UNIT 1

WHAT'S IN
THE
PAST?
INTRODUCTION
TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
 ON A SCALE OF 1-10,

HOW
SPANISH 🇪🇸
ARE YOU?
INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

OBJECTIVE
S:
Identify the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic
dimensions of Philippine literary history from pre-
colonial to the contemporary;

differentiate/compare and contrast the various 21st

century literary genres and the ones from the earlier
genres/periods citing their elements, structures and
traditions.
L
I
T
E "Litera" = letters
R
A
T
U
R
E
L
I It can also be defined as an
T expression of the emotions,
E thoughts, beliefs, aspirations,
R dreams, and goals of
A humanity in general and of
T man in particular.
U
R
E
L
I "To appreciate life"
T -Thomas Moore
E
R
A "To make us see beauty"
T
-Bascara
U
R
E
 UNIT 1
ROLES OF
LITERATUR
E IN
SOCIETY
INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

TRANSMITTER OF VALUES

Events, as we read them in

literature, make us look at
ourselves and live through the
experiences of the characters.
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

PRESERVER OF IDEALS,
CUSTOMS AND TRADITION
Literature is our link to the
past. We get a glimpse at
our ancestors' way of life by
reading their stories and poems.
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

PRESERVER OF IDEALS,
CUSTOMS AND TRADITION
Reflecting on their practice,
beliefs, and attitudes make us
understand more deeply our
roots, thereby, inspiring us to
strengthen our present and future
from lessons of those past.
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

MIRROR OF CULTURE

Literature reflects the cultures

of different races.
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

AGENT OF CHANGE

History bears records

of significant changes in
society brought about by
literature.
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

AGENT OF CHANGE

E.g.
The choice of Tagalog as basis
for Filipino, the national language of
the Philippines, has been partly due
to the popularity of writings in Tagalog
like Francisco Balagtas's Florante at
Laura.
 ROLES OF LITERATURE IN SOCIETY

SOURCE OF PLEASURE

Like other forms of art, literature

entertains and gives pleasure.
Some people read literature for
"rhyme" and not for "reason."
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

7 LITERARY
STANDARDS
1. Artistry
It is the quality which appeals to our sense of beauty.
2. Intellectual Beauty
Literary pieces must stimulate thought. These should
enrich our mental life by making us realize
fundamental truths about life and human nature.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

7 LITERARY
STANDARDS
3. Suggestivenes
This is the quality relevant to the emotional
power of literature to make us feel deeply
and stir our feelings and imagination.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

7 LITERARY
STANDARDS
4. Spiritual Value
A literary work must elevate the spirit by bringing out
moral values which make us better persons. The
capacity to inspire is part of the spiritual value of
literature.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

7 LITERARY
STANDARDS
5. Permanence
A great literary work endures and can be read
again as each reading gives
fresh delights and new insights.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

7 LITERARY
STANDARDS
6. Universality
It is forever relevant, it appeals to one
and all, anytime, anywhere because it
deals with elemental feelings, fundamental
truths, and universal conditions.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

7 LITERARY
STANDARDS
7. Style
It is the peculiar way in which a writer sees
life, forms his ideas, and expresses them. Great
works are marked as much by their memorable
substances as by their distinctive style. It should
suit content.
PHILIPPIN
E
LITERARY
HISTORY:
from
Pre-Colonial to
Contemporary Times
 INTRO TO PHIL. LITT.

PRE-COLONIAL TIMES
Pre-colonial inhabitants of our
islands showcase a rich past
through their folk speeches, folk
songs, folk narratives and
indigenous rituals and mimetic
dances that affirm our ties with
our Southeast Asian neighbors.
 INTRO TO PHIL. LITT.

PRE-COLONIAL TIMES
The verses were close
to the ears rather than
the eyes.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Aphorisms express or codes of behavior,
community beliefs or instill values by offering
nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming verse.
Example:
Actions speak louder than words.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
All for one and one for all.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Tanaga, a mono-riming heptasyllabic quatrain expressing
insights and lessons on life is “more emotionally charged than
the terse proverb and thus has affinities with the folk lyric.”
Example:
Sanggol
ni Emelita Perez Baes
Pag ang sanggol ay ngumiti
nawawala ang pighati,
pag kalong mo’y sumisidhi
ang pangarap na punyagi.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Folk song is a form of folk lyric which expresses the
hopes and aspirations, the people’s lifestyles as
well as their loves. These are often repetitive and
sonorous, didactic and naive.
Example:
Bahay Kubo
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Riddle involves reference to one or two images that
symbolize the characteristics of an unknown object
that is to be guessed.
Example:
Isang butil ng palay, sakop ang buong
buhay.
Sagot: Bumbilya
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Salawikain (Proverb) are brief instructive expressions
that suggest a specific action, behavior, or judgment.
They prescribe norms, impart a lesson, or emphasize
traditions and beliefs in a community.
Example:
Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.
(If you planted something, you’ll harvest something)
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Bulong (Chants) is used in witchcraft or enchantments.
Examples:
Tabi, tabi po, ingkong.

Bulong sa Ilocos
"Huwag magalit, kaibigan,
aming pinuputol lamang
ang sa amiy napagutusan”
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Kasabihan (Saying) is a short popular saying, usually of
unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively
some commonplace truth or useful thought.
Example: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa
pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa
paroroonan.
(If you don’t know how to look back to where you
came from, you will not reach your destination.)
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
PRE- COLONIAL TIMES
Myths are derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the
traditional oral literature of the Filipino people, typically involving
supernatural beings or events.
Example:
In the beginning there were no people on the earth.
Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many
reeds. He divided these into pairs which he placed in different parts
of the world, and then he said to them, "You must speak."
-The Creation (Excerpt)
 INTRO TO PHIL. LITT.

THE SPANISH COLONIAL

PERIOD
religious prose and poetry
and
secular prose and poetry
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
THE SPANISH COLONIAL
PERIOD
Pasyon is Philippine narrative of the life
of Jesus Christ, focused on His Passion,
Death, and Resurrection.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
THE SPANISH COLONIAL
PERIOD
Metrical Romance are colorful tales of
chivalry from European sources made for
singing and chanting.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
THE SPANISH COLONIAL
PERIOD
Metrical Romance deals with the emotions
or phase of life and the story is told in a
simple, straightforward and realistic
manner. It has a happy ending whether
love is involved or not.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
THE SPANISH COLONIAL
PERIOD
Awit is a secular poetry. The general Tagalog word for
"poem" or "song" is awit.
Example:
Kundiman ni Dr. Jose Rizal (excerpt)
Tunay ngayong umid yaring dila't puso
Sinta'y umiilag, tuwa'y lumalayo,
Bayan palibhasa'y lupig at sumuko
Sa kapabayaan ng nagturong puno.
 INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

LITERARY GENRES:
THE SPANISH COLONIAL
PERIOD
Korido is a secular poetry in octosyllabic
quatrains.
Example:
Ibong Adarna