History of Philippine Literature

Introduction to Literature

• Literature originates from the Latin word "literra", meaning writing.
• Britannica defines literature as a body of writing specific to a language or people.
• Cambridge Dictionary defines literature as written artistic works, especially those with lasting artistic value.
• Literature can be categorized by geographic location, language, or ethnicity.

History of Philippine Literature

• Pre-colonial literature existed before the Spanish occupation in the 1500s.
• It was oral, containing lessons and ideas about life, blessings, and consequences.
• Pre-colonial literature explored topics from birth to death.

Literary Forms

• Oral Literature is passed down through storytelling and singing from one generation to the next.
• Folk songs are songs originating in popular culture and can be written or traditional.
• Examples of folk songs include:
  • Hele (sung to put babies to sleep)
  • Tagay (sung during drinking sessions)
  • Harana (used by young men to woo women)
  • Songs of Death (laments for the deceased)
  • Religious Songs (chants for exorcism and thanksgiving)
• Folk tales are stories passed down orally in popular culture.

Myths, Legends, and Folk Tales

• Myths explain natural occurrences.
• Legends describe mysteries.
• Folk tales are brief stories often aimed at children.

Literary Forms: Additional Genres

• Epics recount adventures of heroes.
• Proverbs (Salawikain) are wise statements given by elders.
• Bugtong are metaphorical statements in question form.
• Religious Literature centers on the life and death of Jesus Christ, encompassing Passions, Senakulos, and Komedya.
  • Passions narrate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
  • Senakulos stage or reenact the story of the Passion.
  • Komedya are dramas that often include battles between Christians and Muslims.
• Secular Literature revolves around tales of bravery and adventure, including awit and korido.
  • Awit are tales about chivalry where knights save princesses.
  • Korido are poetic narratives with a poem structure.

21st Century Literature

• New literary genres have emerged due to advancements in technology.
  • Electronic literature utilizes computers as a means of production. (Hypertexts, generators, video poetry and Twitterature)
  • Graphic literature presents stories through illustrations.
  • Vlogs and blogs offer new forms of narrative expression.
• Chick Lit focuses on women's lives and romantic relationships.
• Speculative fiction explores possible future or alternate realities.
  • Subgenres include science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, post-apocalyptic and other realities.
  • Flash Fiction is short fictional stories, usually under 1,500 words.
• Contemporary Philippine literature continues to adapt and innovate.

Literary Approaches and Language

• Literary Language uses words in conventionally accepted meanings.
• Denotation is the dictionary definition of a word.
• Structural analysis helps in understanding unknown words.
• Morphemes are the smallest meaningful parts of words. - Free morphemes (root word) - Bound morphemes (prefixes/suffixes)
• Context clues help understand unfamiliar words, by including example, definition, synonym and antonym clues, mood and tone clues.
• Figurative language uses words in a non-literal way
  • Similes, metaphors, personification, and hyperbole.
• Literary techniques: symbolism, metonymy, synecdoche, irony, allusion, paradox, and onomatopoeia.
• Critical approaches to literature provide different ways to analyze and interpret texts -Marxism, Feminism, reader response.