INTRODUCTION TO

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
By Katrina Melissa Cruz

Philippine literature withstood time and periods and has evolved through generations. For
every period that passed, different genres appeared, and these literary works rooted from
all regions reflecting their culture, society and lifestyle.

The early stages of Filipino Literature consist of the Pre-Spanish period, the Spanish
period and the Propaganda and Revolutionary Periods. In the Pre-Spanish period,
literature was in oral form as technology of printing wasn’t available yet. Works such as
epics, legends, folklore, salawikain, bugtong, sawikain, songs such as
the Oyayi or Hele are passed on from generations to generations and they are still well-
known up to this day as they are being taught in schools. Philippine Literature changed
during the Spanish Period. It was centered on Christian faith. Pre-Spanish literary types
continued to develop; however, there was a gradual shift of interest from nature and
natural phenomena to the lives of the saints, hymns, miracles and invocations based on
the teachings of the Catholic Church. The works during this time are imitative of the
Spanish theme, forms, and traditions. The corrido, awit, dalit, cenaculo, moro-moro, duplo
and karagatan, and zarzuela are reflective of the said characteristics. Religious matters
were in prose as novenas and prayer books, biographies of the saints, tales and novels.
The Filipinos were able to retain their native traditions and poems in the field of poetry
reflected as lyrical folksongs and riddles. Some examples of songs are Bahay Kubo,
kundiman, and tapat. Francisco Baltazar also was popular during this time because of
his “Florante at Laura”. Events such as the exposure of the Filipinos to Europe’s liberal
idealism, the opening of the Suez Canal, the Spanish Revolution in 1868, and the
martyrdom of Gomburza led to Filipino nationalism. This gave birth to two movements
during this time – the Propaganda movement and the Revolutionary movement. The
Propaganda movement was reformatory in objective and its members are college
students mostly based in Spain. The primary propagandists were Jose Rizal, Marcelo H.
del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. The exposure of the evils of the Spanish rule in the
Philippines was because of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and has paved
the way to a revolution against Spain. Del Pilar’s essays and editorials in Diariong
Tagalogwhich he founded with Lopez-Jaena’s articles in La Solidaridad which he was an
editor reflected nationalism that was dominant at this time.

The Revolutionary movement took over as the propagandists failed to get much reforms.
This was of course more violent, and it demands complete independence from Spain.
The Katipunan was founded by Andres Bonifacio who was inspired by Rizal’s novels. The
articles written in tagalog (which was a form of revolution) was published in
the Kalayaan, the newspaper of the society. The literature at that time was more
propagandistic than literary as the situation and events at that time needed such purpose
for liberation.

The three periods mentioned are the core of our history and literature. History has a very
important role in literature as literature not only reflects facts with aesthetic language but
more importantly, it displays the ideas and feelings of the people living at that time. Not
only does literature exhibit history but so as the hope that people have. It shows what
they hope for the nation, or for themselves, may it be about nationalism, love, or other
aspects going on in life. As the Philippines underwent a lot of history, as well as changes,
literature also evolved. In the similar case as the first three periods, literary genres also
evolve depending on the influence, state and the condition that our country is in. From
epics to folksongs, to the cenaculo and Noli Me Tangere, to Tagalog and English short
stories, essays, poetry, to the Palanca Awards entries, drama and film, to Wattpad and
blogs – these are all reflective of the history, evolution, and developments or mishaps of
the Filipino nation. Each period has its own distinct genre and unique artists that everyone
remembers.

21st century literature per se, is anything that was written and published in the year 2000s.
It is a bit too early to give a definite and elaborate description of the 21st century literature
in the Philippines and the world. It is possible, however, to approach contemporary
literature as a reaction to and dialogue with existing forms of expressive culture. As we
engage in technology more and more, we create and discover more existing forms of
expressive culture as well. We have a wide range of resources through the internet and
this gave opportunities to people, especially the youth, to begin writing and expressing
their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. A perfect example would be WattPad. It became
popular to the Filipino youth in 2006.

The idea is to create an e-book reading application, as e-books are becoming in demand
during that time, however, the founders thought that it would be time consuming to
maintain their own catalog, so they decided to let the community decide what they want
to read, and they can also upload their works and content into the application. This had
made it possible for the youth to read more and to start creating their own compositions.

It has become a network.

Here are more examples of literary genres in the 21st century Philippine literature:

Creative nonfiction
 It’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and
others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a
research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these.

Some of the creative nonfiction in the Philippines are:

1. “The Cardinal’s Sins, the General’s Cross, the Martyr’s Testimony, and Other
Affirmations” by Gregorio C. Brillantes
2. “Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories” by Jessica Zafra
3. “Sapay Koma” by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

Hyper poetry

Hypertext poetry and hypertext fiction are new genres of literature that use the computer
screen as medium, rather than the printed page. The literary works rely on the qualities
unique to a digital environment, such as linked World Wide Web pages or effects such as
sound and movement. Hypertext “poetry” can consist of words, although not necessarily
organized into lines and stanzas, as well as, sounds, visual images, movement or other
special effects. Although the poem may be dazzling with sounds, perhaps of a
lawnmower, while the words “mowing,” “stop,” “Sunday,” and “morning” float across your
computer screen in pseudo-three-dimensional letters, one will have been hard pressed
to identify the use of any formal poetics.

