WORLD

LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION

Some of the contemporary writers nowadays are quite adept at portraying their cultures
through fiction.
Some of these are:
a. Charlson Ong’s epic novel Banyaga, which narrates the plight of Chinese Filipino boys and
their hardships in the country
b. Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in Afghanistan and tells the story of two
women who are placed in a situation that leaves them no choice but to depend on each other
c. Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle tells the story of a man searching for
something and his tales of another world
d. and Chinua Achebe’s classic Things Fall Apart is all about a tribe in Africa that chronicles
its societal issues and battles against outside colonizing forces.
 THE FILIPINO-CHINESE IN WORLD LITERATURE
• Ethnic Chinese and Native Filipinos have interacted with each other since the 9th century, when the
Chinese sailed toward the Philippines to barter and trade items.
• Some of them stayed in the islands and got married with the daughters of prominent tribes. Thus, the
history of the Chinese and Filipinos is very much intertwined not only in local history.
Throughout the history of the Philippines, an island located in the Pacific Ocean, their languages have
been influenced by many other language groups. The position of this country, made the opportunities for
trade of their neighbor countries in Asia much easier.
The Filipinos had their own literature, which has been passed from generation to generation orally.
Their oral literature prominently figures in community life and the subjects are common people experiences
such as their day to day situations, activities, and encounter with the nature.
Starting from the past, until today, some social events in the country have been accompanied by
poetry and music such as riddles or bugtong, proverbs or salawikain, songs or kundiman, fables, folktales,
myths, and legends.
LET US DISCUSS THESE ONE BY ONE.

Starting with the riddle.

This is an indirect presentation of an object, by stating characteristics features or peculiarities, enough to call
it to mind without naming it. Philippine riddles are a very important part of Filipino culture. Also known as
“bugtong” in The Philippines, these brainteasers are enjoyed by young and old alike.
Riddles have been a central part of the Filipino tradition since well before the country became a colony of
Spain, and the tradition persisted throughout the colonial period and into modern times. They are an
important part of the oral history tradition of the country and have been passed down for several generations.
Some of the Philippine riddles popular in the Philippines are versions of riddles that are found in most
cultures, while others are unique to the islands. Although thematically some of the riddles may be similar to
riddles found in other countries, they are also distinctly Filipino in their references.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RIDDLES
When told in the native Tagalong language, the riddles employ many poetic devices. They usually rhyme
and they often rely on simile and metaphor to offer clues. The riddles tend to be one (1) or two (2) lines and refer
to a specific object. The rhyming is lost in English translations of the riddles. Sometimes, the figurative language is
difficult for non-Filipinos to understand as well, since the references and descriptions may be unique to that region.
Further, some of the objects referred to in the riddles may be foreign to outsiders not familiar with Filipino culture
• 1. Kung kailan mo pinatay, saka pa humaba ang buhay.
• Sagot: kandila
• 2. Baboy ko sa pulo, ang balahibo'y pako.
• Sagot: langka
• 3. Nang sumipot sa maliwanag, kulubot na ang balat.
• Sagot: ampalaya
• 4. Isang butil ng palay, sakot ang buong buhay.
• Sagot: ilaw
• 5. Ako ay may kaibigan, kasama ko kahit saan.
• Sagot: anino
• 6. Sa araw ay bungbong, sa gabi ay dahon.
• Sagot: banig
• 7. Dumaan ang hari, nagkagatan ang mga pari.
• Sagot: siper
• 8. Munting hayop na pangahas, aaligid-aligid sa ningas.
• Sagot: gamu-gamo
• 9. Tinaga ko ang puno, sa dulo nagdurugo.
• Sagot: gumamela
• 10.Naabot na ng kamay, ipinagawa pa sa tulay.
• Sagot: kubyertos
FILIPINO FOLKSONGS

Moving on to the next one, we have the songs. As the Filipinos are known to be music lovers,
music became a way for Filipinos to express their feelings and aspirations in life. Even the most
common people have their own music. Filipino folks clearly and lucidly express their experiences
and dreams through folk songs. Among the most popular traditional folk songs include “Bahay
Kubo”, “Paroparong Bukid”, “Magtanim ay ‘Di Biro”, and many others.
Undoubtedly, the most popular traditional Filipino folk song is “Bahay Kubo” (Nipa Hut). The
song tells of a small hut surrounded with a variety of vegetables. It was composed by Felipe de
Leon.
• Bahay kubo, kahit munti, ang halaman duon ay sari-sari. Singkamas at talong, Sigarilyas at mani.
Sitaw, bataw, patani. Kundol, patola, upo't kalabasa. At saka meron pa…
PROVERBS

Lastly, we have the Proverbs.

