for fresh insights and ideas, meet this criteria. Many novels enjoy
initial popularity but ultimately fade into obscurity with time, failing the permanence test.

7. Style
Style refers to the distinct way the author expresses his or her thoughts. Words can be used in
unique, creative and entertaining ways that make the work memorable. Style is another element that is
subject to interpretation by readers in terms of its appeal.

It presents peculiar ways on how man sees life as evidenced by the formation of his ideas, forms,
structures, and expressions which are marked by their memorable substance.

A particular literary piece must possess these seven literary standards in order to be called a peerless
epitome of artwork capable of enduring the inexorable gusty tides of alteration. To criticize it is to consider
the seven literary standards.

Name
____________________________
______________ Date:
_____________
Grade/
Section:______________________
______________
Score:____________
Title of the Activity:
MELC: Writing a close analysis
analyses and critical interpretation
of literary texts and doing
an adaptation of these require from
the learner the ability to identify:
c. The geographic, linguistic and
ethnic dimensions of Philippine
literary history from
pre-colonial to the contemporary.
d. Representative texts and authors
from each region (e.g. engage in
oral history
research with focus on key
personalities from the student’s
region/ province/ town)
K to 12 BEC CG:
Objective: discuss intelligently the
true meaning of literature
WHAT IS LITERATURE?
According to Joshu J. Mark whose
article was published through the
Ancient History
Encyclopedia:
Literature (from the Latin word
“Littera” meaning letters and
referring to an acquaintance
with thw written word) is the written
work of a specific culture,
subculture, religion, philosophy,
or the study of such written work
which may appear in poetry or in
prose (Ancient History
Encyclopedia, 2009). Moreover,
Literature is the art of written
works, and is not bound to
published sources (although, under
circumstances unpublished sources
can be exempt). Literally
translated, the world literature
means “acquaintance with letters”
(as in the arts and letters).
Literature can be defined in several
ways. Literature is:
 Written works with artistic value:
written works, e.g. fiction, poetry,
drama, and
critics, that are recognized as
having important or permanent
artistic value.
 Body of written works: the body
of written works of a culture,
language, people,
or period of time, example:
Philippine Literature, Russian
Literature etc.
 Writings on subject: the body of
a published work concerned with a
particular
subject, example: scientific
literature
 Body of music: the body of
musical compositions for a
particular instrument or
group of instruments, example:
literature for the piano
 Printed information: printed
matter such as brochures or
flyers that give
information, example: the
company’s promotional literature
 Production of literary works: the
creation of literary work, especially
as an art or
occupation.
According to R A Scott James (The
Making of Literature), it is with
literature as an art that
it should be clearly
distinguished from the literature
which sets out to impart
knowledge or
produce moral conviction. Obvious
as the difference may seem to us, it
was not always ob