Mobile phone text tula

A cell phone novel, or mobile phone novel is a literary work originally written on a cellular
phone via text messaging. This type of literature originated in Japan, where it has become
a popular literary genre. However, its popularity has also spread to other countries
internationally, especially to China, United States, Germany, and South Africa. Chapters
usually consist of about 70-100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.

Chick lit

This is genre fiction, which “consists of heroin-centered narratives that focus on the trials
and tribulations of their individual protagonists”. The genre often addresses issues of
modern womanhood – from romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the
workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways.

Some of the chick lit in the Philippines are:

1. Spotlight New Adult by Mina V. Esguerra

2. Tall Story by Candy Gourlay
3. All’s Fair in Blog and War by Chrissie Peria

Speculative fiction

It covers all stories from fantasy to science fiction to slipstream to magic realism to urban
fantasy — so on and so forth. In other words (or in other worlds), it encompasses all the
stories that are removed from the reality that we are currently living in. As the introduction
states, “speculative fiction is a type of story that deals with observations of the human
condition but offers the experience through a different lens…and challenges us to see
what tomorrow could be like or what the mythic past of our imagination actually is.”

Some of the speculative fiction in the Philippines are:

1. Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan

2. Sink by Isabel Yap
3. The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon

Flash fiction

Flash fiction goes by many names, including microfiction, microstories, short-shorts, short
short stories, very short stories, sudden fiction, postcard fiction and nanofiction. While it
can be difficult to pinpoint an exact definition of flash fiction based on word count,
consideration of several of its features can help provide clarity, like its brevity, length,
background and purpose.

Some of the flash fiction in the Philippines are:

1. 100 Kislap, by Abdon M. Balde Jr.

2. Karapote: Antolohia Dagiti 13 a Nasuerte A Sarita, by Ariel S. Tabag

Blog

A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying

information in the reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first. It is a
platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual
subject.

Graphic novels
 The ‘graphic novel’ has existed as an art form arguably from the time our species learned
how to paint. However, the term has only been in use since the 1960’s, and though it’s
often a hotly debated issue, it’s generally accepted that a graphic novel is a longer work
or collection of works presented in ‘comics’ style.

Some of the graphic novels in the Philippines are:

1. The Mythology Class (Nautilus comics) by Arnold Arre

2. Light (Anino comics) by Rob Cham
3. Sixty Six (Anino comics) by Russell Molina
4. Maktan 1521 by Tepai Pascual

Contemporary writers often consciously draw inspiration and ideas from the writers who
have come before them. As an outcome, many works of 21st literature deal with the
events, movements and literature of the past in order to make sense of the current times.
In addition, the technological developments of the 21st century have directed other writers
to theoretically write about the future, usually to comment on the present and suggest
introspection.

There are various themes and topics that the contemporary literature addresses. One of
which is Identity. With increasing globalization, intersections of cultures and more vocal
discussions of women’s rights and LGBT rights, identity has become a common theme in
21st century literature. In a world that is now able to exchange ideas more quickly than
ever before via the Internet and other technological advancements, people have relatively
more freedom to draw from multiple cultures and philosophies and question the concept
of the self and its relation to the body, brain and “soul.” Another theme is history and
memory. Often contemporary literature explores the notion of multiplicities of truth and
acknowledges that history is filtered through human perspective and experience. Another
main theme is technology. Today, technology is more integrated into people’s lives than
ever before. Dreams of what technology could potentially help people become and
anxieties regarding the demise of humanity because of technology can be seen in 21st
century literature. Additionally, many 21st century works of literature explore what it
means when all of humanity’s experiences are filtered through technology. These are just
among many themes that 21st century literature covers. Among these are of course, love,
sex, family, religion, but approached in a different way. They are more liberal and
unfiltered in a sense, just like the world we live in. For this reason, the language and tone
that are commonly used doesn’t really follow a rule just like the traditional and classical
works, as long as it is able to express and convey the authenticity and the essence of the
meaning of the work and the identity of the characters. Examples of this would be the
works of Bob Ong, Ricky Lee, and Bebang Siy. The poems of Maria Cecilia dela Rosa
are perfect examples of 21st century literature as she conveys a different flavor and turn
to her works.
The previous periods had already established canon writers and their works which, until
now, are being studied in schools and universities. As times change, people need to
innovate and become more aware of the present time and condition, as well as the events
that recently directed us to be at the current circumstances that we stand. Modernization,
invention, expression and a wider point of view are results of the arising awareness
people have. Modern day Filipinos, as well as the youth of today become more conscious
of what’s happening, primarily because of easier access to education and technology.
Print, we might say, is gradually dying but our appetite for information continues to grow
and of course literature, along with technology still thrives. All of this paved the way to
the 21st century Literature, with various genres, themes and voices. The Philippines
continues to develop in many aspects and as a liberal and democratic country, we are
part of the worldwide innovation of ways on how to exchange and share ideas about the
present events which have much similarities in each country.

