This is a presentation about Philippine Literature.

1. INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Mrs. Jocelinda C. Gannaban
Teacher in English

2. Philippine Literature was divided into three
periods:
• Legendary and Epic Age (Pre-Spanish)
• Period of the Spanish Occupation
• Period of the American Occupation

3. THE LEGENDARY AND EPIC AGE:
• Oral and was handed down from the
elders
• This period consisted of magical
incantations, myths, legends, and
folktales
• Our ancestors believed in sun and
moon worship, tree worship and
worship of other forms of nature.

4. THE LEGENDARY AND EPIC AGE:
• They also believed in environmental
spirits- good or bad.
• Myths and legends explained the
origin of the universe and of land
regions, the origin of first man and
woman, and of the human race.

5. THE LEGENDARY AND EPIC AGE:
• The epic age produced a wealth of literature.
• Scholars estimate that we have no fewer
than 24 epics from different regions of the
archipelago like:
– Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilocos)
– Hudhud and Alim (Ifugaos)
– Maragtas (Panay)
– Bantugan (Maranaw)
– Bidasari (Sulu)
– Indarapatra and Sulayman (Maranaw)

6. THE SPANISH OCCUPATION
• Spaniards introduced Christianity to
the Philippines
• Literature produced during this period
was religious in nature.
– PASYON-a story of the life of Christ,
beginning with the Annunciation
and ending with the Crucifixion

7. THE SPANISH OCCUPATION
– Moro-moro- extremely popular
type of drama. Its subject matter
was always a conflict between the
Christians and the Moros
(Mohammedan Moors)
– Corrido and Awit-popular forms of
poetry during the latter part of the
Spanish rule and early in the
American Regime.

8. THE SPANISH OCCUPATION
– CORRIDO- a long narrative in verse
telling of the deeds of a legendary
hero.
– Works patterned on the corrido:
• Florante at Laura (Francisco Baltazar)
• Life of Don Juan Teñoso
• Siete Infantes de Lara sa Kaharian ng
España
• Doce Pares ng Pransya

9. THE SPANISH OCCUPATION
– AWIT-dealt with the adventures of
knights but in light romantic tone
– Early in the 19th century, with the
opening of the Suez Canal and a
change in government
administration, many young
Filipinos went to Europe to study.

10. THE SPANISH OCCUPATION
– Antonio Luna-founded the newspaper LA
INDEPENDENCIA
– Jose Rizal-wrote his masterpieces NOLI ME
TANGERE (Touch Me Not) and EL
FILIBUSTERISMO (The Subversive or The
Reign of the Greed). These two novels were
banned by the Spanish colonial government
because they revealed the abuses of the
church and the state in the Philippines.
– On the whole, the literature of the period
was propaganda written by the leaders of the
movement against Spain.

11. THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION
The coming of the Americans
introduced the English language
which Filipinos began using as a
literary medium.
English as a literary vehicle for
Filipino writers is a choice forced by
history.

12. THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION
With the coming of the Americans,
a new system of education was
begun and English was made the
medium of instruction in schools.