PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

IN ENGLISH
Learning Module

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

Module One

MARY ANN P. ALETIN

Instructor
Lesson One
Introduction
By the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
must develop appreciation of and awareness on various literatures of the
Philippines by introducing them to different Philippine literary genres. The
students must be able to recognize the social, cultural and political environments
in the different periods of Philippine history that influenced the country’s
literature.

In this part, the learners or students will be able to comprehend the overall meaning
of what literature simply means to everyone, its usage and purpose of studying some
chosen literary pieces, leading to their exposure to the genres of literature like poetry,
drama, fiction, folk tradition and nonfiction.

Engage

GETTING TO KNOW YOU. By looking at the picture below, tell us something about
yourself. Your name or nickname, the degree program you have chosen and narrate at
least 3 sentences that would summarize your life.

Explore
Overview
Philippine Literature is a diverse and rich group of works that has evolved side-
by-side with the country’s history. Literature had started with fables and legends made
by the ancient Filipinos long before the arrival of Spanish influence. The main themes of
Philippine literature focus on the country’s pre-colonial cultural traditions and the socio-
political histories of its colonial and contemporary traditions. A new set of colonizers
brought about new changes in Philippine literature. 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.
New literary forms were introduced, chiefly, free verse, the modern short story, and the
critical essay. On the university level, young writers were exposed to literary
modernism, which highlighted the individuality of the writer and cultivated craft
consciousness, sometimes at the expense of social consciousness. The University of
the Philippines served as the center of new writing, with the College Folio and,
especially, The Literary Apprentice leading the way towards writing that kept up with
literary trends outside the country. Writers in Tagalog and Cebuano, principally poet
Alejandro G. Abadilla and fictionist Marcel Navarra, incorporated new techniques and
perspectives into their works. Traditional writing, however, as well as the Spanish
heritage, persisted together with the influx of new trends coming from the new colonizer.
English writing in the Philippines had its beginnings in the first decade of the
20thcentury, but began to attain stature only during the 1920s. It was the writers in
English who first experimented with modernism, breaking away from the purposiveness
of the works of writers in Spanish and the native languages. The earliest collections of
poems in English were Reminiscences, 1921, by Lorenzo Paredes, Never Mind and
Other Poems, 1922, by Procopio Solidum, Filipino Poetry, 1924, edited by Rodolfo
Dato, and Azucena, 1925, by Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion. However, the central
figure in the entry of modernism in poetry was Jose Garcia Villa, whose aesthetic ideas
insisted that the artist’s main concern was with his craft, thus positing an essential
dichotomy between art and ideas. While his followers did not go to the extreme to which
Villa’s poetic practice led, young writers whose education put them in touch with the
latest

The Different Elements

There are different ways in which literature can be portrayed – a novel, drama, poetry,
biography, non-fictional prose, an essay, an
epic, or short stories. All these entities have
elements. To complete a piece, a writer,
dramatist, or a novelist needs to use certain
elements, like a plot, character, theme, etc.
However, elements of fiction and elements of
drama differ from elements of poetry. These
elements are discussed below:

