REVIEW NOTES FOR 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE!!

ORIGIN & DEFINITION OF LITERATURE:

● “Literature” is derived from the Latin word litera which means “acquaintance with letters”.

 Literature, most generically, is anybody or collection of written works.

 It is a body of work either written, oral, or visual containing imaginative language that
realistically portrays thought, emotions, and experiences of the human condition.

 Literature is defined as “pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, especially those in the
form of novels, plays, short stories and poems.”

 Through Literature, we learn the innermost feelings and thoughts of people – the most real
part of themselves, thus we gain an understanding not only of others, but more importantly, of
ourselves and of life itself. – Garcia, et al, 1993.

 According to Kahayon (1998), literature deals with ideas, thoughts and emotions of man- thus it
can be said that literature is a story of man.

 Literature has many different meanings. That being said, for some, literature has a much defined
meaning. For others, they believe in a very simplistic understanding of the term. Literature is a
written work. By this, one can consider the more accepted writings as literature are; novels,
novellas, poetry, short stories, and speeches.

BRANCHES OF LITERATURE

PROSE - It includes novels, short stories, myths, parables, romance and epics. It is created using
sentences and paragraphs.

POETRY - It is much more economical in the use of words and relies heavily on imagery, figurative
language and sound. It is usually written in verses or stanzas.

SIGNIFICANCE OF LITERATURE

1. Expanding Horizons - When we read, we became travelers.

2. Building Critical Thinking Skills - When we read, we learn to read between the lines.
3. A leap into the Past - When we read, we intertwined with history.
4. Appreciation for other Cultures and Beliefs - When we read, we understand and experience the
systems and livings.
 5. Better writing skills - When we read, we expand our vocabulary.
6. Addressing Humanity - When we read, we realize the imperfection of life.

Hallmarks of Literature

1. Universality - Universality describes a piece of writing that appeals to the hearts and minds of
almost any reader.
 It appeals to everyone regardless of culture, race, sex, and time which are
considered significant.
2. Intellectual Value - Literature with intellectual value promotes critical thinking that enhances
both abstract and reason-based thought processes and makes readers focus on the fundamental
truths of life and nature.
3. Suggestiveness - A suggestive piece of literature relies on emotional power to convey nuances,
symbolism, implied meanings, imagery and messages.
4. Artistry - Artistry describes literature that is aesthetically appealing and reveals or conveys
hidden truth and beauty.
5. Spiritual Value - Literature with spiritual value lifts up the inner spirit and soul and has the
power to motivate and inspire readers.
 It typically draws on the suggested lessons and moral codes of society that
are depicted in various literary genres.
6. Permanence - Permanence is determined by a written work’s ability to stand the test of time,
which makes it impossible to determine at the moment of writing.
7. Style - Style refers to the distinct way the author expresses his or her thoughts.
- It presents peculiar ways on how man sees life as evidenced by the formation of his ideas,
forms, structures, and expressions which are marked by their memorable substance.
 PHILIPPINE LITERARY PERIODS
I. Pre-Colonial (BC. 1564)
 This existed before the Spanish occupation in the 1500s.
 During these times, the native Filipinos used to live in villages that were near food sources like coastal
areas, river banks and mountain sides.
 It is considered as the longest period in the Philippine’s literary timeline.
 Oral Literature was more than just stories to tell the young. They were the language of those that it came
from. It was the language of life of the community that it originates from, just like the epics, because of the
so-called communal authorship that represent the whole community; beliefs, attitudes and emotions.
 Content wise, the following are the usual ideas that prevail in pre-colonial oral literature:
- Life
- Blessings
- Consequence
- Birth
- Grave
 FORMS
Oral Literature
a. Riddles
b. Proverbs

Folk Songs
a. Lullabies
b. Drinking Songs
c. Love Songs
d. Songs Death
e. Religious Songs

Folk Tales
a. Myths - depicts how the world is created

b. Legends - origin of a thing, place, person & teaches a lesson

c. Fables - - uses animals as characters instead of human to entertain the readers & to express a lesson
(AESOP = father of fables)

d. Epics - depicts heroic deeds of the main character

II. Spanish Period (1521- 1898)

 The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan on the shores of Homonhon in March 6, 1521 spelled for the Philippines.
It has then become a Spanish colony
 Imposition of the Spanish monarchy and the Roman Catholic Religion, along with of the Spanish power was
to spread Christianity.
 In this era, folklore and other oral traditions were falsified as religion was used as reason to justify what has
been the long belief system of the Filipino natives.
 During this time, conversion was their main purpose, but reading the Bible was not allowed, and only the
priest was allowed to read it. The priests were the representatives of power.
  Spanish was also introduced as the mode of communication.

