21stCentury Literature

from the Philippines and

the World
EARLY PERIOD (1900 - 1930)

1900: English is the

official medium of
instruction in all public
schools.
Development of
MIDDLE PERIOD – 1930
to 1960
MODERN PERIOD – 1960
- 1974
CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
Philippine Literature

 "The history of a nation can be learned in

its constitution its laws, and its political
statements. But to know the history of a
nation's spirit, you must read its literature."
(Croghan, 1977).
 Philippine Literature in English reveals the
spirit of the Filipino.
IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE

sharing of human experiences

learn what you are and how
you have become what you
are
learn learn what you might be
in the future.
DEVELOPMENT OF PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE

Pre-colonial Times
 Folk
speeches, folk songs, folk narratives
and indigenous rituals and mimetic
dances that affirm our ties with our
Southeast Asian neighbors.
 Most seminal of these folk speeches is the
riddle which is tigmo in Cebuano,
bugtong in Tagalog, paktakon in Ilongo
Folk Narratives:
epics and folk tales are varied, exotic and magical. They
explain how the world was created, how certain animals
possess certain characteristics, why some places have
waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or fauna and, in the
case of legends, an explanation of the origins of things.
Sample Epics:
Darangen: (Maranao- Islam) narrates the heroic feats of the
Maguindanao people–highlighting the bravery and prowess
of the skilled Moro warriors.
Biag-ni-Lamang: (Ilokano)
Hudhud: (Ifugao) features the characters Aliguyan (Aliguyon),
Bugan and their families, and the elements of the early
civilization which rose in the mountain province
.
Numerous newspapers in English were
published:

1905: The Philippine Free Press is founded;

1910: College Folio is published at UP;
1920: Phil. Herald/Phil. Magazine (most
influential literary Magazine.)
SPANISH OCCUPATIONCOINCIDED WITH
THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION:
• first teachers were American soldiers
• PNS was founded in 1901; UP was
founded in 1908
• 1921: first Filipino novel in English was
written by Zoilo Galang – A Child of
Sorrow
CHARACTERISTICS:
• formal and imitative
• fiction is structurally simple
• language is easy to understand
• moralistic and quite didactic
• sense of nationalism is evident
• verbose and rhetorical
• romantic and melancholic
• grammatically uneven
• tendency towards melodrama
• continued influence of romanticism and later realism from the United States
• literary organizations were formed, e.g. Philippine Book Guild (1936),
Philippine Writers’ League (1939), The Veronicans
• the Philippine Commonwealth Government was established on July 4,
1935
• writers began to explore the idea of searching for a national identity
• S.P. Lopez and J.G. Villa clashed over the social function of art and art for
art’s sake function of art.
• the short story flourished
• the first Commonwealth Literary Awards were given in 1940
• Philippine Independence was proclaimed on July 4, 1946
• Philippine literature in English greatly improved.
JAPANESE OCCUPATION
• journalistic writing and literary criticism emerged
• "The most productive of distinctive work in the half century of Filipino writing in English."
CHARACTERISTICS:
• recurrent subject matter/themes – rural life, love, self-sacrifice and suffering, novelty of city
life, value of education, struggle against poverty
• recurrent setting – the province, the barrio, the small town, use of local color
• recurrent characters – the barrio lass/lad, the first schooled/educated person in the barrio,
the teacher, hardworking farmer/fisherman, ardent lovers, the Filipino expatriate educated
in America.
• World War II/Japanese occupation
• stylistic characteristics – simple structure, simple plots, mild climaxes, explicit symbols, slow
pace or movement, abundant description of people and places, reflected Filipino customs,
traditions, practices, traits.
CULTURE CLASHES – AMERICAN VS. FILIPINO
• the first Palanca Memorial Awards were given in 1950; for English and the Tagalog one-
act play in 1954.
• there was a growing sense of nationalism and deeper search for identity in the 60’s
• the Republic Cultural Awards were started in 1960 – 1st winner was N.V.M. Gonzalez
• the first Pro Patria awards were presented in 1961 – 1st winners were Jose Garcia Villa,
N.V.M. Gonzalez, and Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
• the first Asian Writers’ Conference was held in Baguio in 1962
• themes of confusion and violence were evident in the late 60’s and 70’s
• Martial Law was declared in Sept. 21 1972.
• continued influence of the West upon Phil. Literature was evident
• recurrent subject matter – colonial mentality, guerilla and wartime stories, consequences
of the war (poverty, disorientation, identity crisis), love, family, death, social problems.
CHARACTERISTICS:
• recurrent setting – the home, the city, the province, America
• recurrent characters – rich/poor people, characters with psychological problems,
immigrants in America
• Martial Law was lifted in 1981.
• themes have changed from sentimentalized romanticism to a more realistic and naturalistic
delineation.
• 1986 EDSA Revolution occurred .
• gay and lesbian literature came out
• strong feminist tendencies are evident
• more social problems are tackled
• TV and films have become more popular.
• younger writers have entered the literary scene
• more literary criticisms have been written
EARLY PERIOD

 daring or controversial choice of

subject matter
 very innovative in structure and style
 influence of different –isms and
literary trends from the West
 characters, plot structure and
narrative techniques are more