Elements of Fiction and Drama

1. Plot - a plot is the sequential arrangement of incidents, ideas, or events. In
literature, the plot encompasses all the incidents and provides aesthetic pleasure.
The story of the novel progresses through various plots and conflicts. Plots of
dramas are divided into “Acts” and “Scenes”. Drama has five essential parts.
These are:
 Introduction of the story – where the characters and setting are introduced
 Rising action
 Climax – is the highest pick of interest in the story. It is called the crisis or the
point of no return.
 Falling action/complication – is the part of the story that discloses the problems
and struggles of the main characters leading to the crisis.
 Denouement – is the part of the story that shows how the problem is solved. It
is also called the untying of the entangled knots.
Playwrights use dialog to develop their plots. They reveal information about their
characters such as their background and personality.
2. Character – refers to the people, animals, imaginary creatures that take part in
the action of the story, novel or play. A character may be a hero or a villain. The
main character with a good deed is called the hero or the protagonist whereas the
one who always contradicts the hero is called the antagonist or the villain. A foil is
a hero’s “sidekick”.
3. Setting – refers to the time & place where the story happens. The time maybe
past, present or future; the place where the action of the story occurs may be
imaginary or real.
4. Theme – refers to the central idea of any literary piece. It is usually implied or
suggested rather than stated. Short stories have two recurring themes: good vs.
evil and life process.
5. Structure - Structure is another important element of a drama, novel, or short
story. In dramas, there are plots and subplots. These also are divided into acts
and scenes. Here, the contrasting subplots give the main plot an additional
perspective. Likewise, novels have different chapters and scenes.
6. Point of view – is a device used by the writer in presenting his ideas. It is the
narrator of the story. Personal point of view includes the writer’s feeling and
attitude toward his subject. It is classified into three:
a. First Person – the narrator could be one of the characters in the story. He
may be the protagonist or an observer. It can also be the writer himself.
b. Third Person – the narrator or the writer is just an observer. He is not a
participant in the story.
c. Omniscient – the writer as the narrator knows what’s going on in the minds
of the characters and he comments on it.
7. Conflict – is the opposition of persons or forces. Be it a short story, drama or
novel, conflict is the essential element of all these literary forms. A plot becomes
interesting and intriguing when it has its share of inbuilt conflict and twists.
Conflict can be internal conflict or external. It can take place between two men,
between the character and his psychology, between the character and
circumstances, or between character and society. It exists if there is a struggle
faced by the character/s in the story. Conflicts make the story more interesting.
There are three types of conflict:
a. Physical (Man vs Nature) – it is a struggle between man and nature or the
physical world. Example: The difficulties faced by man during famine.
b. Social (Man vs Man) – it is a struggle between man and man.
c. Internal or Psychological (Man vs Himself) – it is a struggle between two
opposite desires within a person.
8. Diction - Diction is another essential element of drama. A playwright exhibits the
thoughts of characters through dialog. The word “Dialogue” has come from the
Greek word “dialogosa”, which means “conversation”. Shakespeare used this
element to portray the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of the character. This
also provides clues to their background and personalities. Diction also helps in
advancing the plot. Greek philosophers like Aristotle used dialogue as the best
way to instruct their students.
9. Foreshadowing - Foreshadowing is another important element of literature that
is applied as hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in the story. It
creates suspense and encourages the reader to go on and find out more about
the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is used to make a
narrative more authentic.
Historical Background of
Philippine Literature

The word literature is derived from the Latin term “litera” which means “letters”. It has
been defined differently by various authors. Some
loosely interpret literature as any matter written
within a book, a pamphlet, or a magazine.
 “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply
describe it. It enriches the necessary
competencies that daily life requires and
provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the
deserts that our lives have already
become.” (C.S Lewis, a British scholar and
novelist)
 Others define literature as a faithful reproduction of man’s manifold experiences
blended into harmonious expressions.
 Because literature deals with ideas, thoughts, and emotions of man, literature
can be said to be the story of man. Man’s loves, thoughts, grieves, dreams and
aspirations coached in beautiful language is literature.
 Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature
is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact.
Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and
literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and
we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books.

Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says
and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author's message. In academic circles,
this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a
mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach.

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 which
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 PANITIKANG PILIPINO written by Atienza, Ramos, Salazar and Nazal, it says that:
“true literature is a piece of written work which is undying. It expresses the feelings and
emotions of people in response to his everyday efforts to live, to be happy in his
environment and, after struggles, to reach his Creator.”

Why Do We Need to Study Philippine Literature

In English?
1. We study literature so that we can better appreciate our literary heritage.
2. We cannot appreciate something that we do not understand.
3. 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.
4. 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.

