Precolonial to Contemporary

1. Pre-colonial to
Contemporary
Literature

2. BC-1564
THE PRE-
COLONIAL
PERIOD

3. THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
This existed before the Spanish occupation in
the 1500s.
It is oral in nature and is full of lessons and
ideas about life, its blessings, and its
consequences.
It contains ideas from birth to the grave.
The sources are usually the local native town
folk

4. FORMS
1.ORAL LITERATURE – spoken or sung as opposed to that
which is written
a. riddles –these are statements that contain superficial
words, but they function figuratively and as metaphors,
and are in the form of questions.
Ex. You keep on slashing it, but it does not penetrate.
Ans. Water
“Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die.”
Ans. Fire

5. b. Proverbs – these are statements that are
considered as wise. These are usually given
given by parents or elders of the
community.
Ex. A person who does not remember
where he/she came from will never reach
his destination.

6. 2. FOLK SONGS
- These are folk lyrics that are usually chanted
- These usually contain ideas on aspirations,
hopes, everyday life and expressions of love
for loved ones
- It is easy to understand because it is
straightforward and not figurative in nature.

7. FORMS
a.Lullabies – these is locally known as the
hele.
-these are sung to put to sleep babies.
Parents sing these with ideas on how hard
life is and how they hope that their child
will not experiencing the hardships of life.

8. b. Drinking songs – these re locally known
as tagay and are sung during drinking
sessions
c.Love songs- to many Filipinos, these are
known as the Harana. It can also be called
courtship songs and are used by young
men to capture the heart of the girl that
they love.

9. d. Religious song – are songs or chants
that are usually given during exorcisms
and thanksgiving during good harvest.
e. Songs of death – are lamentations that
contain the roll of good deeds that the
dead has usually done to immortalize his
or her good image.

10. 3. FOLK TALES (Kuwentong Bayan)
These are stories of native Filipinos. These deal
with the power of nature-personified, their
submission to a deity- usually Bathala – and how
this deity is responsible for the blessings and
calamities.
These also tackle about irresponsibility, lust,
stupidity, deception that eventually leads to the
instilling of good morals.

11. Usual themes:
Ceremonies needed to appease the deities
Life and death
Gods and Goddesses
Heroes and heroines
Supernatural beings
animals

12. Forms:
a.Myths – these tackle the natural to strange
occurences of the earth and how things
were created with an aim to give an
explanation to things.
Ex. The Story of Bathala
Ang Pag-aaway ng Dagat at Langit

13. b. Legends – through legends, the
natives understood mysteries around them.
- These stories usually come with a moral
lesson that give credit to supernatural
powers,supernatural occurences, and other
out-of this world native imagination.
Ex. The Legend of Maria Makiling
The Legend of the Sampaguita

14. c. Fables – are short or brief stories that cater
the children of the native Filipinos and are
usually bounded by good manners and right
conduct.
- These stories use animals as characters that
represent a particular value or characteristics.
Ex. Ang Kuneho at Ang Pagong
Si Juan Tamad

15. d. Epics – are very lengthy narratives that
are based on oral tradtions.
- These contain encounters of fighters,
stereotypipcal princes or heroes that
save a damsel in distress.
Ex. Beowulf
Hinilawod
Darangen

16. 1521-1898
THE SPANISH
PERIOD

17. The start of the Philippine’s more colorful
history, took place in March 6, 1521 when
Ferdinand Magellan docked on the shores of
Homonhon.
The Filipinos were then called “Ladinos”,
meaning they were latinized.
Filipinos were called two things. One is the
“Taga-Bayan”, while the other is the “taga-
bukid” or “taga-bundok”.

18. Taga-Bayan – is considered urbane
ad civilized and were in easy range of
the church and state.
Taga-Bundok or Taga-bukid – is calles
a bruto salvage (savage brute) or
Indio and were the ones who lives far
from the center of the Spanish power.

19. FORMS:
1.RELIGIOUS LITERATURE –
Revolves around the life and the death of
Jesus Christ.
Forms of Religious Literature:
a. Pasyon – it is about the passion
(journey and suffering) and the death of
Jesus Christ.

