Philippine Literature

Historical Development of Philippine Literature

• Pre-Spanish literature was spontaneous, instinctive, and expressed in its dialect with crude ideology and phraseology.
• Common literary forms of pre-colonial literature were folk epics, lyric poetry, folklore, myths, songs, proverbs, and riddles.
• Literature during Spanish colonization focused on Christian faith and imitated Spanish themes, forms, and traditions with repetitious plots.
• The rise of the printing press in the 19th century enabled faster dissemination of works during Spanish colonization.
• Common literary types during Spanish colonization were Pasyon, Komedya, Awit, Korido, and Prose.
• The Propaganda movement and the Revolution were important in relation to works during Spanish colonization.
• Literature under American colonization saw Spanish continuing to dominate the elite and English becoming the official language of communication.
• Important writers and works during American colonization were Lope K. Santos, Jose Corazon de Jesus, Jose Garcia Villa, and Severino Reyes.
• Some writers turned to Filipino during the Japanese occupation, and there was an underground movement in nationalist literature.
• Famous writers who started their careers during WWII include Macario Pineda, Liwayway Arceo, and NVM Gonzales.
• Literature after Edsa saw the entry of New Criticism and resurgence of the nationalist movement with students as core during the Martial Law years.
• Filipino literature flourished in various languages, and the emergence of creative nonfiction widened the span of prose during the contemporary period.