It is known as a pithy sayings that contain advice or state a basic truth.
They reflect folk wisdom as to how to act and live, hence,
they show the cultural values and the physical environment of the region where they originated.
See the examples below:
• “A broom is sturdy because its strands are tightly bound.”
• (Matibay ang walis, palibhasa'y magkabigkis.)
• People gain strength by standing together.
• “While the blanket is short, learn how to bend.”
• (Hangga't makitid ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot.)
• If your blanket is too short to cover you completely with your legs straight, bend them so that you fit. In other words,
learn how to adapt to your environment and be satisfied with what you have. If you have less in life, learn to be frugal
until you come to the point when you can spare some money for a little bit of luxury.
• “It is hard to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.”
(Mahirap gisingin ang nagtutulog-tulugan.)
• While it is easy to tell people something they do not know, it is much harder if they are willfully
choosing not to see what is before them.
• “If you persevere, you will reap the fruits of your labor.”
• (‘Pag may tiyaga, may nilaga.)
• They don't call them the fruits of labor for nothing. Hard work and perseverance are needed to
reach your goals. But if you keep trying, one day you will enjoy the results of your efforts.
• “New king, new character.”
• (Bagong hari, bagong ugali.)
• New leadership always brings new ways.
• “If you plant, you harvest.”
• (Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.)
• Your future will be the result of your actions today. Plan ahead.
• “Weeds are difficult to kill.”
• (Mahirap mamatay ang masamang damo.)
• It can be hard to completely rid yourself of bad things or people.
• “Don't trust strangers.”
• (Huwag kang magtiwala sa di mo kilala.)
• This is self-explanatory. You can never be sure that people you don't know truly have your well- being in mind. Don't put
yourself in their hands.
• “Even though the procession is long, it will still end up in church.”
• (Pagkahaba-haba man daw ng prusisyon, sa simbahan din ang tuloy.)
• Some things are inevitable. This proverb specifically refers to a couple that seems destined to
marry, even if it takes a long time.
AFTER THIS DISCUSSION ON THE PHILIPPINE ORAL LORE, LET US NOW MOVE TO
THE DISCUSSION OF THE VARIOUS 21ST CENTURY LITERARY GENRES AND THEIR
ELEMENTS, STRUCTURES, AND TRADITIONS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE.

