21 s t C e n t u ry

Lit e ra t u re
h i l i p p i n e s a n d
from t h e P
the W o r l d
 21st CENTURY
LITERATURE
21’st Century Literature refers to new
literary work created within the last
decade. It is written by contemporary
authors which may deal with current
theme/ issues and reflect a
technological culture.
This module is divided
into three lessons
Philippine Literary History
01
Representative Texts from the
02 Regions

03 Cebuano Visayan Texts

Module 1: Lesson 1

Philippine
Literary History
 OBJECTIVES:
A. DISCOVER THE STAGES OF PHILIPPINE
LITERARY HISTORY;
B. DEVELOP APPRECIATION ON THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING LITERATURE

C. CREATE A POEM INSPIRING THE FUTURE

GENERATION TO APPRECIATE PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
 What is
Literature?
 Literature
The word literature is derived from the Latin
term litera (“literae” plural) which means.
letter. Can be Oral, Written or visual
containing imaginative language that
portrays thoughts, emotions and experiences
of the human condition.
 Literature
Literature is life itself. It
emphasizes numerous
themes that revolve around
human experiences. While it
is genuinely written in words,
these words awaken in the
creative mind of the person.
 Literature
Literature is a
masterpiece that mirrors
life. It is defined as the
study of books, the work
of art that expresses
beauty, and creative
writing through the
medium of language.
WHY STUDY
LITERATURE?
ENJOYMENT
The most important personal gain that literature offers is
enjoyment. When we read, we experience different
emotions

IMAGINATION AND INSPIRATION

By seeing the world around us in new ways and by
considering ways of living other than our own, we increase
our ability to think differently and imaginatively

VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE
When a story is convincingly written that readers feel as
though they have lived through an experience or have been in
the place and time where the story is set, the book has given
them a vicarious experience
UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY
Literature helps us gain an experience of the universality of
human needs across history which makes it possible for us
to understand that all humans are, to some degree, alike.

HERITAGE
Stories that are handed down from one generation to
another to the next connect us to our past

MORAL REASONING
Often, story characters are placed in situations that require
them to make moral decisions.
 TWO FORMS OF
LITERATURE
• PROSE
• POETRY
PROSE Prose is a form of language
that has no formal metrical
structure. It applies a natural
flow of speech, and ordinary
grammatical structure, rather
than rhythmic structure, such
as in the case of traditional
poetry.
POETRY Poetry is highly imagistic
and is written in
condensed language,
stylized syntax, and
figures of speech that
may not be found in
ordinary communication
 PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
 PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English,
Tagalog, and other native Philippine languages. The
literature of the Philippines covers a variety of genres,
most notably poetry and metrical romances, prose,
dramas, religious dramas, and secular dramas. Our
literature expresses the deepest
of human experiences in words that
create memorable images
 PERIODS OF PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
A. Pre-colonial Period
• Philippine literature has existed
before the Spanish occupation in the
1500s.
• Literature then was oral in nature. The
oral characteristic of pre-colonial
literature gives the possibility for many
alterations.
• Pre-colonial literature is full of lessons and ideas
about life. It contains ideas from birth to the grave.
• The usual themes include ceremonies needed to
appease the deities, life and death, gods and heroes
and heroines, supernatural beings, animals, and how
things came to be.
• Our pre-colonial literature shows our customs and
traditions in everyday life as traced in our epics,
folktales, and folksongs, and other forms.
• The early literary forms of the Philippines
were epics, legends, riddles and proverbs
which were told and retold by the natives.
Philippine Precolonial Period
• Proverbs- are practical observations and philosophy of everyday
life that are written usually in a rhyming scheme. It is obviously
meant to entertain while teaching the basic skill in surviving local
life. In Filipino, these are called salawikain.
Philippine Precolonial Period
• Riddles- are like proverbs with one main difference:
they demand an answer and are used to test the wits of
those who are listening to them.
Philippine Precolonial Period
• Folksongs- are beautiful songs that are informal
expressions of our ancestors’ experiences in life.
The range from courtship (which they sing in a
harana or a serenade for a girl), to lullabies,
harvest, funerals, and others.
Philippine Precolonial Period
• Tales- are stories of origin for certain places,
their names, and their creation. These are
also known as myth and legends.
Philippine Precolonial Period
• Epics- are long-winded poems about a hero
and his adventures and misadventures
B. Spanish Colonial Period (1565–
1898)
• The arrival of the Spanish colonists led to major
influences and changes in Philippine literature. One
major shift is the introduction of Catholicism.
• The literary texts shifted from the daily lives and
experiences of the folks to a religious tone
• Roman alphabet was introduced. The Spanish
language became the literary language
• Spain also brought to the country liberal
ideas and internationalism that influenced
our own Filipino intellectuals and writers
for them to understand the meanings of
"liberty and freedom." One prominent writer is
Dr. Jose Rizal
• Moro-moro or Comedia de Caper y Espada is a
blood-and-thunder melodrama depicting the
conflict of Christians and Muslims. It is usually
about battles to the death and the proofs of
faith.
C. American Colonial Period
(1898-1946)
• The American period introduced the public school
system in the Philippines
• Education became a very important issue for the
American colonial government since it allowed the
spread of their cultural values, particularly the English
language to the Filipinos.
• American influence was deeply rooted with
the firm establishment of English as the
medium of instruction in all schools.
• New literary forms, such as free verse in
poetry, the modern short story, and the
critical essay, were introduced.
• The literature during the American period was
considered as Imitative of American model. Instead of
asking the students to write originals, students ended
up following the form of American poets
D. Japanese Period (1941-1945)
• Philippine Literature was interrupted in its
development when the Philippines was again
conquered by another foreign country, Japan.
• Philippine literature in English came to a
halt. Except for the Tribune and the
Philippine Review, almost all newspapers in
English were stopped by the Japanese.
• This had an advantageous effect on
Filipino Literature (writers in English
turned to writing in Filipino).
• Juan Laya, who use to write in English
turned to Filipino because of the strict
prohibitions of the Japanese regarding
any writing in English
• Many wrote plays, poems, and short stories
with themes often about nationalism, life in
the provinces, faith, and arts.
E. Contemporary Period
• Contemporary Filipino writers have
become more conscious of their art with
the rise of writers workshops here and
abroad and the majority of literature
available via the mass media, including
the internet.
• Themes of contemporary
l i t e r a t ur e a r e m o r e v a r i e d a n d
bolder.
• Some writings dealt with the
development or progress of the
country like family planning, proper
nutrition, environment, and
pollution.
• Social issues include gender identity and racism, family
and single parenthood, family diaspora, drug and
alcohol abuse, social media and bullying, depression,
racism, and health issues, such as abortion and teenage
pregnancy.
Activity 1: Complete the
crossword puzzle by
referring to the
statements under Across
and Down columns.