INTRODUCTION TO

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Philippine literature is as rich and diverse as the 7500 plus islands that
make up our archipelago. This is not surprising considering that we have
183 living languages (ethnologue.com) across 17 regions comprised of
82 provinces. One can only imagine the many forms of artistic
communication (oral or written) that have been passed on to and through
generations, communities, and groups. Then and now, literature in the
Philippines have come in various genres (forms) and have been
appreciated and analyzed for their forms, elements, structures, and
traditions.
 The origin of Philippine literature can only be traced by exploring its evolution from pre-colonial
up to the present. Thus, studying the past becomes imperative in understanding the literature of the
present. Different genres that appeared from each period seem to reflect the place, language,
culture, social and ethnic dimensions of literature produced. The nature and essence of literature has
evolved over time. Traditionally, literature was strictly viewed as any form of written works
especially during the 18th century. Today, its definition and scope can be considered more
restrictive for there are certain standards set by some critiques before a work can be considered as a
body of literature. Among the common words used by scholars and other sources that are associated
to literature are excellence, expression, experience, artistry, and imagination. Its connection to
human life and experiences, wherein audience can easily relate with, is the major characteristic of
literature. Emerging habitually into quality literary works will help us gain better understanding of
people, society, and culture.
WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND: As a result of colonization, it is common in almost all countries who experienced
oppression and inequality to reflect their rich experiences in literature. If social media already existed from pre-
colonial period up to Marcos time and you lived in each era, what would be your social media status in each
period of history? Post your status in each period.
LITERATUR
E The term literature is derived from the Latin word
"littera" which means "a letter of the alphabet". According
to the website Britannica, literature is traditionally defined
as body of written works associated to imaginative and
creative works of poetry and prose and can be classified
according to variety of systems such as language, national
origin, historical period, genre and subject matter.
LITERATUR
E Literature can either be in oral or written form. The oral literature
handed down from one generation to another, then later on
transformed into written form. The products of written literature
are called literary text. A text can be considered literary if it has
the elements of psychological characterization and chronology.
Also, literature uses literary devices such as metaphor and
symbolism. Reading for entertainment and learning is the most
common reason why people read literature.
LITERATUR
E Simply, the best way to describe the characteristics of literary text
is that
(1) it narrates a story;

(2) it expresses feelings, thoughts, and ideas which can either be

based from the imagination or real life experiences of the author
or other people; and

(3)it delivers significant information and crosses boundaries of

time, places, cultures and languages.
LITERATUR
EAlso, literature contains specific structure. Literary structure refers to the organizational
method used in literature in which the most common type is the narrative. Parts of the
narrative structure (or plot) are the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and
resolution (denouement). In a much broader context, literary structure is not only limited
to content and form but this may also refer to "the general features or characteristic of
genre, style, a specific literary trend, literature as an art form, and finally, art as a whole"
(The Great Soviet Encyclopedia). For Murphy (n.d.), literary structure may involve
arrangement of various elements according to purpose, style, and genre to effectively
convey the intended meaning for the audience.
TWO MAJOR FORMS OF
LITERATURE
POETRY
This literary type is usually written in lines and is
characterized by having the element of rhythm,
sound, imagery, and form. Its main purpose is to
express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It can be
divided into three types: narrative, dramatic, and
lyrical poetry.
 Narrative Poetry. This poetry tells a story and has
POETRY the elements of a narrative such as characters,
setting, conflict, etc.
Dramatic Poetry. This is an emotionally appealing
drama written in verse that tells a story and is
intended to be recited or sung in front of the
audience by a character speaking in poetry.
Lyric Poetry. It is the most common type of poetry
that focuses on expressing feelings rather than
telling a story.
PROSE
In contrast to poetry, this literary piece
applies a natural flow of speech and
grammatical structures which are mainly
consisting of complete sentences arranged
logically and sequentially in a paragraph
form.
 Fiction. This serves as a product of the writer's wild imagination

PROSE and creative thinking where the characters react to the conflict
and various issues central to the main idea of a literary work. Its
three types are: short story, novel, and novella. The main genres
are crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction, western,
inspirational, historical fiction and horror.

Non-fiction. These are stories inspired by real events where the

writers aim to present, interpret, or describe experiences based on
facts. The judgments, opinions, and commentaries of the writers
may be presented in the form of essays, journals, diaries, feature
articles, editorials, and the like.
Genre refers to the forms of literature. The general ones are
oral and written. The main types are prose and poetry. There
are many other forms that have sprung through the years.
Specifically, it is defined in the curriculum guide as
something that “may be determined by literary technique,
tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. The
distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and
loosely defined, often with subgroups.
 The most general genres in literature are (in loose chronological order)
epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative nonfiction. They can all be in the
form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as satire, allegory or
pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as a sub-genre, but as
a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural
movement of the historical period in which they were composed. Genre
should not be confused with age categories, by which literature may be
classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not
be confused with format, such as graphic novel or picture book.”
(Glossary, Curriculum Guide)
Literary elements refer “to particular identifiable characteristics of
a whole text“. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; they
represent the elements of storytelling which are common to all
literary and narrative forms. For example, every story has a theme,
a setting, a conflict, and has a particular point-of-view, etc. In
order to be discussed legitimately as part of a textual analysis,
literary elements must be specifically identified for that particular
text.” (Glossary, Curriculum Guide).
The common elements of a story are setting, character,
conflict, theme, point of view, and plot. Plot also has its
own elements such as exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution or denouement /ˌdeɪˈnuːmɒ̃/.
In poetry, there are four essential elements: form, imagery,
rhythm, and sound. Poetry comes in different forms such as
whether it is free verse, couplet, limerick, etc.
Imagery on the other hand is the reason why we see
pictures in words and it adds color in any types of
literature especially in poetry.