According to C.S Lewis, one of the quotations ever said about the importance of
studying literature are:
1. Literature provides perspective
2. Literature offers opportunities for expression’
3. Literature serves as an information base
4. Literature provides pleasure

Standards in Literature
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.
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.
6. Permanence. It endures across time and draws out the time factor: TIMELINESS,
occurring at a particular time, and TIMELESSNESS, remaining invariably
throughout time.
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.
From: (https://www.elcomblus.com/literary-standards/)

Time Frames

It can be said that Philippine literature in English has achieved a stature that is, in a
way, 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, a tribute 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 facilitative to map up a
system which will aid us in delineating certain time boundaries.
1. The Period of Re-orientation: 1898-1910
2. The Period of Imitation: 1910-1925
3. The Period of Self-Discovery: 1925-1941

Literature and History

Literature and history are closely interrelated. In
discovering the history of a race, the feelings,
aspirations, customs and traditions of a people are
sure to be included . . . and these feelings, aspirations,
customs and traditions that are written is literature.
History can also be written and this too, is literature.
Events that can be written down are part of true
literature. Literature, therefore, is part of history. Literature and history, however, also
have differences. Literature may be figments of the imagination or events devoid of truth
that have been written down, while history is made up of events that really happened.
Literary compositions that have influenced the world. Among them are:
1. The Holy Bible The sacred scriptures of Christians which consists of
two parts – the old and new testament.
2. Koran (Qur-an) The book of secret writings used in Muslim religion.
3. Iliad by Homer One of the two of the greatest war epics about the
Trojan war.
4. The Odyssey An epic poem (which is a sequel to Iliad) about the
adventures of Ulysses.
5. Divine Comedy An Italian epic poem written by Dante Alighieri and
considered one of the greatest works of the world.
6. Mahabharata One of the two greatest epics of India described as the
longest epic ever written, consisting of 100,000 shioka
or over 200,000 individual verse lines and long prose
passages.
7. Ramayana One of the greatest Indian epics, that depicts the
duties of relationships. It consists of 24,000 verses in
seven books and 500 cantos.
8. The Book of the Dead of An ancient Egyptian funerary text considered as the
Egypt most important literature of Egypt.
9. El Cid The greatest adventure story of the Spaniards.
10. Uncle Tom’s Cabin A novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe which
features Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave.
11. The Tale of Genji A classic work of a Japanese lady named Murasaki
Shikibu. This book is sometimes called the world’s first
novel.
12. Don Quixote Written by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra and
considered to be the most influential work of literature
in Spain.

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.
I. PROSE
It is any form of speech or writing without metrical structure (Bascara, 2000). It is
classified as:
TYPES MEANING EXAMPLE
1. novels a long narrative divided into chapters and Without Seeing the Dawn
events are taken from true-to-life stories. by Stevan Javellana
2. short story this is a narrative involving one or more The Laughter of My
characters, one plot and one single Father by Carlos Bulosan
impression.
3. plays this is presented on a stage, is divided Thirteen Plays by Wilfredo
into acts and each act has many scenes M. Guerrero
4. legends these are fictitious narratives, usually The Bikol Legend by Pio
about origins Duran
5. fables these are also fictitious and they deal with The Monkey and the
animals and inanimate things who speak Turtle
and act like people and their purpose is to
enlighten the minds of children to events
that can mold their ways and attitudes
6. anecdotes these are merely products of the writer’s The Moth and the Lamp
imagination and the main aim is to bring
out lessons to the reader
7. 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.
8. biography this deals with the life of a person which Cayetano Arellano by
may be about himself, his autobiography Socorro O. Albert
or that of others
9. news this is a report of everyday events in
society, government, science and
industry, and accidents, happening
nationally or not.
10. 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.

