Rizal and El Filibusterismo Overview

Rizal and El Filibusterismo

• The 2000 National Book Award for "Pinakamahusay na Pagsasalin" was given to a translation of El Filibusterismo, by Jose Rizal.
• Objectives for studying El Filibusterismo include recalling Rizal's experiences, familiarizing oneself with characters, settings, and plot; describing the context of writing; appraising the novel's contribution to national consciousness; and comparing/contrasting it with Noli Me Tangere.

Belgium

• In January 1890, Rizal left Paris for Brussels, Belgium, due to high living costs and many social gatherings.
• Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo in a Brussels boarding house located at 38 Rue Philippe Champagne.
• The boarding house was owned by two Jacoby sisters, Suzanne and Marie.
• While in Belgium, Rizal contributed articles to La Solidaridad, in addition to writing his novel.
• Leisure activity during this time included gymnastics, fencing, and shooting.

Rizal's Experiences and Worries

• Letters from home conveyed worry about legal issues with his father, worsening agrarian problems in Calamba, and the deportation of family members.
• These personal struggles were in addition to the turmoil and difficulties in writing.

Madrid Days

• Rizal's compatriots, Jose Ma. Panganiban and Feliciano Gonzales Timbang, passed away.
• Rizal's parents faced eviction.
• In December 1890, Rizal received a letter from Leonor Rivera concerning her upcoming marriage to Henry Kipping.

El Filibusterismo Context

• The novel began with a steam ship called Tabu navigating the Pasig River, approaching Laguna.
• Social stratification within the passengers, divided between upper and lower decks, is a key theme.

Themes of El Filibusterismo

• Simoun, a character with wealth and political influence, encouraged Spanish government and the governor-general to oppress the masses to cause revolt.
• Maria Clara's revenge plot involves medical students and a wedding, ultimately leading to a house explosion.
• Near the end, Simoun confesses his plan to destroy those who caused pain, and dies peacefully.
• The events were set in Hong Kong, followed by Rizal's trip to the Netherlands/Belgium, with his friend Valentin Ventura's help to publish the novel in 1891.

Additional Details

• Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in October of 1887 and finished the novel in March of 1891 in Biarritz.
• The novel was dedicated to the memory of the three priests executed in 1872 on February 17th.
• El Filibusterismo presented themes of Philippine Nationalism in a complex and dramatic manner, designed to motivate frustrated people due to the issues of anti-clericalism and greed.
• The original copy of El Filibusterismo is preserved in the Bureau of Public Libraries in Manila, acquired by the Philippine government.
• Before sailing to Hong Kong, Rizal stopped writing for La Solidaridad to help maintain unity and improve Philippine politics from Europe.
• In Hong Kong, Rizal's family joined him and resumed his medical practice. This also helped him continue his novel writing without fear of persecution.
• In 1891, after a brief stay in Paris, Ghent and Marseilles, Rizal boarded the S.S. Melbourne to Hong Kong. His trip to the destination was deemed pleasurable.
• The family of Rizal arrived before Christmas in 1891 and his mother had suffered greatly from brutality and injustice. He had also successfully operated her eye a second time.