 FORMS
1. Religious Literature
a. Pasyon - a Christian narrative poem intended to replace the epics poems of the pagan past.

b. Senakulo - a stage plays on the passion and death of Christ.

c. Komedya - drew its plot from medieval Spanish ballads

2. Secular or Non-Religious Literature

a. Awit
b. Korido

3. Propaganda

NOTABLE WORKS DURING THIS PERIOD

• 1593- Dominicans put out Doctrina Cristiana, the first printed book.

• 1887- Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) is published. It expose Spain’s abuse of the Philippines
as well as its people.

• 1888- El Filibusterismo is published.

It is dedicated in memory of the Gomburza.

• Antonio Luna published La Independencia, a Spanish revolutionary literature.

• Francisco Balagtas- Florante at Laura

• La Solidaridad- the newspaper of the propaganda movement. Marcelo H. del Pilar (Plaridel):
editor of La Solidaridad

• Pedro Paderno: Ninay- the 1st Filipino novel.

• Sampaguita- a collection of Spanish poems that marked the beginning of national

consciousness among the Filipino intelligencia.

III. American Period (1900-1942)

 The Philippines had a great leap in Education and Culture.
 The use of English alongside Filipino was practiced.
 The Philippines Public School system was introduced.
 FORMS
1. Poetry
2. Drama
3. Remake Novels
  Philippine literature, at the end of the U.S. colonialism, had attained identity as national literature, largely as
a result of the patriotic and resistance literature produced during the early years of American rule.

NOTABLE WORKS DURING THIS PERIOD

Short Stories

 Dead Stars (1925) by Paz Marquez Benitez

 Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia Villa

Novel

● Child of Sorrow (1921) by Zoilo Galang – is the first novel written by a Filipino that is written in
the English language.

IV. Japanese Period (1941-1945)

 Philippine literature in English came to a halt.
 The use of English language was forbidden and the use of the Filipino language was mandated under
Japanese rule.
 The common theme of poems during the Japanese occupation was nationalism, country, love and life in the
barrios, faith, religion and the arts.
 The drama experienced a lull during the Japanese period because movie houses showing American films
were closed. The big movie houses were just made to show stage shows. Many of the plays were
reproductions of English plays to Tagalog.

HAIKU - It is made up of seventeen (17) syllables divided into three (3) lines. The first line has five, the
second – seven and the third- five. It is allegorical in meaning, touch of nature, emotion and time.

TANKA - A short poem with thirty-one syllables long. It is unrhymed and has units of five, seven,
five, seven and seven syllables, which traditionally printed as one unbroken line.

TANAGA - A short poem with thirty-one syllables long. It is unrhymed and has units of five, seven,
five, seven and seven syllables, which traditionally printed as one unbroken line.
V. The Contemporary Period
 Literature as a form of art became a medium by which Filipino clamor for freedom of expression.
 Contemporary Philippine literature reflects the scenario of the times where the chaos brought by martial law.
 Nationalism has dominated the writings of the young.

Genres of Literature
1. POETRY - uses figurative language to express implied meanings
2. SHORT STORY (slice of life) - presents a single plot & with limited number of characters. Can be
read in one sitting.
3. NOVEL (loaf of life) – presents a series of plot using chapters & has several characters for each
chapter.
4. NOVELLA - a narrative piece whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most
short stories.
5. DRAMA - a written work that tells a story through performing it on stage
6. ESSAY - Consists of opinions on a specific topic
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine Artists in Literature

1. Carlos Romulo
 Multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as educator, soldier, university president, journalist
and diplomat.
 He was the first Asian president of the United Nations General Assembly, then Philippine Ambassador to
Washington D.C, and later minister of foreign affairs.
 He was the only Asian to win America’s coveted Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of articles
predicting the outbreak of World War II.
 Romulo, in all, wrote and published 18 books, a range of literary works which include The United (novel), I
Walked with Heroes (autobiography), I saw the Fall of the Philippines, Mother America, I see the Philippines
Rise (war-time memoirs).
Major Works: Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN, and The Philippine Presidents,
his oral history of his experiences serving all the Philippine presidents.

