Filipino Literary Works Quiz

Origin of Literature

• The word "literature" comes from the Latin word "littera," meaning "letters."
• Literature refers to a body of written works from a culture, philosophy, or religion, presented in either prose or poetry.

History of Philippine Literature

Pre-Colonial Period

• All literatures originated from oral traditions.
• Filipinos were referred to as "natives," "ethnic minorities," or "tribal."
• Oral literature includes:
  • Riddles (Bugtong) - use metaphors to convey the answer to the riddle.
  • Proverbs (Salawikain) - express wisdom or beliefs from wise men or elderly.
  • Folk songs:
    • Lullabies (Hele) - sung to put babies to sleep.
    • Drinking Song (Tagay) - sung during drinking sessions.
    • Love Song (Harana) - done by men to court women.
    • Songs of Death - sung to immortalize one's good deeds.
  • Folk Tales - chanted orally at feasts and rituals, often to inspire and entertain.
  • Myths - aim to explain how things were created.
  • Epics - long, supernatural narratives about a hero's adventure, aided by spirits.

The Spanish Period

• The Spanish colonizers first settled in the Philippines in 1565.
• The Roman Catholic religion was one of the major contributions they brought.
• The Philippines was colonized for 333 years.
• Baybayin writing was suppressed as it was considered "blasphemous" by the friars.
• All literature in this period is religious in nature.
• Notable works:
  • Doctrina Christiana - the first book published in the Philippines, written by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva.
  • Pasyon - a narrative about the Passion, journey, and death of Jesus Christ.
  • Senakulo (Cenaculo) - a reenactment of the Passion of Christ.
  • Komedya - depicts the battle between Christians and Saracens or Moros.

Non-Secular or Non-Religious Literature

• Revolves around tales, valiance, and adventure.
• Notable works:
  • Awit - tales of chivalry with a knight saving a princess, in 12 syllables or dodecasyllabic.
  • Korido - a metrical tale or poem, in 8 syllables or octasyllabic, recited to a martial beat.

Propaganda Literature

• A way of sharing information to influence public opinion.
• Forms of satires, editorials, and news articles that attacked the Spanish rulers.
• Notable works:
  • Graciano Lopez Jaena's Ang Fray Botod - exposing the friars in the Philippines.
  • Marcelo H. Del Pilar's Ang Cadaquilaan ng Dios (God's Goodness) - a catechism aimed against parish priests.
  • Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere (Latin: Touch Me Not) - a novel that gave spirit to the propaganda movement.

The American Period

• Free Verse and New Criticism became popular among poets.
• Short Stories were the most prevalent literary form.
• Filipino writers transitioned from using regional languages and Spanish to English.
• Notable works:
  • Jose Corazon de Jesus' poetry, popularly known as "Batute."
  • Severino Reyes' Sarsuwela (drama in the form of singing) - a Filipino adaptation of the Spanish Zarzuela.
  • Walang Sugat - a drama depicting the cruelty and corruption of friars and the heroism of Katipunan soldiers.

Genres of Literature

• Genre refers to a type of art, literature, or music characterized by a specific form, content, and style.
• The 5 main genres of literature are:
  • Poetry
  • Drama
  • Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
  • Criticism

Literary Elements

• Plot - the sequence of events that make up a story.
• Exposition - the beginning of the story where characters, setting, and background are introduced.
• Rising - the complication/conflicts begin to unfold.
• Climax - the greatest tension in the story.
• Falling Action - reaching the conclusion where conflicts are resolved.
• Denoument (French: Ending) - where the story reaches finality.
• Theme - the central idea, topic, or point of a story.
• Point of View - the perspective from which the story is told.
  • First Person - seeing the events through the eyes of the characters.
  • Second Person - the narrator is speaking to the reader.
  • Third Person - the narrator is describing what's seen but as a spectator.

Literary Techniques

• Methods used by writers to craft elements of a story.
• Examples include:
  • Allegory - telling a story within a story.
  • Allusion - referencing another work.
  • Analogy - comparing two unrelated objects for their common qualities.
  • Back Story - previous events in the story.
  • Foreshadowing - hinting at something that will happen within the story.
  • Flashback - abrupt interjections that further explain a story or character with background information and memories.
  • Imagery - bringing people, places, and events to life.
  • Juxtaposition - the placement of two things together to highlight their differences.

Rhetorical Devices

• Simile - comparing two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common using "like" or "as."