American

American
Early American Literature examines the cultures and literatures of the Americas from the
colonial period through the early national period of the United States (ca. 1820). Beginning
with Native American expressions and oral traditions, it ranges widely across the Americas,
from Francophone writings in the north to Ibero-American literature in the south.
Interdisciplinary in its origins, early American literature fosters close ties with other
departments, including history, religious studies, and romance languages, in order to find the
best methodological approaches for grappling with writings that often sit uneasily in any
particular genre. The particular strengths at Washington University lie in African American
literary traditions, Puritanism, transatlantic sentimentalism, and the role of religion in shaping
literature and culture.
Pre-colonial
Filipinos often lose sight of the fact that the first period of the Philippine literary history is the
longest. Certain events from the nation’s history had forced lowland Filipinos to begin counting
the years of history from 1521, the first time written records by Westerners referred to the
archipelago later to be called “Las islas Filipinas”. The oral literature of the precolonial Filipinos
bore the marks of the community. The subject was invariably the common experience of the
people constituting the village-food-gathering, creature and objects of nature, work in the
home, field, forest or sea, caring for children, etc. This is evident in the most common forms of
oral literature like the riddle, the proverbs and the song, which always seem to assume that the
audience is familiar with the situations, activities and objects mentioned in the course of
expressing a thought or emotion. The language of oral literature, unless the piece was part of
the cultural heritage of the community like the epic, was the language of daily life. At this phase
of literary development, any member of the community was a potential poet, singer or
storyteller as long as he knew the language and had been attentive to the conventions f the
forms.
Japanese
Historical Background Between 1941-1945, Philippine Literature was interrupted in its

development when the Philippines was again conquered by another foreign country, Japan.
Philippine literature in English came to a halt. Except for the TRIBUNE and the PHILIPPINE
REVIEW, almost all newspapers in English were stopped by the Japanese. This had an
advantageous effect on Filipino Literature, which experienced renewed attention because
writers in English turned to writing in Filipino. Juan Laya, who use to write in English turned to
Filipino because of the strict prohibitions of the Japanese regarding any writing in English. The
weekly LIWAYWAY was placed under strict surveillance until it was managed by Japanese
named ISHIWARA In other words, Filipino literature was given a break during this period. Many
wrote plays, poems, short stories, etc. Topics and themes were often about life in the
provinces.
Contemporary
The Contemporary Period of literature occurred directly after the Modernist period. In fact, it is often
referred to as the "Postmodern" period. The events that brought this era about were the realization of
the holocaust and the power of the atomic bomb, the wars America had with Korea, Vietnam, and the
USSR, and the Civil Rights Movement. "Postmodernism" signals works that were created after
Modernism and were characterized by multiple qualities. Contemporary works often featured ordinary
places and dealt with an awareness of itself, a release from meaning, an interest in process, a desire to
revise the past, and a desire to have fun.
With the end of World War II and the discovery of the holocaust and the atomic bomb, the American
society became more abstract towards reality. Art displayed this new mindset as much as the literature
of the time period did. There was also a desire to revise the past and the atrocities that occurred during
both of the World Wars. It was ultimately the advancement of technology that led Americans to
searching again for their identity and wondering if there was any good left in humanity.
As technology continuously advanced, the American society could better define who they were.
With the dropping of the atom bombs, Americans now saw themselves as a major world power. Along
with society as a whole, women and African Americans also began developing a voice and identity
distinct in American culture. With people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X leading the Civil Rights
Movement, the African American identity started becoming recognized by society. Even though
Americans started recognizing the blacks as a culture, not everyone liked with them. Racism also
became another important theme of the Contemporary era.
These events in society shaped the writing of this ongoing era so that it would display the
multiculturalism of the country and also the materialism and commercialism of the country. The writing
started describing everyday family life around the new electronic inventions of the era. The
Contemporary Era focused on what was going on now and even the future. It was and is an ongoing
period of literature where literature itself is evolving.
Spanish
Spanish period is the second of the series of literary periods of growth and development
of Philippine literature. This very interesting period is full of remarkable changes and
developments in terms of Philippine literary genres. Some genres such as Awit or Corrido
became integrated into our own corpora. Some genres are directly imported from the
European theaters and cathedrals such as Doctrina cristiana and Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
So, what are you waiting for? Join me as we undertake this very colorful and interesting episode
of Philippine literature!
The Spanish period likewise witnessed dramatic changes in the lifestyle of the Filipinos
ranging from the daily routines to the very thoughts that they have in their minds. In short, the
Spanish period permeated into almost all aspect of Filipinos’ lives.
European legends and traditions brought here became assimilated in our awits,
corridos, and moro-moros. Ancient literary types were collected and translated to Tagalog,
Cebuano, Ilokano, Waray and other major dialects. Many grammar books were printed in
different tongues like Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, etc. The periodicals and other reading
materials during these times carry a religious tone.

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Historical Background Between 1941-1945, Philippine Literature was interrupted in its

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