2. Jose Garcia Villa

 He was considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless of race or language.
 He introduced the reversed consonance rime scheme, including the comma poems that made full use of the
punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way.
 He used Doveglion as pen name.
 Villa is also known for the tartness of his tongue.
Works: Footnote to Youth, Many Voices, Poems by Doveglion, Poems 55,
Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa as Chosen By Himself

3. Francisco Arcellana
 He is a writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher, is one of the most important progenitors of the
modern Filipino short story in English.
 He pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form.
Short Story Works: Frankie, The Man Who Would Be Poe, Death in a Factory, Lina,
A Clown Remembers, Divided by Two, The Mats
Poem Works: The Other Woman, This Being the Third Poem, This Poem is for Mathilda,
To Touch You and I Touched Her.

4. Nick Joaquin
 He was regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English writing so variedly and so well
about so many aspects of the Filipino.
 He was a novelist, poet, playwright and essayist.
 He used the pen name Quijano de Manila.
Major Works: Manila, The Woman Who Had Two Navels, Rizal in Saga, and
Almanac for Manilenos
5. Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales
 He is better known as N. V. M. Gonzales, fictionist, essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the Filipino spirit
in rural, urban landscapes.
 He received numerous awards including the City of Manila Medal of Honor in 1971, the CCP awards in 1990
and the role of Regents professor at the University of
California at Los Angeles in 1988-1989.
Major Works: The Winds of April, Seven Hills Away, The Bamboo Dancers,
Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories, Look Stranger,
On this Island Now, Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty-One Stories,
The Bread of Salt and Other Stories, Work on the Mountain,
The Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968 – 1994,

6. Cirilo F. Bautista
 He was a poet, fictionist and essayist with exceptional achievements and significant contributions to the
development of the country’s literary arts.
 Bautista contribute to the development of Philippine literature: as a writer, through his significant body of
works; as a teacher, through his discovery and encouragement of young writers in workshops and lectures;
and as a critic, through his essays that provide insights into the craft of writing and correctives to
misconception of arts.
 He received Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards as well as Philippines Free Press Awards for Fiction and
Pablo Roman Prize for Novel.
 He was hailed in 1993 as Makata ngTaon.
Major works: Summer Suns (1963), Words and Battlefields (1998),
The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus (2001), Galaw ng Asoge (2003)

7. Edith L. Tiempo
 She was a poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic who is one of the finest literary Filipino writers in English.
 Her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences.
 Her language has been marked as “descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing”.
Novel Works: A Blade of Fern (1978), The Native Coast (1979), and The Alien Corn (1992)
Short Story Works: Abide, Joshua and Other Stories (1964)
Poetry Collections: The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966), and
The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems (1993)

8. Amado V. Hernandez
 He was a poet, playwright, and novelist, and is among the Filipino writers who practiced “committed art”.
 He stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in prose closer to the colloquial than the “official” style
permitted.
 His novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit, first written by Hernandez while in prison, is the first Filipino socio-political
novel that exposes the ills of the society as evident in the agrarian problems of the 50s.
Works: Bayang Malaya, Isang Dipang Langit, Luha ng Buwaya, Amado V. Hernandez:Tudla at
Tudling: Katipunan ng mga Nalathalang Tula 192 – 1970, Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba
Pang Kuwento ni Amado V. Hernandez, Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda ni
Amado V. Hernandez
9. Virgilio S. Almario
 He was a poet, literary historian and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms.
 He has published 12 books of poetry.
 He redefined how Filipino poetry is viewed and paved the way for the discussion of the same in his 10
books of criticisms and anthologies.
 Works:
 12 Books of Poetry which include the seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark
trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa.
 10 Books of Criticism and Anthologies which are Ang MAKATA SA Panahon ng Makina,
Balagtasismo versus Modernismo, Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino,
Mutyang Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat

10. Lazaro Francisco y Angeles

 He was a Filipino novelist, essayist and playwright.
 He started writing in 1925, with five of his novels taking him to fame.
 He won separate awards from the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940 and 1946.
Major Works:
Novels: Binhi at Bunga (Seed and Fruit) 1925, Cesar1926
Short Stories: Deo 1927, Ang Beterano (The Veteran) 1931 and Ang Idolo (The Idol) 1932
POETRY
 It is a form of writing that uses not only words, but also form, patterns of sound, imagery, and
figurative language to convey the message.

 Poems can be structured by rhyming lines and meter:

 A type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in a concentrated
lyrical arrangement of words. Like music, it appeals to the senses and imagination. Poets
combine words, sounds and as well as their meanings to create vivid pictures and to express
deep feelings.