20. b. Senakulo – it is the re-enactment of the
Pasyon
c. Komedya – it depicts the European society
through love and fame, but can also be a
narrative about a journey, just like Dante
Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.
- it is also considered religious, because it
usually depicts the battle between the Christians
and the Saracens or the Moros (muslims)

21. It is a theatrical
tradition by Filipinos
sometimes in a form
of singing.

22. 2. SECULAR or NON RELIGIOUS
LITERATURE
Revolves around tales of valiance and
adventure
Forms:
a.Awit – these are tales of chivalry where a
knight saves princess.
Ex. Florante at Laura

23. b. Korido – is a metrical tale of a tale that follows
the structure of poem
ex. Ibong Adarna
c. Prose Narratives – are easy to understand
instructional materials that in a literary light that
teaches Filipinos on Proper decorum.
Ex. Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana
at Feliza (1864)

24. 3. PROPAGANDA LITERATURE
These were in the forms of satires,
editorials, and news articles that aimed
to attack the Spanish rule.
The propaganda trinity is composed of
Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and
Graciano Lopez Jaena.

25. GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA
1. Fray Botod – one of his works
written in Jaro, Iloilo in 1876, six years
after the Cavite Revolt attacking the
friars in the Philippines. He exposed
how some of the friars were greedy,
ambitious and immoral

26. 2. La Hija Del Fraile (The child of
the Friar)
3. Everything is Hambug
(Everything is mere show) –
here Jaena explains the tragedy
of marrying a Spaniard.

27. MARCELO H. DEL PILAR
1. Kaingat Kayo (Be Careful) - a humorous
and sarcastic dig in answer to Fr. Jose
Rodriguez in the novel Noli of Rizal,
published in Barcelona in 1888.
- He used Dolores Manapat as pen- name
here.

28. 2. Dasalan at Tocsohan (Prayers and
Jokes) – similar to a cathecism but
sarcastically done against the parish
priest, published in Barcelona in 188.
- Because of this, Del Pilar was called
“Filibuster”. Done in admirable tone of
supplication and excellent use of Tagalog.

29. 3. Ang Cadaquilaan ng Dios (God’s
Goodness) – published in Barcelona, it
was also like a cathecism sarcastically
aimed against the parish priest but also
contains a philosophy of the power and
and intelligence of God and an
appreciation for and love for nature.

30. DR. JOSE RIZAL
1.Noli Me Tangere – novel that gave
spirit to the propaganda movement and
paved the way to the revolution against
Spain.
- in this book, he courageously exposed
the evils in the Spanish-run government
in the Philippines.

31. 4. REVOLUTIONARY LITERATURE
- are expose that sparked revolution and resistance in the
hearts of Filipinos.
ANDRES BONIFACIO
1.Katungkulang Gagawin ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(Obligations of our Countrymen)
- An outline of obligations just like the Ten
Commandments, hence, it is likewise called Ang Dekalogo.

32. 2. Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga
Tagalog (What the Tagalogs
should know)
- an essay outlining the basic
tenets of Bonifacio’s ideas on
nationalism.

33. Emilio Jacinto
Liwanag at Dilim (Light and Darkness)
– a collection of essays on different
subjects like freedom, work, faith,
government and love of country.

34. Apolinario Mabini
El Desarollo y Caida de La Republica
Filipina (The rise and fall of the Philippine
Republic)
– this essay highlights the establishment
of the Philippine republic and its
subsequent doom due to disunity among
the Filipinos.

35. DR. JOSE RIZAL
El Filibusterismo
– this is a sequel to the NOLI. While the
noli exposed the evils in society, the FILI
exposed those government and in the
church.

36. PUBLICATIONS
1.El Heraldo de La Revolution (Herald of the
Revolution)
- Printed the decreas of the Revolutionary
Government, news and works in Tagalog that
aroused nationalism.
- - this is the official newspaper of the
Revolutionary Government of Aguinaldo.

37. 2. LaIndependencia (independence) –
an independent newspaper founded and
edited by General Antonio Luna.
3. LaRepublica Filipina (The Philippine
Republic) – a private newspaper edited by
Pedro Paterno.
4. Lalibertad (Liberty) – another private
newspaper edited by Clemente Zulueta.