The

LITERATURES
OF THE
PHILIPPINES Carmen F. Nana
Professor
 I. PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
(--BC to 1564)

II. SPANISH COLONIZATION

PHILIPPINE PERIOD (1565-1863)

III. NATIONALISTIC/PROPA-
LITERARY GANDA AND
REVOLITIONARY PERIOD
(1864-1896)
PERIODS
IV. AMERICAN COLONIAL
PERIOD (1910-1930)
 I. JAPANESE
OCCUPATION (1942-
1960)

PHILIPPINE II. CONTEMPORARY/

MODERN PERIOD
LITERARY (1960 TO PRESENT)

PERIODS
 I. PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

A. Characteristics

PHILIPPINE  Based on oral traditions

 Crude on ideology and
phraseology
LITERARY B. Literary forms
1. Oral literature
PERIODS a. Riddles (bugtong)
* Tigmo – Cebu
* Paktakon - Ilonggo
* Patotdon - Bicol
 B. Literary forms
1. Oral literature
b. Proverbs (salawikain) –
Pre-colonial wise sayings that contain a
metaphor used to instruct or
teach.-
period
c. Tanaga – a mono-riming
hepta syllabic quatrain
expressing insights and lessons
on life.
 B. Literary forms

2. Folk Songs are

forms of folk lyric which
Pre-colonial express the hopes and
aspirations, the people’s
period lifestyles as well as their
feelings. These are
often repetitive and
sonorous, didactic and
naïve.
 2. Folk Songs
a. Hele or oyayi – lullaby
b. Ambahan (Mangyan) – 7
syllable per line poem tht are
Pre-colonial about human relationships
and social entertainment.
period c. Kalusan (Ivatan) – work
songs that depicts the
livelihood of the people
d. Tagay (Cebuano and Waray)
are drinking songs.
e. Kanogan (Cebuano) song of
lamentation for the dead
 2. Folk Songs

f. Kundiman is a love
song
Pre-colonial g. Diana is a wedding son

period h. Ang Dalit is a song to

the God of the Visayan.
 3. Folk Tales
a. Myths explain how the world
was created, how certain
Pre-colonial animals possess certain
characteristics, why some
places have waterfalls,
period volcanoes, mountains, flora or
fauna.

b. Legends explain the origin of

things Ex. Why pineapples have
eyes, The Legend of Maria
Makiling
 3. Folk Tales

c. Fables are stories that

Pre-colonial use animal characters.

period d. Fantastic stories deal

with underworld
characters such as
“tiyanak”, “aswang”,
“kapre” and others.
 3. EPICS

They are long narrative

Pre-colonial poems in which a series of
heroic achievements or
events, usually of a hero, are
period dealt with at length.

Ex. Biag ni Lam-ang – Ilokano

Hari sa Bukid – Visayan
Kumintang – Tagalog
Indarapatra at Sulayman
 Spanish
Colonization
Period

👉 Literacy
A. CHARACTERISTICS

 It has two distinct

classification: religious and
secular.
 It introduced Spanish as the
medium of communications
A. LITERARY FORMS
1. Religious literature-religious
lyric 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.
Ladinos
* they were natives, first
Tagalog versifiers who saw
print; highly literate in both
Spanish and the vernacular.
Ex. Fernando Bagongbanta of
“Salamat nang Ualang Hangga”
A. LITERARY FORMS

 Pasyon is a long narrative

poem about the passion and
death of Christ.
Ex. Ang Mahal na Passion ni
Jesus Cristong Panginoon
Natin” by Aquino de Belen
A. LITERARY FORMS

 Senakulo dramatizes the

pasyon of our Lord. It
shows the passion and
death of Christ.
A. LITERARY FORMS

2. Secular (non-religious)
literature.
a. Awit – colorful tales of
chivalry made for singing
and chanting. Ex. Florante
at Laura
A. LITERARY FORMS

b. Korido is a metrical tale

written in octosyllabic
quatrains.

