21st Century Literature of the Philippines and of the World (PDF)

# 21st Century Literature of the Philippines and of the World ## Lesson Targets - Identify literature and its various genres, forms, elements and traditions - Differentiate/compare and contrast the various 21st century literary genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elemen...

# 21st Century Literature of the Philippines and of the World ## Lesson Targets - Identify literature and its various genres, forms, elements and traditions - Differentiate/compare and contrast the various 21st century literary genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions ## Quick Recap ## Pre-Colonial/Pre-Spanish Literature - Our forefathers already had their literature, which reflected in their customs and traditions. - They had their alphabet even before they had colonized. - Our unique geographic location is the reason why we are rich in literature. ## Characterized by ### Folk Tales - These are made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror, and humor where one can derive lessons. - Example: _The Moon and the Sun (Mandaya)_ ## Epic Age - Epics are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events, usually of a hero, are dealt with at length. - Example: - _Gisumbi – Kalinga_ - _Maragtas - Panay_ ## Folk Songs - These are one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the pre-Spanish period. - These songs mirrored the early forms of culture. - Examples: - _Kundiman, Kumintang o Tagumpay_ - _Ang Dalit o Imno_ - _Oyayi o Hele_ # Philippine Literature ## Spanish Colonization Period ### Historical Background - On Easter Sunday, 31 March 1521, at Mazaua (today believed to be Limasawa Island in Southern Leyte), Magellan solemnly planted a cross on the summit of a hill overlooking the sea and claimed for the king of Spain possession of the islands he had seen, naming them Archipelago of Saint Lazarus. - Magellan conquered and sought alliances among indigenous Filipinos beginning with Datu Zula, the chieftain of Sugbu (now Cebu). - Magellan took special pride in converting them to Catholicism. - Datu Sula was the first Catholic. - Magellan's expedition got involved in the political rivalries between the Cebuano natives and took part in a battle against Lapu-Lapu, chieftain of Mactan Island and a mortal enemy of Datu Zula. - At dawn on 27 April 1521, Magellan invaded Mactan Island with 60 armed men and 1,000 Cebuano warriors. - Lapu-Lapu had an army of 1,500 on land. - Magellan waded ashore with his soldiers and attacked the Mactan defenders, ordering Datu Zula and his warriors to remain aboard the ships and watch. - Grossly outnumbered, Magellan and 14 of his soldiers were killed. The rest managed to reboard the ships. - In 1543, Ruy López de Villalobos named the islan of Leyte and Samar Las Islas Filipinas after Philip II of Spain. - Philip II became King of Spain on January 16, 1556, when his father, Charles I of Spain, abdicated the Spanish throne. - Philip ordered an expedition mounted to the Spice Islands, stating that its purpose was "to discover the islands of the west" In reality its task was to conquer the Philippines for Spain. - It is an accepted belief that the Spanish colonization of the Philippines started in 1565 during the time of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. ## Spanish Influences - The first Spanish Governor-General in the Philippines. - Executive Branch - Legislative Branch - Judiciary - Church - Literature started to flourish during his time. - Due to the long period of colonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards, they have exerted a strong influence on our literature. - The first Filipino alphabet called ALIBATA was replaced by the Roman Alphabet. - The teaching of the Christian Doctrine became the basis of religious practices. - Examples: _Novena, Rosary, 6:00 Prayer_ - The original religion of early filipinos was the Animism the worship of spirit. - The Spanish language which became the literary language during this time lent many of its words to our language. - Ancient literature was collected and translated to Tagalog and other dialects. - Many grammar books were printed in Filipino. - Examples: Tagalog, Ilocano and Visayan - Our periodicals during these times gained a religious tone. ## Doctrina Christiana - This was the first book printed in the Philippines in 1593 in xylography. - It was written by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva, in Tagalog and Spanish. - It contained the: - Pater Noster (Out Father) - Ave Maria (Hail Mary), - Regina Coeli (Hail Holy Queen), - the Ten Commandments of God, - the Commandments of the Catholic Church, - the Seven Mortal Sins, - How to Confess, - and the Cathecism. - Xylography - the art of making woodcuts or wood engravings. - Three old original copies of this book can still be found at the Vatican, at the Madrid Musem and at the US Congress. It contains only 87 pages but costs $5,000.00 ## Nuestra Señora del Rosario - This is the second book printed in the Philippines. - It was written by Fr. Blancas de San Jose in 1602, and printed at the UST Printing Press with the help of Juan de Vera, a Chinese mestizo. - It contained the: - Biographies of Saints, - Novenas de Rosario de Nuestra Señora - Novenas, - Questions and Answers on religion. ## Libro de los Cuatro Postrimerias de Hombre - This is the first typographic book in Tagalog printed in 1604 by Blancas de San Joses, also known as the Father of Tagalog Grammarians. - It focuses on the "four last things" of life, or the: - Death - Judgement - Hell - Glory ## Barlaan at Josephat - This is a Biblical story printed in the Philippines and translated to Tagalog from Greek by Fr. Antonio de Borja. - It is believed to be the first Tagalog novel published in the Philippines even if it is only a translation. - The printed translation has only 556 pages. - The Ilocano translation in poetry was done by Fr. Agustin Mejia. - The characters featured in this novel are: - Barlaan – An old Priest from Senaar - Josephat - A prince that wants to be baptize as Christian - Abenir – Father of josephat - Barachias - Found the tomb of Barlaan and Josephat ## Urbana at Felisa - This is a book by Modesto de Castro, the so called Father of Classic Prose in Tagalog. - This is a novel that focuses on letter correspondence, which greatly influenced the behavior of people in society. - The letters dealt with good behavior. - It is referred to as "Ama