RHYME- is having the same sound at the end of two or more words.
EX. Bike-hike, Fore-Core, Store-Before, Four-Door
METER- is the basic rhythmic structure of a line within a poem or poetic work. It is based on a specific
number of stressed and unstressed syllables within the lines in the poem.
 Iamb
 Trochee
 Dactyl
 Anapest
 Spondee

Types of Poetry
A. Narrative poetry- tells a story. Its main purpose is to entertain through story telling.
 Epics- are long poems that exemplify the adventures of epic heroes and divine forces. EX. “The
Iliad” and “The Odyssey” by Homer
 Ballads- are narrative poems intended to be sung. They are shorter than epics and they usually
tell stories about a particular person. EX. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge

B. Dramatic Poetry- Poetry that presents a drama in verse. The action is told through the words
the characters speak. it is also known as dramatic monologue. Similar to narrative poetry, it tells
a story but it is meant to be spoken or acted.
EX. “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning

Poetry can be written in several different types of verse.

Free Verse
Free Verse is a form of Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed
metrical pattern.

Blank Verse
Blank Verse is Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Blank verse is often unobtrusive
and the iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of ordinary speech. William
Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse.

C. Lyric Poetry- Poetry that expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker, often in a
musical verse. it is a short poem that expresses the poet’s thoughts and emotions. They use
sensory language to set the scene and inspire emotions in the reader.
 Ode- is a serious elaborate lyric poem full of high praises and noble feelings.
EX. “Ode to Evening” by William Collins (1971-1959)
 Elegy- is a poem of meditation on life and death.
EX. “An Elegy Written on a Country Church Yard” by Thomas Gray
 Sonnet- is a 14-line lyric poem with a certain pattern of rhyme and rhythm.
EX. “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1986)

Imagery- refers to the sensation that language creates in the mind. They appeal to the senses of sight,
taste, touch, hearing, and smell.

Figure Speech/ FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE - is a literary device used as a word or phrase that has a
meaning that may be different than its literal meaning. It adds color and interest, and awakens the
imagination.

 SIMILE – a type of figurative language which is used to compare one thing against another, using
the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Ex. “As strong as an ox”, As brave as a lion”

 METAPHOR - is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to

which it is not literally applicable.

EX. The calm lake was a mirror.

 HYPERBOLE- is the act of using extreme exaggeration to emphasize a certain feature or quality.

EX. A million thanks to you!

 OXYMORON – a term which features two words which appear to contradict each other but
makes sense of the situation overall.

EX. “That woman is pretty ugly!”

 PERSONIFICATION- is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human

attributes.

EX. Lightning danced across the sky.

  IDIOM – a phrase which bears no literal meaning to the situation it is describing but itimplies the
facts or story behind it.

EX. “There is a silver lining in every cloud.”

 ONOMATOPOEIA- is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or

suggests the sound that it describes.

EX. At midnight, I could hear the tic-toc of the clock.

 SYMBOLISM – it is used to express an abstract idea using an item or words.

EX. “We had to put out a red alert.”

 ALLITERATION – the repetition of letters or sounds in used within one sentence.

EX. “Eagles end up eating entrails”. (ANY TONGUE TWISTER)

 PUNS – it create a play on words. They add an extra meaning to a subject and are often seen as
a form of joke or to be humorous.
EX. “A horse is a very stable animal”

 IRONY - When a statement made is directly contradictory to the reality. It is also used to convey
a style of sarcasm.
EX. “I posted on Facebook about how bad Facebook is.”
“I won the lottery on my retirement day.”

CREATIVE NON-FICTION

✔ It involves writing about personal experience, real people, or events. It is writing about FACT,
rather than fiction.

✔ According to Lee Gutkind,”The godfather of creative Nonfiction” it is defined as follows. “The

words “creative” and “nonfiction” describe the form. The word “creative” refers to the use of
literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonfiction—
factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner.

✔ The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your readers are as
enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.”
✔ We can define Creative nonfiction as, “true stories that are written using the style of fiction”.
Elements of Creative nonfiction
a. Setting- the place or situation of the story.
b. Descriptive Imagery- the way the writer paints the scene, or image, in the mind of the
reader. It usually involves descriptions of one or more of the five senses: sight, sound,
smell, touch, or taste
c. Figurative Language- As a counterpart to descriptive imagery, figurative language is
using language in a literary way to describe a literary moment.
d. Plot- the events that take place within the narrative
e. Character- The beings that are in the narrative.

