21st Century Literature in Various Regions, 21st Century Literature from the Philippines

and the World

Life and Works of Francisco Arcellana

 Lesson5 chapters
 Questions

Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify the contributions of Francisco Arcellana to
Philippine literature by analyzing his literary works.

Who is Francisco Arcellana? What are his contributions to Philippine literature?

Learn about it!

Francisco Arcellana
 Francisco Arcellana is a Filipino teacher and a contemporary writer. He is one of the
prominent Filipino fictionists in English.
 He is known for innovating and exploring new literary forms and experimenting with different
techniques in short story writing.
 He was a member of the group The Veronicans, which was composed of influential Filipino
writers who aimed to use sensible literature in order to create a greater impact on the
Philippines.
 He was also the first director of the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center.
 Some of his well-known literary works are the short stories "The Man Who Would Be Poe,"
"Death in a Factory," "A Clown Remembers," "The Mats," and "Lina."
 In 1990, he was awarded as the National Artist for Literature.
 His short stories "Flowers of May," "Christmas Gift," and "The Mats," were adapted as
screenplays.

nalyzing a writer's literary works will help in identifying his contributions to Philippine literature.

Example:
Below are details regarding Francisco Arcellana's "The Mats."

a. Setting
The short story is set in the afternoon until evening at the house of the Angeles family.

b. Plot

 Exposition
Mr. Angeles comes from a periodic inspection trip in Mariveles. During the trip, he writes to
his family and gets them excited about the exceptionally beautiful and colorful mats he
bought from an artist.
  Rising Action
Upon arriving, he gives the mats one by one to his children. Each mat is woven with his
child’s name and symbols. They are all happy to receive the mats.
 Climax
There are three mats that are to be unfolded. In a loud voice, he offers the three mats to his
dead children named Josefina, Victoria, and Concepcion.
 Falling Action
Nana Emilia, anguished, said he should not have bought mats for them, but Mr. Angeles
insists that they must be remembered.
 Conclusion
The children feel the tension and see the grief in the face of Mr. Angeles and the sadness of
Nana Emilia. The father unfolds the three mats in silence.

Learn about it!

c. Theme
Coping with the death of a loved one is a struggle. Commemorating his or her life is painful, but it
must be faced with courage and faith.

Explanation:
Francisco Arcellana presented the story using a distinct style. He focused on the characters' actions
and dialogues to reveal the innermost feelings and motives of the characters, which set the dramatic
tone of the short story.

Summary
Francisco Arcellana is a Filipino fictionist who demonstrated his craftsmanship in writing great
literary pieces such as "The Mats," a story that highlights Filipino family values and pictures an
interesting character coping with the death of loved ones. In this short story, he uses writing
techniques such as emphasizing the characters’ actions and dialogues to reveal their inner motives
and emotions.