ng Tuluyang Klasika sa Tagalog ". ## Mga Dalit kay Maria - This is a collection of songs praising the Virgin Mary. - The songs were written by Fr. Mariano Sevilla, a Filipino priest, in 1865. - The songs were very popular especially during the Maytime "Flores de Mayo" festival. - These songs are about gratitude and the blessings of the Virgin Mary. - The use of flowers as a gift to the Virgin Mary symbolizes praises for her. - It is also given to Mary to give hope to those who have faith in her. ## Other Literary Compositions - **Arte y Reglas dela Lengua Tagala** (Art and Rules of the Tagalog language). This book was written by Fr. Blancas de San Jose and translated to Tagalog by Tomas Pinpin in 1610. - **Compendio de la Lengua Tagala** (Understanding the Tagalog language). This book was written by Fr. Gaspar de San Agustin in 1703. - **Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala** (Tagalog vocabulary). This book was written by Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura in 1613. - **Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga** (Pampanga vocabulary). This book was written by Fr. Diego in 1732. - **Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya** (Bisayan vocabulary). This book was written by Mateo Sanchez in 1711. - **Arte de la Lengua Ilokana** (The Art of the Ilocano language). This book was written by Francisco Lopez. ## Folk Songs - Folk songs became widespread in the Philippines. - Each region had its national song, from the lowlands to the mountains of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. - Folk songs truly manifest the artistic feelings of the Filipinos. - They show the Filipinos' innate appreciation for and love of beauty. - Examples: _Leron-Leron Sinta, Dandansoy, Sarong Banggi and Atin Cu Pung Singsing, Kundiman_. ## Recreational Plays - During the Spanish period, there were many recreational plays performed by Filipinos - Almost all of them were written in a poetic form such as: - Cenaculo, - Panunuluyan, - Salubong and - Zarzuela. ### The Cenaculo - This is a dramatic performance to commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ. - It is set to music by the Cantata, which is chanted like the Passion. The Cenaculo is written in octosyllabic verse, with 8 verses to the stanza. - The full length versions take about 3 nights of staging. - Actors come in costumes with wigs. - Performers are carefully chosen for their virtuous life. - One actor performs the role of Jesus Christ and another the role of the Virgin Mary. - The Hablada is spoken in a more deliberate manner. - The Hablada shows the rhythmic measure of each verse and the rhyming in each stanza. - The Hablada is a more dignified form in the Cenaculo. ### The Zarzuela - This is a musical comedy or melodrama that is commonly known as the father of the drama. - The Zarzuela is set in three acts. - Actors represent man's passions and emotions, such as: - Love - Hate - Revenge - Cruelty - Avarice - Other social or political problems ### Panunuluyan - This is a presentation of the search of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph for an inn wherein to deliver the baby Jesus. - This is typically presented before 12:00 on Christmas Eve. ### Carillo (Shadow Play) - This is a form of dramatic entertainment that is performed on a moonless night during a town fiesta or on dark nights after a harvest. - The play is made by projecting cardboard figures before a lamp against a white sheet. - The figures are moved like marionettes whose dialogues are produced by some experts. - The dialogues are drawn from a Corrido or Awit, or some religious play. - Songs are included. - It is called by various names in different places. - For example: - Carillo in Manila, Rizal and Batangas and Laguan; - TITRES in Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Bataa, Capiz and Negros; - TITIRI in Zambales; - GAGALO or KIKIMUT in Pampanga and Tarlac; and - ALIALA in La Union. ### The Moro-moro - This is a play that is typically performed during town fiestas to entertain the people. - The Moro-moro reminds the people of their Christian religion. - Although the story is similar for every play, they often feature a Christian princess or a nobleman's daughter who is captured by the Mohammedans. - The father organizes a rescue party where there is fighting between the Moros and the Christians. - Typically, the Mohammedans are defeated by some miracle or Divine Intercession. - Mohammedans are often converted to Christianity. - Sometimes, the whole kingdom is baptized and converted. - One example of a full conversion is Prinsipe Rodante. ### Karagatan - This is a poetic vehicle of a socio-religious nature celebrated during the death of a person. - This is often a formal event performed by the family and friends of the deceased. - The ritual is based on a legend about a princess who dropped her ring into the sea and who offered her hand in marriage to anyone who can retrieve it. - The play starts with a leader who announces the event and then spins a "lumbo" or "tabo" marked with a white line. - Whoever comes in the direction of the white line when the spinning stops gets to "go into the sea to look for the ring." - This means that a girl will ask a question to the boy, and he must answer it correctly in order to win her hand. ### The Balagtasan - This is a poetic joust or a contest of skills in debate on a particular topic or issue. - The Balagtasan replaced the DUPLO. - It is named after Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar, who is a prominent Filipino poet. ### Awit and Corrido - These two forms of Philippine literature are often used interchangeably. - They are stories of love in the form of poems of kings and queens, princes and princesses. - Famous writers include: - Jose de la Cruz - Huseng Sisiw - Francisco Baltazar - Balagtas # Period of Enlightenment (1972-1898) - In the 19th century, Filipino intellectuals educated in Europe referred to themselves as Ilustrados. - These individuals began to write about the effects of colonization and how their lives were impacted by the colonial system. ## The Propaganda Movement (1872-1896) - This movement spurred by middle-class intellectuals was created with the purpose of improving the lives of Filipino people. - Leading members of the movement included: - Jose Rizal - Marcelo del Pilar; - Graciano Lopez Jaena, - Antonio Luna, - Mariano Ponce, - Jose Ma. Panganiban, and - Pedro Paterno. ## Any Questions?