II. POETRY
TYPES MEANING EXAMPLE
A. Narrative Poetry This form describes important events
in life either real or imaginary. The
different varieties are:
1. epic This is an extended narrative about The Harvest Song of
heroic exploits often under Aliguyon translated in
supernatural control. English by Amador T.
Daguio
2. metrical tale this is a narrative which is written in “Bayani ng Bukid” by Al
verse and can be classified either as a Perez translated as
ballad or a metrical romance. HERO OF THE
FIELDS by Al Perez
3. 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.
B. 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.
1. Folksongs These are short lyric poems intended Chit-Chirit-Chit
(Awiting to be sung. The common theme is
Bayan). love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope
and sorrow.
2. Sonnets This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing SANTANG BUDS by
with an emotion, a feeling, or an idea. Alfonso P. Santos
The lines are arranged in two waves
of thought, the rising in the octave and
the falling in the sestet.
There are two types of sonnets:
 Italian Sonnet – it contains an
octave where the theme,
problem, hope or desire is
presented and a sestet where a
resolution or conclusion is
reached. Its rhymes are abba-
abba-cde-cde.
 Shakespearean (English)
sonnet, iambic pentameter-
abab-cdcd-efef-gg. It presents
and develops its theme in the
first three quatrains and states
a conclusion in the couplet, or
the last two lines.
3. Elegy It is generally a poem of subjective The Lover’s Death by
and meditative nature. It contains the Ricaredo Demetillo
author’s personal grief for a loved one
or a loss affecting the public as a
whole.
4. 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 and always deals
with a serios theme such as
immortality.
5. Psalms (Dalit) This is a song praising God or the
Virgin Mary and containing a
philosophy of life
 6. Awit (Song) These have measures of twelve Florante at Laura by
syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly Francisco Balagtas
sung to the accompaniment of a guitar
or banduria.
7. Corridos These have measures of eight IBONG ADARNA
(Kuridos). syllables (octosyllabic) and recited to
a martial beat.

C. Dramatic Poetry
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
Great! Now that you are done reading, let us test your understanding by answering
Activity No. 1: Deadline of submission is on March 21, 2021. Submit your given
output to my gmail account @: [email protected]
1. Based on what you have read, give your own meaning of what is literature.
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2. Why is there a need to study literature?
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3. Identify and explain one literary standard which you may find directly relevant in
evaluating the Philippine short story below.
a. Wedding Dance by Amador Daguio
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Evaluate

Activity No. 2: Group yourselves into 4 and read the following poem. After which,
evaluate how the standard of suggestiveness could stir the readers’ feelings and
imagination to guide them in its effective evaluation. Your explanation should be
supported by the specific lines found in the poem. Deadline of submission is on March
21, 2021. Submit your given output to my gmail account @:
[email protected]

Our Mother Tongue

Jose Rizal

IF truly a people dearly love _________________________________

The tongue to them by Heaven sent, _________________________________
They'll surely yearn for liberty _________________________________
Like a bird above in the firmament. _________________________________

BECAUSE by its language one can judge _________________________________

A town, a barrio, and kingdom; _________________________________
And like any other created thing _________________________________
Every human being loves his freedom. _________________________________

ONE who doesn't love his native tongue, _________________________________

Is worse than putrid fish and beast; _________________________________
AND like a truly precious thing _________________________________
It therefore deserves to be cherished. _________________________________

THE Tagalog language's akin to Latin, _________________________________

To English, Spanish, angelical tongue; _________________________________
For God who knows how to look after us _________________________________
This language He bestowed us upon. _________________________________

AS others, our language is the same _________________________________

With alphabet and letters of its own, _________________________________
It was lost because a storm did destroy _________________________________
On the lake the bangka 1 in years _________________________________
bygone.
(https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/our-mother-tongue/)

References:
Aquino, Edna C. (2013). Literary Treasures of the Philippines. Malabon City: Mutya
Publishing House, Inc.
Doria, K. & Rotor, A. ((2012). Humanities Today: An Experiential Approach. Quezon
City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
http://aprilmaynjune.weebly.com/lit-1/the-historical-background-of-philippine-literature
https://penlighten.com/importance-of-literature
https://www.slideshare.net/CheldhayeDay/understanding-the-nature-function-and-value-
of-literature-and-how-to-critique-151327639