These are present in fiction but are also used in nonfiction

5Rs of Creative Non-Fiction

✔ REAL LIFE

✔ REFLECTION

✔ RESEARCH

✔ READING

✔ WRITING

 AUTOBIOGRAPHY - is a self-written account of the life of oneself.

 BIOGRAPHY - Writer wrote a written account of the life of another person.

 ESSAY - is a written account of a person’s opinions.

 MEMOIR - The writer constructs a true story about a time or period in his/life

 TRAVEL WRITING - The writer crafts articles or essays about travel using literary devices.

 FOOD WRITING - The writer crafts stories about food and cuisine using literary devices.
 Hyper poetry
Hyperpoetry- is a form of digital poetry that uses links using Hypertext Markup language and is
related to hyperfiction and interactive novels and web novels.
 Much of the hyperpoetry in the web are of the traditional forms of poetry.
 Hyperpoetry includes verses with links to subpoems, footnotes or poetry generators and
sometimes even videos.

Textula
 These are Entire poems that are written and read on mobile phones.
 It traces its origins to traditional tagalog form of poetry called Tanaga.
 Text tula or Textula employs communication technology in the sharing of tanaga.
 The tanaga consists of 4 lines with 7 syllables each.
 The end of the lines are marked with /. This is due to being written in mobile phones.
Smartphones are just starting when textula was a thing.

Textula uses the following rhyme schemes.

Rhyme Schemes
 The Basic or AAAA Rhyme Scheme - This means it uses the same rhyme for each line.
 The Enclosed or ABBA Rhyme Scheme (a.k.a. inipit in Filipino)-This means that the first
and last line has the same rhyme, while the two middle lines have the same rhyme.
 The Alternate or ABAB Rhyme Scheme (a.k.a. salitan in Filipino)-This means that rhymes
alternate.
 AABB Rhyme Scheme (a.k.a. sunuran in Filipino)-This means that first and second line
has the same rhyme and the third and the fourth lines has the same rhyme but is
different from the first and second lines.
BLOG

 A blog (weblog) is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide

Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts).

 The term is said to have come from the words “weblog” coined by John Barger in 1997
and then shortened to “blog” by Peter Merholz in 1999.
 The word “blogger” was later created in reference to the person with a blog.
 With the popularity of the internet, blogs constituted another avenue for the largely
unrestricted flow of information and ideas.

Blog may classified according to their purpose:

 1. Art blog - is one that posts artistic works
 2. Photo blog - shows photographs
 3. Music blog -discusses one or many musical genres
 4. Educational blog- concerns itself with educational matters
 5. Personal blog - shows one’s personal musings on a given topic or topics.

Chicklit

 Is a genre of fiction, which "consists of Female-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 light-hearted ways
 .At its onset, chick lit's protagonists tended to be "single, white, heterosexual, British
and American women in their late twenties and early thirties, living in metropolitan
areas"
  .The genre became popular in the late 1990s, with chick lit titles topping bestseller lists
and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit.
 Chick lit critics generally agreed that British author Catherine Alliott's The Old Girl
Network (1994) was the start of the chick lit genre and the inspiration for Helen
Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary (1996) which was wildly popular and is the "ur-text" of
chick lit.

 In the Philippine context chick lit tends to be looked upon by some of the older
generation as trashy pocketbooks and novels that encourage young people to do
“Young love”.

ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY

CHARACTER

 PROTAGONIST is the hero/heroine in the story.

 ANTAGONIST is the villain in the story.

 DEUTERAGONIST is the side characters in the story.

Types of Characters

 FLAT CHARACTER is a type of character that doesn’t change its character in the story.

 ROUND CHARACTER is a type of character that develops its character in the story.

SETTINGS - is the time and location in which the story took place.

PLOT - is the sequence of events of a story.

PLOT PYRAMID/ FREYTAG’S PYRAMID

1. Exposition - Is the beginning of the story.

2. Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict
in the story is revealed
3. Climax - is the most interesting part or the turning point of the story
4. Falling Action - is where the conflict is being resolved
 5. Denoument/ Resolution – is the aftermath of the conflict.

CONFLICT - is the main problem of a story.

 Man vs. Man (physical)

 The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or
animals.

 Man vs. Circumstances (classical)

 The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.

 Man vs. Society (social)

 The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.

 Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological)

 The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own

soul, ideas of right or wrong,
physical limitations, choices, etc.
THEME - is the main idea of the story.