Rhythms and sounds are somehow similar. In fact,

rhythm falls under the broad category sound.
While sound deals with the common use of rhymes and other
literary devices such as repetition (repeating of words, phrases, or
lines), alliteration (repeating same consonant sounds), assonance
(repeating same vowel sounds), and onomatopoeia (the use of the
actual sound to represent someone or something), rhythm is more
concerned with the flow of the beat such as whether it is fast or
slow. In general, both sounds and rhythms are the key
ingredients that give poetry a musical effect (Encyclopedia
Britannica).
The term "Traditions" refers to the specific traits
of literary works that define a generation or period
in history. A literary tradition “is a collection of
works that have an underlying interconnectedness
and coherence that makes them more than simply
a group of works sharing geography or group.
Irish poetry and drama, for example, extend over several
centuries, involving writers with a range of voices and
preoccupations; and yet it is often thought that they are
distinctively "Irish." This means that you can have someone who
doesn't come from Ireland, perhaps doesn't even have Irish
ancestors, but they can write in the Irish Literary Tradition
because they will draw on the same references, structure,
mythology, focal points for cultural meanings and historical
moments.” (Glossary, Curriculum Guide)
 AN OVERVIEW OF
PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Philippine literature can be
divided into three most
important periods: pre-
colonial, colonial, and
post-colonial
All literary works produced before the Spanish
colonization such as chants, proverbs, songs, and folk
narratives are considered under pre-colonial period
which are mostly of oral traditions. This is not because
early Filipinos did not have system of writing yet but
due to the unavailability of printing materials. Life was
simple and so is literature during this period.
If we have phones and other forms of
technology to entertain us, our ancestors had
literature for recreation who were noted for
being music lover as more than 10 types of
songs in various Philippine languages were
discovered.
 Our forefathers also valued words of wisdom for
teaching values as evidenced by numerous proverbs or
salawikain. Story telling was used to explain
phenomenon and to teach lessons as well. Having
bugtong or riddles was also a favorite past time and
listening to narratives of bravery, magic, and heroism
in epics was a box office hit.
The focus of literature suddenly changed
upon the arrival of Spaniards. An
emphasis on morality and religion was
common in literary forms such as
Corrido, Pasyon, and Cenaculo.
The production of printed materials started but it was
mostly of religious purposes and themes. It was made
in an attempt toinstill traditional Spanish ways and
cultures among the native Filipinos. Despite this
indoctrination, native tradition still survived and
flourished especially for areas where the colonial
power was less popular.
Literacy paved the way to develop sense of
nationalism among Filipinos during the latter part
of Spanish colonization. Filipinos started to write
about oppression, corruption, and other social ills
such as in the works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal entitled
Noli Me Tangere and its sequel El Filibusterismo.
The literary production during the American
Period was inspired by the developments in
education and culture. Knowledge and information
became accessible to all Filipinos because of the
free public education. During the apprenticeship
period, the Filipino writers imitated English and
American models.
 All forms of literature were explored by Filipino
writers. During this period, short stories were the most
prevalent literary form. With the new knowledge of
English language, many writers started to gain
recognition both locally and internationally like Jose
Garcia Villa who earned the International title, “Poet of
the Century" as an example.
Philippine Literature was interrupted in its
development when we were conquered by Japan
between 1941-1945 since freedom of expression was
uncommon back then. Filipino writers in the
Philippines were forbidden to write anything against
the government and only those who were in exile
had the privilege to do so.
The three most influential foreign invaders to the
types of literature produced during colonial periods
are Spanish, American, and Japanese wherein the
common themes and subject mostly tackle about
oppression, religion, freedom, or anything that
reflects the experiences of Filipino people under the
colonizers.
The influences brought to us by colonial periods are said to have
been extended up to the post- colonial periods especially in
social and cultural dimensions. Post-colonial is the period after
the rebirth of freedom in the Philippines up to the present. One
of the most unforgotten and controversial periods during this era
is having Martial Law during the Marcos regime. All of the
periods mentioned are essential towards understanding the types
of literature being produced in the Philippines.
 Answer the following questions.
1.Why is it important to learn about the pre-
colonial literature of the Philippines?
2.How does the literature during the Spanish era
differ from the literature during the pre-colonial
era?
3.Which era do you think has been able to exert its
influences the most? Why?