Ex. Ibong Adarna

A. LITERARY FORMS

c. Prose Narratives – written to

prescribe proper decorum.
 Dialogo
 Ejemplo
 Tratado: Urbana at Feliza
(Modesto de Castro)
 NATIONALISTIC/
PROPAGANDA AND
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
A. Characteristics:

1. Planted seeds of nationalism in

Filipinos

2. Language shifted from Spanish

to Tagalog
B. Literary forms
1. Propaganda literature – reformatory
in objective

b. Political Novels

1. Noli Me Tangere
2. El Filibusterismo – Jose Rizal
B. Literary forms
1. Propaganda literature – reformatory
in objective

a. Political essays – satires, editorials

and news articles were written to
attach and expose the evils of
Spanish rule.
* Diariong Tagalog – Marcelo del
Pilar
* La Solidaridad – Graciano
Lopez-Jaena
B. Literary forms
2. Revolutionary Literature –
more propagandistic than literary as it
is more violent in nature and
demanded complete independence for
the country.

a. Political essays – helped inflame the

spirit of revolution.
Ex. Kalayaan – newspaper of the
society, edited by Emilio Jacinto
B. Literary forms

2. Revolutionary Literature

b. Poetry
* True Decalogue – Apolinario
Mabini
* Katapusang Hibik ng Pilipinas
– Andres Bonifacio
* Liwanag at Dilim – Emilio
Jacinto
American Colonial Period (1910-1945)

A.Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930)

1. Filipino writers imitated English and

American models.
2. Poems written were amateurish and
mushy, which phrasing and diction is
awkward and artificial.
3. Short stories were written in English.
American Colonial Period (1910-1945)

Ex. of Short stories in English:

a. Dead Stars – Paz Marquez Benitez
b. Footnote to Youth – Jose Garcia Villa
c. Bread of Salt – Bienvenido Santos

Ex. of Novels:
a. Child of Sorrow – first novel in English by
Zoilo Galang.
American Colonial Period (1910-1945)

Period of Emergence (1920-1930)

 This period is highly influenced by

Western literary trends like Romanticism
and Realism.
 The short stories were the most
prevalent literary form in this period.
 Jose Garcia Villa had earned the
international title “Poet of the Centry.
American Colonial Period (1910-1945)

Period of Emergence (1920-1930)

 This period is highly influenced by

Western literary trends like Romanticism
and Realism.
 The short stories were the most
prevalent literary form in this period.
 Jose Garcia Villa had earned the
international title “Poet of the Century.
 JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1942-1960)

A. WAR YEARS (1942-1944)

1. Tagalog poets broke away from the Balagtas

tradition, instead, wrote in simple language and free
verse.

2. Fiction prevailed over poetry.

a. 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino
(1943) – compilation of the short story contest by the
military government.

* Suyuan sa Tubigan – Macario Pineda

* Lupang Tinubuan – Narciso Reyes
* Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa – Liwayway Arceo
Definition
 JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1942-1960)

B. Period of Maturity and Originality

(1945-1960)

1. Bountiful harvest in poetry, fiction

drama and essay.
2. Filipino writers mastered English and
familiarized themselves with diverse
techniques
3. Literary “giants” appeared Definition
 JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1942-1960)

B. Period of Maturity and Originality (1945-

1960)
1. Literary “giants” appeared
a. Palanca Awards for Literature
* Jose Garcia Villa
* Nick Joaquin
* NVM Gonzales
* Bienvenido Santos
* Gregorio Brillantes
* Gilda Cordero Fernando Definition
 JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1942-1960)

B. Period of Maturity and Originality

(1945-1960)

1. Literary “giants” appeared

b. National Artist Award
* Jose Garcia Villa
* Nick Joaquin

B. Definition
VI. CONTEMPORARY/MODERN
PERIOD (1960-PRESENT)

Characteristics:
1. Martial Law repressed and
curtailed human rights,
including freedom of the press
Characteristics:

2. Writers used symbolisms

and allegories to drive home
their message, at the face of
heavy censorship.
Characteristics:

3. Theater was used as a

vehicle for protest, such as
PETA (Phil. Educational Theater
Association) and UP Theater.
Characteristics:

4. From the eighties onwards,

writers continue to show
dynamism and innovation in
Philippine Literature.
Literary forms:

1. Poetry
2. Short Story
3. Drama
4. Novel
5. Essay