Philippine Literature: Spanish Era

Philippine Literature during Spanish Era

• During Spanish conquest and conversion to Christianity, existing literature was mainly oral, including epics, legends, songs, riddles, and proverbs.
• Conquistadors burned folk literature, deeming them pagan, leading to the decline of the Tagalog syllabary.
• Only native writing systems that survived are the syllabaries of the Mindoro Mangyans and the Tagbanua of Palawan.
• Spanish missionaries replaced burned literature with writings promoting Christianity.
• Writings focused on religion, morality, and language, often in poetry form: Landino's poetry combined Spanish and Tagalog.
• European literature with religious themes was introduced, including narrative poetry like awit and corridor, and the religious novel, Barlaan at Josephat.
• Colonization strongly influenced Filipino lifestyles, embracing Catholicism, changing names, and baptism.
• Filipinos learned to build houses with stones and bricks, use furniture and transportation, celebrate fiesta, and enjoy horse races, cockfights, and theater.
• Literature served as a tool for religious conquest
• The first Filipino alphabet, ALIBATA, was replaced by the Roman alphabet.
• Christian Doctrine became the basis for religious practices.
• Spanish language became the literary language, incorporating many words into the Filipino language.
• European legends assimilated into songs, corridos, and moro-moros.
• Ancient literature was collected and translated into Tagalog and other dialects.
• Many grammar books were printed in Filipino languages (Tagalog, Ilocano, Visayan).
• Periodicals gained a religious tone.

The First Books

• Ang Doctrina Christiana (The Christian Doctrine) was the first book printed in the Philippines written in 1593.
• Written by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva, in Tagalog and Spanish using Xylography.
• Contents included prayers like the Pater Noster and Ave Maria, the Ten Commandments, the Seven Mortal Sins, and catechism.
• Libro de los Cuatro Postprimeras del Hombre was the first book in typography, written by Fr. Francisco Blancas in 1604.
• Nuestra Señora del Rosario, written by Fr. Blancas de San Jose in 1602.
• Printed at the UST Printing Press with the help of Juan de Vera, a Chinese mestizo.
• Includes biographies of saints, novenas, and religious questions and answers.
• The Pasion is about the life and sufferings of Jesus Christ, read during Lent.
• Ang Barlaan at Josephat is a biblical story translated from Greek to Tagalog and the first Tagalog novel printed in the Philippines even though it is only a translation.
• Urbana at Felisa was written by Modesto de Castro, known as the Father of Classical Prose in Tagalog.
• Details the exchange letters between two sisters influencing behavior in society.
• Ang Mga Dalit kay Maria (Psalms for Mary) collection of songs praising the Virgin Mary, written by Fr. Mariano Sevilla in 1865.
• Popularly used during the Flores de Mayo Festival.

Literary Forms

• Religious lyrics written by ladino poets in Spanish and Tagalog were used in early catechisms to teach Filipinos the Spanish language.
• Pasyon is a long narrative poem about the passion and death of Christ.
  • The most popular version was "Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Cristong Panignoon Natin" by Aguino de Belen.
• Senakulo is a dramatization of the pasyon showing the passion and death of Christ.
• Secular Literature is non-religious
• Awit is a colorful tale of chivalry for singing and chanting like Ibong Adarna.
• Korido is a metrical tale in octosyllabic quatrains, e.g., Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar.
• Prose Narratives are written to prescribe proper decorum, such as Modesto de Castro's "Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza" and Joaquin Tuason's "Ang Bagong Robinson".

PAG SUSULATAN NANG DALAUANG BINIBINI NA SI URBANA AT NI FELIZA

• Urbana at Feliza, full title: “Pagsusulatan nang Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza", consists of letters between two sisters.
• Feliza studies in a women's college in Manila, while Urbana offers advice on proper behavior.
• Urbana imparts advice on temptations and dangers, guiding how to avoid them.
• stresses importance of compatibility between husband and wife: equal status, love, moderation, and trust.
• highlights caution against wealth-seeking, equal age, inner beauty, tranquility, avoidance of sinful pleasures, piety, diligence, avoidance of gossip, humility and endurance.

Recreational Plays

• Many recreational plays were performed by Filipinos during the Spanish times, mostly in poetic form.
• Tibag (meaning to excavate), introduced by Spaniards to remind people of St. Helena's search for the Cross.
• Lagaylay, a special occasion for Pilareños of Sorsogon during Maytime gatherings.
• Cenaculo, dramatic performance to commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ.
• Panunuluyan, a presentation before midnight on Christmas Eve depicting the search of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph for lodging.
• Carillo (Shadow Play), dramatic entertainment on moonless nights during town fiestas.
  • Uses cardboard figures projected on a white sheet like marionettes with dialogues.
• Zarzuela is seen as the father of drama a musical comedy/melodrama in three acts dealing with man's passions and emotions like love, hate, revenge, cruelty, avarice, or social problems.

