Introduction to

Literature
Week 1
Lesson 1
 What is Literature?
• Latin, literatura is taken from littera which means letter or
writing that is shown through spoken and written accounts.
• Literature speaks directly as it nourishes people’s emotional
lives. The characters mirror a portion of humanity.
• Literature can either be fiction (fabrication) or nonfiction
(truth)
 3 GENRES of LITERATURE

• POETRY
• PROSE
• DRAMA
 PROSE
• FICTION (Short Stories, Legends, Fairy tales, Folktales, Novels,
Fables, Myth)
• NONFICTION (Reports, Personal Narratives, Memoirs, Letter,
Article, Journal, Biographies)
• TAKES FORM IN AN UNMETERED STYLE AND USES
NATURAL SPEECH AND RHYME
 DRAMA
• Literature equipped with arms, legs, tears, laughs, whispers,
shouts, and gestures that are alive and immediate
• Greek word “dran” which means “To do” or “To perform”
• A composition intended to portray life or character or tell a
story usually involving conflicts and emotions through
actions and dialogues
 POETRY
• The ROOT and CROWN of Language
• Pieces of writing that usually have figurative
language
• Written in lines that often have a repeated rhyme or
meter
 FORMS of POETRY
• LYRIC POETRY
(Folksongs, sonnets, elegy, ode, psalms, song, corridos)
• NARRATIVE POETRY
(Epic, Metrical Tale, Ballads)
• DRAMATIC POETRY
(Dramatic Monologues, Soliloquy, Character Sketch)
 History of Poetry in the Philippines

• Pre – Hispanic
1. Based on oral traditions
2. Crude on ideology and phraseology
 Try to Answer the ff:
1. Pitakilla sang hari, kung bukaron gani indi na mauli.
______________________
2. Dalawang balon, hindi malingon.

______________________
3. Ate mo, ate ko, ate ng lahat ng tao.
___________________________
• Riddles or Bugtong is a Filipino game of wits. It is
made up of one or more measure lines with rhymes
and may consist of 4 to 12 syllables. It involves
reference to one or more images that symbolize the
characteristics of an unknown object to be guessed.
• It uses talinhaga or a metaphor that clues in to the answer
of the riddle.
• Bugtong has its counterparts in every region. In Cebu it is
called Tigmo, Paktakon in Ilonggo, and Patotdon in
Bicol.
• A mother, together with her daughter goes to the market to buy a
kilo of rice. Upon reaching the store, she saw that the prices of the
rice had gone up again. Instead of buying her usual rice, she opted
for a cheaper one. She then told her daughter, “NFA rice lang muna
tayo ngayon, next week pa ang sweldo, eh. Habang maikli ang
kumot, magtiis kang mamaluktot.”
Upon hearing this, the vendor then recited,
“Magsipag ng mabuti
Sa araw man o gabi
Hindi mamumulubi
Magbubuhay na hari”
“Habang maikli ang kumot, magtiis kang mamaluktot” is
an example of a Proverb or Salawikain.
Salawikain are wise sayings that contain a
metaphor used to teach a food for thought. They
are used to express pieces of wisdom or beliefs
important to Filipino Society.
• Tanaga is a form of poem having four line with 7 syllables
each. It follows an A-A-A-A rhyming pattern. The theme of the
poem is more emotionally charged as compared to verse proverbs
and thus has the affinities with the folk lyric.
“Magsipag ng mabuti
Sa araw man o gabi
Hindi mamumulubi
Magbubuhay na hari”
Answer the following questions with your pair
and share them to class.
i. What are the various salawikain that your parents
or grandparents always tell you?
ii. How did these salawikain apply to your life now?
iii. If you were to make your own salawikain or
tanaga, what would it be?
 Songs are a part of the lives of Filipinos. May it
be in mourning, happiness, festive, or love, songs
are being sung by people in all the regions of the
country.

What is your favorite song by a local artist?

 Ili-Ili Tulog Anay

Ili-ili tulog anay,

Wala diri imong nanay.
Kadto tienda bakal papay.
Ili-ili tulog anay.
1. What is the song all about?
2. Who do you think is singing the song?
3. When do you think this song is being sung?
 Epiko or Epic
• Epics are long, episodic, chanted poems telling stories
about legendary heroes and their adventures, often
contending with, and also being aided by, supernatural
creatures and spirits.
• Chanted orally during at feasts and rituals
 Characteristics of an Epic
1. The hero is a great leader who is identified strongly with a particular group
of people or society.
2. The setting is broad and often includes the supernatural realm, especially the
land of the dead.
3. The hero does great deeds in battle or undertakes an extraordinary journey
or quest.
4. Sometimes gods or other supernatural or fantastic beings take part in the
action.
5. The story is told in heightened language.
 Examples of Epics
a. Lam-ang (Ilocano)
b. Hinilawod (Panay)
c. Kudaman (Palawan)
d. Darangan (Maranao)
The Arrival of the Spaniards
• Altered the established literary tradition
• Baybayin was suppressed together with many epics and
poems (blasphemous in nature)
• Replaced the epic heroes with Jesus Christ
• Literature was dominated by Religious Themes
 Literary Forms
Religious Literature – religious lyrics written by Latino
poets or those versed in both Spanish and Tagalog were
included in early catechism and were used to teach Filipinos
the Spanish language
• Pasyon – long narrative poem about the passion and
death of Christ. The most popular was “Ang Mahal na
Passion ni Jesu Cristong Panginoon Natin” by Aquino de
Belen.
Secular Literature (non-religious)
Literary Forms
a. Awit – colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and
chanting . E.g. Ibong Adarna
b. Korido – metrical tale written in octosyllabic quatrains
E.g. Florante at Laura
c. Prose Narratives – written to prescribe proper decorum
• E.g. Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si
Feliza ( Modesto de Castro)
 Francisco Baltazar
• Most notable poet during the Spanish Era
• He is also known as “Balagtas”
• Famous work , “Florante at Laura”
 Illustrados
• Filipinos with Spanish heritage
• Their literary works centered on the growing sense of national
identity

Andres Bonifacio
• A revolutionary leader; a poet
• “Pag – ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa”
 Arrival of Americans
• Introduction of a new educational system
• Use of English as a medium of education
• Introduced Free Verse