21st-Century-Reviewer.docx

**21^st^ Century Reviewer** **Literature** is derived from the Latin word "**[littera]**" which means "a letter of the alphabet". [**Literature**] is a body of written works associated to imaginative and creative works of poetry and prose and can be classified according to variety of systems such...

**21^st^ Century Reviewer** **Literature** is derived from the Latin word "**[littera]**" which means "a letter of the alphabet". [**Literature**] is a body of written works associated to imaginative and creative works of poetry and prose and can be classified according to variety of systems such as language, national origin, historical period, genre and subject matter. **Literature** can either be in oral or written form. **Oral Literature** handed down from one generation to another, then later on transformed into **written** form **[Literary Text]** is the product of written literature **Characteristics of Literary Text** 1. It narrates a story 2. It expresses feelings, thoughts, and ideas which can either be based from the imagination or real life experiences of the author or other people. 3. It delivers significant information and crosses boundaries of time, places, cultures and languages. **[Literary Structure]** refers to the organizational method used in literature in which the most common type is the narrative. **Two Major Forms of Literature** 1. **Poetry** is usually written in lines and is characterized by having the element of rhythm, sound, imagery, and form. Its main purpose is to express feelings, thoughts and ideas. **Three types of Poetry** a. **Narrative Poetry** it tells a story and has the elements of narrative such as characters, setting, conflict, etc. b. **Dramatic Poetry** an emotionally appealing drama written in verse that tells a story and is intended to be recited or sung in from of the audience by a character speaking in poetry. c. **Lyric Poetry** it is the most common type of poetry that focuses on expressing feelings rather than telling a story. 2. **Prose** is a literary piece that applies a natural flow of speech and grammatical structures which are mainly consisting of complete sentences arranged logically and sequentially in a paragraph form. **Two types of Prose** a. **Fiction** a product of the writer's wild imagination and creative thinking where the characters react to the conflict and various issues central to the main idea of a literary work. b. **Non-Fiction** stories inspired by real events where the writers aim to present, interpret, or describe experiences based on facts. **[Genre]** refers to the forms of literature. **[Literary Elements]** refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text. **Epic** is derived from the Ancient Greek word 'epos' which means a poetic story. **Epic** is a long narrative poem usually related to heroic deeds of a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery. **Ballad** comes from the Latin word "Ballare" which means "to dance". **Ballad** refers to a poetic song that often tells a story, it is usually passed down through oral storytelling and songs; it can be dramatic, funny, or romantic. **Metric Tales --** metric or meter came from the Greek word 'metron' which means 'measure' **Metric Tales** -- it tells or narrates a story in measured arrangements of words, or rhythm. It is a short story in verse told in a simple and straight forward manner. It is also known as the "metric romance". **Three Most Important Periods of Philippine Literature** 1. **Pre-colonial Period** - Chants - Proverbs or Salawikain - Riddles or Bugtong - Songs - Folk Narratives - Heroic deeds - Nature - Supernatural - Education was imitative and informal - Limited access to literature because of the absence of a system of writing - Daily encounter and activities in life - mostly based on oral traditions passed down from generation to generation. 2. **Colonial Period** a. **Spanish Period** - Corrido - Pasyon - Cenaculo - Komedya and Moro-moro - Sarcastic and Pessimistic type of literature - Nationalism developed - Filipinos started to write oppression, corruption and other social ills like Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo **Early Spanish Period** - Morality - Religion b. **American Period** - Knowledge and information became accessible - Free Public Education - Short stories - Poet - Longing for Independence - Social Injustice and consciousness - Zoilo M. Galang. His work entitled \"A Child of Sorrow\" in 1921 is considered as the first Filipino novel in English. c. **Japanese Period** - Philippine Literature interrupted - Filipino writers were forbidden to write anything against the government, only those who were in exile had the privilege to do so. - English Language was banned - Short stories written in the vernaculars flourished in the country - Filipino were encouraged to write using the Tagalog language - Jose P. Laurel appointed as the President of Philippines 3. **Post-colonial Period** - Re-birth of freedom in the Philippines - Martial Law - People's Power - Poverty - Injustice - Activism - Social Issues **Some examples of literary works in the Philippines according to it's genre.** Epic - "Biag ni Lam-ang" by Anonymous Novel - "Noli Me Tangere" by Jose Rizal Essay - "What is an educate Filipino" by Francisco Benitez Short Story - "Footnote to Youth" by Jose Garcia Villa \- "Dead Stars" by Paz Marquez Benitez Myth - "How the World Began" by Anonymous **Types of Pre-colonial Literature** **Folk Tales --** these are stories which can be characterized as anonymous, timeless, and placeless tales circulated orally among a group of people. **Legends --** these are a form of prose which deal with the origin of a thing, location or name. **Myths --** the characters here usually have supernatural powers where the main purpose is to provide explanation about the existence of something or someone. **Epics --** these pertain to a type of long narrative poem mainly focusing on the heroic achievements and deeds of the main character. **Folk Songs --** these can be considered as the oldest forms of Philippine literature that mirror the culture which expresses hopes, aspirations, lifestyles, and emotions of early Filipinos. Some examples are kundiman, kumintang, oyayi or hele and some drinking songs. **Other Forms --** some examples are proberbs (salawikain), riddles (bugtong), chant (bulong), maxims or those with rhyming couplets of 5, 6 or 8 syllables, sayings (kasabihan), and idiom (sawikain). **Tanaga** is another favorite poem consisting of four rhyming lines of 7 syllables each. **Legends and Myths** -- both provide explanations as to the origin of something or someone. **Baybayin -** the ancient pre-Spanish form of writing.