• Ancient Period • Babylonia and Assyria

• Egypt • Has religious literature consisted mainly of
• The oldest extant literature are the literary remains of the • 1. ritual of worship;
Middle Kingdom of Egypt, which are written in ink on
• 2.magical incantations to repel evil spirits in this life;
papyrus.
• 3. predictions of the future, and
• There still exist fragments of stories such as:
• 4. epics dealing with such topics as creation and the
• a. The marvelous adventures of a shipwrecked sailor or
flood.
• b.The tale of the eloquent peasant.
• These themes appear also in the Hebrew Book of
• There are collections of wise sayings, shrewd
Genesis.
observations, and good counsel.
• In Greece • India
• Homeric poems represented an age of epic poetry with the Odyssey as • Religion and literature were prominent features in their civilization
a shining example. following the Rig- Veda.
• The earliest complete specimens of tragedy and comedy are those • The two (2) great epics
composed in Attic Greece for Athenian festivals of Dionysus, the wine-
god. Thus, they were closely connected with religion and public life, • A. Mahabharata and
drawing their subjects and characters from the myths. • B. Ramayana ( date back to the Sutras of the first centuries of our era).
• In China • The golden age of Sanskrit literature was about 400-800 A.D. of
• The oldest extant Chinese literature are the “Five Classics”, which which works Arabic learning,
became the component stones in China’s true Great Wall against • a. the commentaries on the Koran
Barbarism.
• b. collection of Muslim tradition
• Rome
• c. biographies of Mohammed
• Ennius, an epic poet commonly called the Father of Literature, was
• d.religious and historical literature
admitted to Roman citizenship. To a great extent, Rome derived not
only its art and literature, but also its religious mythology and its • E. science, and medicine are noteworthy.
historical legends, from the Greeks.
• In Greece
• Homeric poems represented an age of epic poetry with the Odyssey as a shining example.
• The earliest complete specimens of tragedy and comedy are those composed in Attic Greece for Athenian
festivals of Dionysus, the wine-god. Thus, they were closely connected with religion and public life,
drawing their subjects and characters from the myths.
• In China
• The oldest extant Chinese literature are the “Five Classics”, which became the component stones in
China’s true Great Wall against Barbarism.
• Rome
• Ennius, an epic poet commonly called the Father of Literature, was admitted to Roman citizenship. To a
great extent, Rome derived not only its art and literature, but also its religious mythology and its historical
legends, from the Greeks.
• India
• Religion and literature were prominent features in their civilization following the Rig- Veda.
• The two (2) great epics
• A. Mahabharata and
• B. Ramayana ( date back to the Sutras of the first centuries of our era).
• The golden age of Sanskrit literature was about 400-800 A.D. of which works Arabic learning,
• a. the commentaries on the Koran
• b. collection of Muslim tradition
• c. biographies of Mohammed
• d.religious and historical literature
• E. science, and medicine are noteworthy.
ON THE OTHER HAND, DURING THE MEDIEVAL
PERIOD,
In medieval France, 1130-50
This is where the literary genre called Romance was originated.
The characteristic feature of early French literature is its inclination toward the wonderful,
improbable, the exaggerated, and the wholly ideal.
The only type of medieval literary production exempt from these romanticizing tendencies was the
family and historical prose saga developed in Iceland at the end of the 12th and early 13 th century.
This period can boast of Britain’s Arthurian legends, France’s Chanson de Roland, Icelander’s
Sagas, Germany’s Dr. Schwanritter, and Spain’s Amadis de Gauia.
At the beginning of the 13th century, sentimental romances with an adventurous or pseudo historical
contribution of this period is John Wycliffe’s translation of the Bible in English.
The most gifted writer of the medieval noon, however, was the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote,
among other great works, The Canterbury Tales.
 RENAISSANCE PERIOD
The Renaissance takes place at different times in different countries.
The English Renaissance (also called the Early Modern period) dates from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and from the
height of the Quattrocento (1400's) in Italy.
Renaissance is a French term meaning "rebirth."
The Rebirth Period is characterized by:
a. a rebirth among English elite of classical learning
b. a rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman authors, and
c. a recovery of the ancient Greek spirit of scientific inquiry. (Compare the Renaissance of the 12 th Century and the rediscovery then of
Aristotle.)
This period is also characterized by:
1. widespread religious wars
2. geographical discovery and colonization, and
3. major reforms of state.
In terms of culture, it is important to remember that not everyone was similarly affected by the Renaissance: illiterate, beer-swilling shepherds
did not suddenly take up a study of Aristotelian metaphysics. Nevertheless, the period marks the high water mark of English literary
accomplishment. It is the age of William Shakepeare, John Milton, John Donne, and Katherine Philips. Queen Elizabeth I was fluent in
classical Greek, wrote poems in Latin hexameter, and produced beautifully polished English prose
ISSUES:
- the misconception or disorientation also transpired during the renaissance period particularly in
the matter of religion.
- Let the students realize how these literary writers focus on the sexual attraction with the body of
the woman rather than following the teachings of the church.
- In some account, writers like John Donne who shared fame in the light of literature during that
period believed that religious enlightenment is sexual ecstasy. With his own perception of religion
and its origin, John Donne had his search for one true religion.
- The search have undergone debates and confrontations with so many churches. In 1517, an
Augustinian monk in Germany named Martin Luther set off a number of debates that eventually
led to the founding of Protestantism, which, at the time, was considered to be a reformed
version of Catholicism.
 RESTORATION PERIOD
• The name 'restoration' comes from the crowning of Charles II, which marks the restoring of the
traditional English monarchical form of government following a short period of rule by a handful of
republican governments.
The start of the Restoration period roughly coincides with the beginning of what is known as the
Enlightenment, which lasted until the end of the 18th century.
The Enlightenment was defined by an emphasis on reason and logic; the thinkers of the period,
moreover, helped develop the modern science that treats the natural world as a knowable and testable
subject.
Although the influence of the Enlightenment on the Restoration period is tremendous, it's important to
note the humility towards human reason that is common to much Restoration literature.
Many restoration writers viewed the changes to their government, and the violence that these changes