Since we are in the age of technology, we use them to impart and experience literature
to make it more interesting especially to the young ones. They grew up using technology
as a primary learning tool and for them to be more engaged in literature, technology such
as the internet and gadgets play a huge role for them in acquiring knowledge and
information.

Literature continues to change with society and although we are in the 21st century and
are binded with technology, authors are still trying to address absolute human questions
in new ways and therefore, reconcile them with the ever-changing technology that
surrounds us; hence, the birth of the different 21st century literary genres.

In the new educational system that the Philippines is currently under which is the K+12
program, students are also entitled to learn the new literary genres that we have in the
21st century. In this guide, we will find the different characteristics of the 21st century
literature in the Philippines and their genres, along with their representative texts that
tackles their relevance to our current situation.
 INTRODUCTION TO
WORLD LITERATURE
By Katrina Melissa Cruz

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist,

statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist, considered the greatest German
literary figure of the modern era. The idea of World Literature came from him as his
interest to Chinese literature, among others, flourished. Goethe searched for an
alternative to both metropolitan culture and German nationalism since the German artists
and intellectuals responded to the metropolitan culture, which is French literature, through
nationalist initiative. Goethe found the solution to be world literature.

World literature started out to be an ideal or ambition. Goethe said, “The era of world
literature is at hand, and everyone must contribute to accelerating it.” Centuries later, this
statement remains to be true. World literature is a market that must be sustained as the
circulation of literature is somehow still experiencing some challenges and debates such
as the considerations to be taken note of when letting a work be included as world
literature and of course, regarding the issue of translation. The challenges on circulation,
however, are not as grave as the recent years. Today in the 21 st century, because of
technology and freedom of expression, as well as our growing need for information, we
continue to accelerate world literature as more and more people contribute to it.

There are many factors for a literary piece to be qualified as World Literature, let alone to
be called “literature”, per se. World literature is used to refer to the sum total of the world’s
national literatures, but usually it denotes the circulation of works into the wider world
beyond their country of origin. To be considered world literature, it has to speak to people
of more than one nationality, hence it transcends borders. Often used in the past primarily
for masterpieces of Western European literature, world literature today is increasingly
seen in global context because in the present time, countries are experiencing similar
situations and somehow, they are all linked together. Literature went through profound
changes in the 20th and 21st centuries, partly in that of technology, communication and
warfare.

As we went through World War II and the rapid expansion of technology and
communication, artists are more likely to share new ideas and express themselves than
they had ever had in history. There is more freedom then until now. Experimentation in
writing from the early century continued, and as writers had more access to ideas from
other cultures, they had more with which to experiment. And now, when ideas are shared
in an instant, writers have a nearly unbounded ideas and topics from which to choose and
the freedom to question any assumption.

The early literary genres that were developed are still being studied and read until today
such as poetry, drama, fiction, essay, and epic. From these genres, as we live in the
internet age and the continuous blooming of technology happens, literary genres continue
to develop and grow, and they are not limited to the above mentioned. In addition, 21st
century literature is in progress and thriving now along with the genres to be able to
accommodate the present resources and lifestyle we have, especially for the students
who now have a different learning process and resources.

In the modern vernacular, 21st century literature is associated with its academic context,
pertaining to the enduring works of fiction, philosophy, history, etc. that have been studied
for generations and molded the foundations of our thought. Yet literature by its definition
comprises all written works, a truth that has never been more applicable than in our
current internet age, when the written word is more accessible and democratic than ever
before.

The 21st century reader grew up using technology as a primary learning tool and this
made them skilled in navigating and interpreting digital formats and media messages.
They have literacy skills which consists of technological abilities such as the use of the
keyboard, internet navigation, ability to communicate and interpret coded language and
decipher graphics. 21st century literature deals with current themes and issues and it also
reflects a technological culture, it also breaks traditional writing rules; hence, themes and
issues we are going through now are freely written, expressed, and conveyed through
technology. For this reason, genres such as IM and blog format books, digi-fiction, doodle,
creative non-fiction, manga, and graphic novels, among others are emerging.

Students, readers and writers alike need to develop proficiency with the tools of
technology and build associations with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively
and cross-culturally. They also need to design and share information for global
communities to see various purposes. They must manage, analyze, and synthesize a
manifold of streams of synchronized information. They should create, critique, analyze,
and evaluate multi-media texts. Hence, the internet serves as a tool for efficient
expressiveness and sharing of ideas and information. Social media, blogsites, and
marketing sites such as Amazon and Rakuten that freely lets people publish their works
as electronic books enables and encourages us to bring out our creativity. They are
avenues for people to write and read different kinds of works with various relevant themes
and issues happening around us and they become part of the 21st century literature.

It is essential for the students’ awareness to be raised, as well as their interest to the
social and cultural conditions we have now. It is important for students to be more socially
and culturally conscious of what the world needs to be able to shape what is in store for
the future and with the help of technology, as long as they get to use it well with the help
of education, they may be able to do so