INTRODUCTION

TO LITERATURE
PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
LESSON OBJECTIVES
In this session, you are expected to:

1. Revisit the definition of literature;

2. Understand the concepts of literature;
3. Review the literary genres;
4. Explore the issues that revolve around Philippine literature
What word comes into your mind when you hear/read the
word "Literature"?
Defining Literature
Comes from Latin which meant “the use of letters” or “writing”.
When it entered the Romance languages derived from Latin, it added its meaning with the “knowledge
acquired from reading or studying books”.
It has traditionally been applied to imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of
their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution.
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2008) defines Literature as written artistic words, especially those
with a high lasting artistic value.
Is Literature exclusive only to written works?
Nature of Literature
1.Literature is any artwork which uses language. It is a medium in which a person/artist creates an artwork out
of tools they have. In literature, the tools used to create artwork are words which are used in expressing
human experience, feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Literature is a total experience shaped into beauty and
attractiveness.
2.Literature is defined as a piece of writing that is valued as a work of art, especially novel, play, and poetry.
3.Literature is also defined as the written or oral composition that tells stories, dramatic situations, and expresses
emotions, and analyzes and advocates ideas.
4.Literature also refers to the creative and imaginative writing which is designed to engage readers emotionally
and intellectually through the major literary genres such as novels, drama, and poetry and other sub genres
like fable, parable, and short stories.
5.Literature is a reflection of social, political, economic, and cultural realities. It is a part and parcel of man’s self-
realization and a symbol of man’s success and failure. It explains human nature, caliber and his/her destination.
Functions of Literature
1. Entertainment Function
Known as “pleasure reading”. In this function, literature is used to entertain its readers.
Literary works are consumed for the sake of one’s enjoyment.
2. Social and Political Function
Literature shows how society works around them.
Literature helps the reader “see” the social and political constructs around him/her and shows the state of the people and the world around him/ her.
3. Ideological Function
Literature shapes our way of thinking based on the ideas of other people.
Literature also displays a person’s ideology placed in the text consciously and unconsciously.
4. Moral Function
Literature may impart moral values to its readers. The morals contained in a literary text, whether good or bad, are absorbed by whoever reads it, thus helping in shaping their personality.
5. Linguistic Function
Literature preserves the language of every civilization from where it originated.
They are also evidence that a certain civilization has existed by recording the language and preserving it through wide spans of time.
6. Cultural Function
Literature orients us to the traditions, folklore and the arts of our ethnic group’s heritage.
Literature preserves entire cultures and creates an imprint of the people’s way of living for others to read, hear, and learn.
7. Educational Function
Literature teaches us many things about the human experience.
Literature is used to portray the facets of life that we see, and those that we would never dream of seeing. Literature, therefore, is a conduit for the chance to experience and feel things
where we can learn things about life.
8. Historical Function
Ancient texts, illuminated scripts, stone tablets etc. keep record of events that happened in the place where they originate.
Thus they serve as time capsules of letters that are studied by scholars and researchers of today.
Concepts of Literature
There are several systems for categorizing literature, including (1) language, (2) national origin, (3) historical
period, (4) genre, and (5) subject matter (Rexroth, 2023).
1. Language
Language is an essential component of any good story, but it is often underappreciated.
The use of language in literature is a complex and fascinating subject. It can be used to convey profound
meaning, create atmosphere, and captivate the reader.
Employing language in literature is one way for a writer to create tone and mood in their work.
The way authors use dialect to create a sense of place and time exemplifies the use of language in literature
to create character.
Language has the ability to elicit emotions in readers, create vivid images, and communicate complex ideas.
Concepts of Literature
2. National Origin and Historical Period
Understanding historical meaning and origin entails understanding religious, political, and economic elements
that are visible in a specific environment at a specific time.
Understanding the motivation or inspiration behind any literary work is important because it gives the reader
a general idea of what to expect when reading it.
The reader can gain a more in-depth and broader understanding of a piece of literature by looking at it from a
historical perspective, so that in order to comprehend specific ideas that are unclear, the reader must engage
in contextual exploration.
Every work of literature is a product of its environment or origin.
Concepts of Literature
3. Genre
A genre is a literary category distinguished by form, content, and style.
Genre (pronounced zhän-r) comes from the French phrase genre, which means "kind" or "type."
Genres allow us to classify literature, to deem what is appropriate for a certain type of literature, and to judge
the merit of literature based on its genre.
Genre, in general, is a categorizing tool that allows us to compare and contrast works within the same genre
as well as investigate how works broaden or challenge certain genre-based constraints.
New genres such as media (writing for television, film, websites, radios, billboards, and so on) and graphic
novels (comic books) are broadening the definition of literature today.
Concepts of Literature
4. Subject Matter
The subject matter of a work of literature is simply the issue the author discusses in their work.
This issue is made up of the particular actions, characters, and settings which the author chooses for his work.
In other words, these are the surface facts that comprise the subject matter.
The theme (thesis) of a novel, poem or drama is the message it wishes to impart, some overt or subtle
philosophical pronouncement it strives to make.
The subject matter, or simply subject, is the area of a story’s focus while the theme is the author’s attitude
towards it.
Genres of Literature
Poetry, drama, and prose are the three main common literary genres.
1. Poetry is a literary genre that employs the aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to elicit meanings in
addition to or instead of the prosaic ostensible meaning.
Sub–Genres: Ballads, Lyric, Epic, Dramatic, Narrative
2. Drama is a form of fictional representation that is expressed through dialogue and performance.
Sub–Genres: Tragedy, Comedy, History, Melodrama, Musical
3. Prose is a language with no formal metrical structure. It could be fiction or nonfiction.
Fiction is narrative writing based on the author's imagination. It is intended to amuse, but it can also inspire,
inform, or persuade.
Sub–Genres: Novel, Novella, Short Story, Myths and Legends, Fables, Historical Fiction
Nonfiction writing is based on real-life events, people, places, and facts. Its purpose is to inform and
occasionally entertain.
Sub–Genres: Autobiography, Biography, Essay, Diaries and Journals, Narrative Nonfiction
Definition of Philippine Literature
Philippine literature is literature associated with the Philippines from prehistory, through its colonial
legacies, and on to the present.
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.
In 1983, for Jose Arrogante, literature is a book of life in which a person reveals things related to his
inexplicable color of life and life in his world. It makes a person through creative methods.
In 1995, Zeus Salazar described literature as a force that motivated society. He added that it was a powerful
tool that could free one of the rushing ideas to escape. For him, it is also a unique human experience unique
to mankind.
Issues of Philippine Literature
1. Struggle for Visibility on Trying to Read Philippine Literature
The struggle for visibility occurs at every level of the industry, where publishers produce small print runs due
to a perceived lack of demand.
Many titles by Filipino authors cannot even be purchased as ebooks.
2. Removal of the Filipino Subject
The Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that studies on the Filipino language and literature could be excluded as
core subjects at the tertiary level, making them only optional.
3. Filipinos’ Lack of Interest in Local or Philippine Literature
Students' most unfortunate stereotype was that Filipino literature was cliche or baduy. They are tired of
seeing a common, predictable formula in the plots of Philippine novels, films, and teleseryes.
There is an assumption that the lack of attention paid to Filipino authors prevents their titles from spreading
among Filipinos, owing to the fact that popular bookstores have mostly foreign titles on display.
Language was frequently cited as one of the reasons students do not read local literature. They have a hard
time appreciating works in Filipino because they barely understand what they are about.
Thank you!