brought with them, as the direct result of those who dogmatically held to their ideology. In this sense,
the political events that occurred in England provide insight into the skepticism that is at the heart of
Restoration literature.
WRITERS
In 1688, James II, Charles II's brother, was removed from the throne, which many scholars use to
mark the end of Restoration literature.
The three (3) leading Spanish writers of the 17th century was Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and
Calderon. Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” is a satire on the old romances of chivalry and marks
disappearance of the knightly and religious spirit of the past.
French literature of the 17th century is marked by good après of the French court and culture.
During the restoration, the English Puritan and non-conformist writers turned their thoughts to the
other world. Milton wrote “Paradise Lost” and “Bunyan Pilgrim’s Progress”.
The spirit of the 18th century, called the Age of Reasons, was greatly influenced by the good taste
of French literature, the empirical and practical philosophy of Locke, and the mathematically
simplified science Newton
PERIOD OF CLASSICISM
Major changes in the arts, including literature, are usually related to some social upheaval, or to change in the
philosophical concept of man. Thus, historians often identify the rise of Romanticism with the Industrial Revolution, or
the American War of Independence.
During these years Spanish colonies, except Cuba and Puerto Rico, won their independence from Spain and started life
as free nations. Because of this, much of the literature was political in nature. At about this time, in the Philippines,
literary works on love of country flourished.
Most European writers wrote in a way that is called classicism. When writers, or artists of any sort, follows a popular
style, we say they belong to that school or movement. The classic style was very popular at this time. Classicism is a type
of writing that shows restraint, careful planning, and a deep respect for the past. The classic writers imitated the styles of
the great writers of Greece, Rome, and Spain.
The foremost Latin literary figure of the revolutionary period was Andreas Bellow who did great deal for education and
literature. In the Philippines, notable were JThe foremost Latin literary figure of the revolutionary period was Andreas
Bellow who did great deal for education and literature. In the Philippines, notable were Jose Rizal, Emilio Jacinto ,
Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Marcelo del Pilar. Jose Rizal, Emilio Jacinto, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Marcelo del Pilar.
ROMANTIC PERIOD
• By the late 18th century in France and Germany, literary taste began to turn from classical and
neoclassical conventions.
• The generation of revolution and wars, of stress and upheaval had produced doubts on the
security of the age of reason. Doubts and pessimism now challenged the hope and optimism of the
18th century.
• Men felt a deepened concern for the metaphysical problems of existence, death, and eternity. It
was in this setting that Romanticism was born.
The term romantic first appeared in 18th-century English and originally meant "romance like" that
is, resembling the fanciful character of medieval romances. But a mood or movement whose central
characteristic is revolt, and whose stress is on self-expression and individual uniqueness, does not
lend itself to precise definition.
Romanticism is a turning away from classicism.
It may be considered a reactions against neo classicism (Not necessarily the classicism of Greece and
Rome), or against what is called the Age of Reason, the Augustan Age, the Enlightenment, and the
18th century materialism.
The romantic writer expresses his feelings. He is imaginative, adventurous, and sentimental.
Romantic writing is different from orderly, logical, restrained writing of the classicist.
Writers in many places of the world were looking to Europe for their models. Works of Victor Hugo,
the giant of the Romantic Movement, Lord Byron, Chateaubriand, Charles Dickens, and
Spanish models were being imitated.
 PERIOD OF REALISM
While romanticism was still the fashion in writing, realism, a new literary movement began to be popular.
In literature, the term realism may be loosely applied to any writing that seeks to portray life exactly as it is, without embellishment or
idealization.
In a more restricted sense it is applied to the style of such novelists as Gustave Flaubert, in opposition both to romanticism and naturalism.
Other writers of note in this movement are Bjornson, Anderson, and Chekhov.
Realism coincided with Victorianism, yet was a distinct collection of aesthetic principles in its own right.
The realist novel was heavily informed by journalistic techniques, such as objectivity and fidelity to the facts of the matter.
It is not a coincidence that many of the better known novelists of the time had concurrent occupations in the publishing industry. The idea of novel-
writing as a “report” grew out of this marriage between literature and journalism.
Another fair comparison would be to think of the realist novel as an early form of docudrama, in which fictional persons and events are intended to
seamlessly reproduce the real world.
The Victorian Period saw growing concern with the plight of the less fortunate in society, and the realistic novel likewise turned its attention on
subjects that beforehand would not have warranted notice.
The balancing act that the upwardly mobile middle class had to perform in order to retain their position in the world was a typical subject for
realistic novels.
There arose a subgenre of Realism called Social Realism, which in hindsight can be interpreted as Marxist and socialist ideas set forth in literature.
 CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
The 20th century brought many new writers and new ideas. Because of the fantastic progress and giant
strides done in all aspects of life.
it is difficult to keep track of the dimensions literature and the various branches of knowledge have
gained.
Something should be said about the literature of Asia at this point.
In the past 2,500 years, it has been influenced by the interaction between Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and
European, including Russian, factors.
China molded the civilization of eastern Asia, including Japan, Korea, and Annam, and was primary
influence on Mongolia, Tibet, Thailand, Cambodia, and Burma.
•  Indian influence has mainly expressed itself through Hinduism and Buddhism. These are not merely
• religious in nature but have carried with them Indian art and literature, and often an Indian alphabet,
• as in Tibet, Java and Cambodia.
•  Philippine literature, like that of other countries, started with incantations, myths, and folktales
• developed through the years. With the introduction of Christianity, our literature underwent periods of
• orientation and growth and now has a place among the great works of the world.
•  Through the ages, practically all parts of the world, writers of literature have not only given much
• pleasure, knowledge, and interest to readers, they have also reflected their respective developments
• and aspirations, and inspired men to think noble thoughts and do notable deeds.