INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

By Katrina Melissa Cruz

Philippine literature withstood time and periods and has evolved through generations. For every period
that passed, different genres appeared, and these literary works rooted from all regions reflecting their
culture, society and lifestyle. The early stages of Filipino Literature consist of the Pre-Spanish period, the
Spanish period and the Propaganda and Revolutionary Periods. In the Pre-Spanish period, literature was
in oral form as technology of printing wasn’t available yet. Works such as epics, legends,
folklore, salawikain, bugtong, sawikain, songs such as the Oyayi or Hele are passed on from generations
to generations and they are still well-known up to this day as they are being taught in schools. Philippine
Literature changed during the Spanish Period. It was centered on Christian faith. Pre-Spanish literary
types continued to develop; however, there was a gradual shift of interest from nature and natural
phenomena to the lives of the saints, hymns, miracles and invocations based on the teachings of the
Catholic Church. The works during this time are imitative of the Spanish theme, forms, and traditions.
The corrido, awit, dalit, cenaculo, moro-moro, duplo and karagatan, and zarzuela are reflective of the
said characteristics. Religious matters were in prose as novenas and prayer books, biographies of the
saints, tales and novels. The Filipinos were able to retain their native traditions and poems in the field of
poetry reflected as lyrical folksongs and riddles. Some examples of songs are Bahay Kubo, kundiman, and
tapat. Francisco Baltazar also was popular during this time because of his “Florante at Laura”. Events
such as the exposure of the Filipinos to Europe’s liberal idealism, the opening of the Suez Canal, the
Spanish Revolution in 1868, and the martyrdom of Gomburza led to Filipino nationalism. This gave birth
to two movements during this time – the Propaganda movement and the Revolutionary movement. The
Propaganda movement was reformatory in objective and its members are college students mostly based in
Spain. The primary propagandists were Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. The
exposure of the evils of the Spanish rule in the Philippines was because of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo and has paved the way to a revolution against Spain. Del Pilar’s essays and editorials
in Diariong Tagalogwhich he founded with Lopez-Jaena’s articles in La Solidaridad which he was an
editor reflected nationalism that was dominant at this time.The Revolutionary movement took over as the
propagandists failed to get much reforms. This was of course more violent, and it demands complete
independence from Spain. The Katipunan was founded by Andres Bonifacio who was inspired by Rizal’s
novels. The articles written in tagalog (which was a form of revolution) was published in
the Kalayaan, the newspaper of the society. The literature at that time was more propagandistic than
literary as the situation and events at that time needed such purpose for liberation.The three periods
mentioned are the core of our history and literature. History has a very important role in literature as
literature not only reflects facts with aesthetic language but more importantly, it display the ideas and
feelings of the people living at that time. Not only does literature exhibit history but so as the hope that
people have. It shows what they hope for the nation, or for themselves, may it be about nationalism, love,
or other aspects going on in life. As the Philippines underwent a lot of history, as well as changes,
literature also evolved. In the similar case as the first three periods, literary genres also evolve depending
on the influence, state and the condition that our country is in. From epics to folksongs, to the cenaculo
and Noli Me Tangere, to Tagalog and English short stories, essays, poetry, to the Palanca Awards entries,
drama and film, to Wattpad and blogs – these are all reflective of the history, evolution, and developments
or mishaps of the Filipino nation. Each period has its own distinct genre and unique artists that everyone
remembers.