This document discusses narratology and its importance in understanding oral literatures and cultures. Narratology examines narrative structures and how they influence perception and construct meaning. It analyzes elements like plot, themes, language, and perspectives in stories. The document notes that narratology can provide insight into a community by examining individuals and cultures as reflected in their oral traditions. It also discusses gaps in studying the oral literatures of the Manuvos people, such as recording, translating, interpreting genres, and ensuring their participation and preservation of traditions for future generations. Narratology will help address these gaps and aid in understanding, translating, interpreting, and defining the Manuvos' oral stories to preserve their cultural identity, heritage

1. Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Tandag City, Surigao del Sur
1
Chapter 1
The Problem and Its Setting
Introduction
Narratology is a very important approach in understanding the literatures
of mankind. It is very useful in examining the literary contexts with respect to
various oratures and written literature that actually presents the identity of certain
cultures and traditions of a specific locale which will reflect how individuals
interact and behave in the community. Hence, the narratology of the oral
literatures of the manuvos will serve as the key to understanding to local
language, culture and traditions of a particular indigenous community.
According to Felluga, D. (2005), narratology examines the ways that
narrative structures our perception of both cultural artifacts and the world around
us. The study of narrative is particularly important since our ordering of time and
space in narrative forms constitutes one of the primary ways we construct
meaning in general. It is also a useful foundation to have before one begins
analyzing popular culture. In other words, narratology examines the way how
certain individuals in the community as reflected in their different oral literatures
and it also the opportunity in understanding deeply how culture, language and
traditions relative with respect to the narrated oral literatures preserved in the
indigenous community.
Narratology is a literary theory that focuses on the study of narrative
structure that looks at what narrative have in common and what makes one

2. Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Tandag City, Surigao del Sur
2
different from another. It is a humanities discipline dedicated to the study of the
logic, principles, and practices of narrative representation. It studies the form, the
how and the technique, Sawalma, RE (2016), On the other hand, narratology is a
theory that explains deeply to the structure of narration of a certain stories or
prevalent oral literatures that actually shows different elements of short story
such as plot structure, themes, metaphorical language, symbolisms, imagery as
well as narrative perspectives and literary interpretations that help in decoding
and defining the meaning of the prevalent oratures.
As further cited by Culler, J. (2001), describes narratology as comprising
many strands 'implicitly united in the recognition that narrative theory requires a
distinction between "story, “sequence of actions or events conceived as
independent of their manifestation in discourse, and "discourse," the discursive
presentation or narration of events. In other words, narratology is very useful
approach in understanding the meaning of a certain story regardless of literature
genres and forms for as long as all the literary elements are used and applied for
effective interpretation and translation.
In the study of the narratology of the oral literatures of the manuvos, the
gaps that include in this study are audio-recording, translating, decoding and
interpreting the prevalent genres of oratures of the manuvos, on the participation
of the manuvos in the study and on how to their preserve the local oratures for
future generations to keep and remember. On the other hand, we are trying to
address these gaps properly in order preserve their cultures, traditions, customs,

3. Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Tandag City, Surigao del Sur
3
rituals and practices of the manuvos as reflected and embedded in their
prevalent oral literatures. With respect the significance of this study, narratology
will be of great help and opportunity in understanding different principles and
literary elements useful in translating, decoding and defining certain oral
literatures of the manuvos which are truly emblematic to manuvo community as
well as preservation is the focal point in immortalizing cultural identity and
heritage through language and literature teaching.