Philippine Literature during the Nationalistic Period

• In 1863, a royal decree opened new educational opportunities to the middle class by providing a comprehensive education system.
• Secular works alongside historical and economic changes proliferated
• Filipino intellectuals (illustrados) wrote about the downsides of colonization.
• The Propaganda Movement, with writers like Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Andres Bonifacio, advocated for reforms.
• Prose works, like Rizal's novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, helped usher in the Philippine Revolution.
• Ninay (1885) by Pedro Paterno is largely cultural and considered the first Filipino novel.
• Other writers published essays and short fiction in Spanish in La Vanguardia, El Debate, and Nueva Era.
• Notable essayists and fictionists included Claro M. Recto, Teodoro M. Kalaw, and Balmori.
• English hastened the decline of Spanish.
• By the 1930s, English writing had surpassed Spanish writing, romantic writing and patriotic writing continued.

Philippine Literature during the Japanese Period 1941-1945

• Philippine Literature was interrupted due to the Japanese occupation
• Philippine literature in English came to a halt, except for The Tribune and The Philippine Review
• Filipino Literature experienced renewed attention because writers in English shifted to writing in Filipino
• Liwayway placed under strict surveillance and managed by a Japanese named Ishiwar
• Topics and themes included life in the provinces
• Filipino Poetry Themes in this period: nationalism, country, love, and life in the barrios, religion and the fine arts.
• Emerged poems: Haiku, Tanaga and Usual Form

Filipino Poetry Forms

• Haiku: Free verse with 17 syllables in three lines (5, 7, 5), allegorical and wide in scope.
• Tanaga: Similar to haiku, short with measure and rhyme, 17 syllables per line, allegorical.

Filipino Drama

• Drama experienced a lull as movie houses were used for stage shows.
• Translated English plays to Tagalog.
• The organization of Filipino players was named Dramatic Philippines
• A few of playwrites:
• Jose Ma. Hernandez – wrote PANDAY PIRA
• Francisco Soc Rodrigo - wrote sa PULA, SA PUTI
• Clodualdo del Mundo – wrote BULAGA
• Julian Cruz Balmaceda – wrote SINO BA KAYO?, DAHIL SA ANAK, and HIGANTE NG PATAY.

Filipino Short Story

• The short story widened during the Japanese Occupation. Various writers.
• First Prize: Narciso Reyes - LUPANG TINUBUAN
• Second Prize: Liwayway Arceo - UHAW ANG TIGANG NA LUPA
• Third Prize: NVM Gonzales - LUNSOD NAYON AT DAGAT- DAGATAN

Philippine Literature in English

• Philippine literature in English experienced a dark period because of strict prohibitions.
• Some wrote for survival or propaganda
• Many writers felt suppressed but waited for a better publishing environment.
• Notable Writer Carlos P. Romulo: Won Pulitzer Prize.
• Journalist Salvador P. Lopez, Leon Ma. Geurrero.

Philippine Literature during the American Period

• New literary forms introduced: free verse, short story and critical essay
• American influence deeply entrenched, English became a firm medium of instruction
• Literary modernism highlighted individual writers etc.
• Jose Garcia Villa: used free verse and espoused "Art for art's sake"
• Angela Manalang Gloria: Used free verse and talked about illicit love in her poetry and described as ahead of her time.
• "Seditious works" turned up
• Alejandro G. Abadilla advocated modernism in poetry.
• "Dead Stars" by Paz Marquez Benitez published in 1925.
• Arturo B. Rotor and Manuel E. Arguilla showed exceptional skills with the short story.
• Others like Lope K. Santos, Valeriano Hernandez Peña and Patricio Mariano were writing minimal narratives similar to the early Tagalog short fiction.
• "Literature and Society" by Salvador P. Lopez won the Commonwealth Literary Award for the essay in 1940.
• Writers pay close attention to craft, the introduction of the New Critical aesthetics.

The Modern/Contemporary Period

• The blooming Philippine literature after the Martial Law years and the resurgence of committed literature in the 1960s and the 1970s.
• Key features of Contemporary/Modern Literatures
• Literature expressed defiance.
• Philippine writing in the vernacular became popular.
• writers published their critical studies.
• English had been mastered
• Writers enjoyed better independence.
• The writing and staging of Philippine plays written in English improved in the 1954 the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature
• Political conditions rose student activism in the 1960's
• revolutionary forms of literature
• newspaper played an important role
• the period of Martial Law begun in 1972 and lifted in 1981.
• new critical theories like Formalism and Post-Structuralism arose
• provided a venue in reviving traditional drama.
• Martial law years marked the repression and curtailment of human rights.
• Bilingual Education was initiated by the Board of National Education.
• Activism recurred after the assassination of Senator Ninoy Aquino.
• Creative writing is part of the curricular writings
• New criticism and structuralism continued to surface.
• Emergence of other literary criticisms like feminism.
• Literature reflected in social and political realities.