What is literature?

The word literature is derived from the Latin term litera which means letter. It has been defined differently by various
writers. These are the following:

1. Literature expresses the feelings of people to society, to the government, to his surroundings, to his fellowmen, and
to his Divine Creator. (Brother Azurin)

2. Literature is anything that is printed as long as it is related to the ideas and feelings of the people, whether it is true,
or just a product of one’s imagination. (Webster)

3. “True literature is a piece of written work which is undying. It expresses the feelings and emotions of people in
response to his everyday efforts to live, to be happy in his environment and, after struggles, to reach his Creator”
(PANITIKANG FILIPINO)

It is body of literary productions, either oral, written or visual, containing imaginative language that realistically
portrays thoughts, emotions, and experiences of the human condition.

Literature refers to written or spoken works that express ideas, emotions, and stories through language. It
encompasses a wide range of creative and intellectual works, including fiction and non-fiction, poetry, drama, essays,
and more. Literature is often considered a form of art, as it involves the use of language to evoke emotions, convey
meaning, and explore the human experience.

Literature enables people to see through the lenses of others, and sometimes even inanimate objects; therefore, it
becomes a looking glass into the world as others view it. It is a journey that is inscribed in pages and powered by the
imagination of the reader.

The 21st century in literature refers to world literature produced during the 21st century. The measure of years is, for
the purpose of this article, literature written from (roughly) the year 2001 to the present.

Lesson 1
Geographic, Linguistic, and Ethnic Dimensions of Philippine Literary History from
Pre-Colonial to the Contemporary
21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Module aims to engage students in appreciation
and critical study of 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World, encompassing their various
dimensions, genres, elements, structures, contexts, and traditions.
Literary Timeline

1521-15641565 1872- 1898- 1941- 1946- 1970- 1981- 1986- 2001-

1871 1898 1944 1945 1970 1980 1985 1999 present

Pre Spanish Spanish Period Period of American Japanese Rebirth of Period of Period of Post Edsa 21st CENTURY
Period/Preco Enlightenmen Regime Period/Philipp Freedom Activism Third Republic Revolution PERIOD
lonial Period t ine Literature

Our forefathers already had their literature, which reflected in their customs and traditions. They had their alphabet
even before they had colonized. (Baybayin is one of the precolonial writing systems used by early Filipinos. The term
“baybayin” comes from the Tagalog root word baybay, which means “to spell.”) The Spanish friars burned their
alphabet in the belief that they were works of the devil or were written on materials that quickly perished, like the
barks of trees, dried leaves, and bamboo cylinders, which could not have remained firm even if efforts were made to
preserve them. Our unique geographic location is the reason why we are rich.

1. Pre-Colonial Period

During the pre-colonial period in the Philippines:

1. Early Settlements: Indigenous groups lived in barangays, small communities led by a datu (chief). These
communities were self-sufficient, relying on agriculture, fishing, and trade.
2. Trade and Contact: The Philippines traded with neighboring countries like China, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia,
exchanging goods, culture, and religion.
3. Religious Beliefs: Filipinos practiced animism, believing in spirits in nature, and some were influenced by
Hinduism and Buddhism through trade.
 4. Social Structure: Society was divided into three classes: the datu (chief), the freemen (maharlika), and the
enslaved (alipin). People could move between classes through payment of debts or service.
5. Oral Tradition and Arts: Filipinos had a rich oral tradition, passing down stories, and practiced arts like tattooing,
weaving, and pottery.
6. Writing System: The baybayin script was used for writing, especially in poetry and communication.
7. Barangay Warfare: While peaceful most of the time, some barangays fought for land and power, often resolving
conflicts through alliances or marriages.

Literary Genres - Literary genres typically describe writing styles such as poetry, essays, novels, short stories and plays.

1. Chant (Bulong). This was used in witchcraft or enchantment especially in remote places in the Visayas.
2. Legends. These are genres of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions perceived or believed both
by teller and listeners to have taken place within human history.
Legends are traditional stories that are believed to have a historical basis, often involving heroic figures, extraordinary
events, or a combination of fact and fiction. Legends are not necessarily considered sacred and may be more rooted in
historical or quasi-historical events.
Myths are traditional stories or narratives that often explain the beliefs, customs, or natural phenomena of a culture.
They typically involve gods, supernatural beings, or heroic figures and are considered sacred or deeply symbolic in
nature.
3. Folk Tales. These are made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror, and humor where one can derive lessons.
An example of this is THE MOON AND THE SUN.
4. Epics. These are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events, usually of a hero, are dealt
with at length.
5. Folk Songs. These are one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the pre-Spanish period. These
songs mirrored the early forms of culture. Many of these have 12 syllables. Examples of which are Kundiman, Kumintang
o Tagumpay, Ang Dalit o Imno, Ang Oyayi o Hele, Diana, Soliraning and Talindaw.

Ang bulong ay isang matandang katawagan sa orasyon ng mga sinaunang tao sa kapuluan ng Pilipinas. Sa
kasalukuyan, ang salitang ito ay may iba nang kahulugan sa wikang Tagalog ng Maynila, subalit nanatili pa rin
ang tunay na pakahulugan nito sa ilang mga lalawigan sa Katagalugan, Kabisayaan at Kabikulan. Isang panalangin
ang bulong binuhay dahil sa pagnanais na makamtan ang isang pangyayari o pagbabago sa hinaharap na mga
pangyayari sa kapalaran. Mga halimbawa ng uri ng bulong na nagtataboy ng masasamang diwa o maligno ay ang
Xristac Ortac Aminatac at " umalayu deketam e pesan a ore ni kamalotan de tabiang ni makedepat". Halimbawa
ng isang bulong ay "Tabi tabi po.". ~ Wikipedia
(Sample video will be played)
Mga Halimbawa ng Bulong:
Bulong ng mga Bagobo ng Mindanao
1. Tabi, tabi po, ingkong.
"Nagnakaw ka ng bigas ko,
2. Makikiraan po.
Umulwa sana mata mo,
3. Mano po.
mamaga ang katawan mo,
4. Paabot po.
patayin ka ng mga anito"
5. Paalam.
6. Ingat lagi.
Bulong sa Ilocos
7. Tabi tabi po apo, alisin mo po ang sakit ng pamilya ko
"Huwag magalit, kaibigan,
8. Lumayo kayo, umalis kayo, at baka mabangga kayo
aming pinuputol lamang
9. Huwang kayong maiinggit, nang hindi kayo magipit
ang sa amiy napagutusan"
10. Pagaling ka, amang, mahirap ang may karamdaman
11. Lumakas-sana sana ang ulan, upang mabasa ang lupang tigang.
Bulong sa Bicol
12. Huwag mananakit nang di ka rin mamilipit
"Dagang malaki, dagang maliit,
13. Huwag manununtok nang di ka rin masapok
14. Ingat po sa biyahe.
ayto ang ngipin kong sira na't pangit.
15. Pakabait ka. sana ay bigyan mo ng kapalit"
16. Pagpalain ka nawa.
17. Kung lagi kang payapa, sakit mo'y di lulubha.
18. Puso'y sumusulak, sa praning ang utak
*A folktale is a kind of story that’s passed-down through generations, typically by word of mouth. Because
of this, most folktales are hundreds of years old, with their origins unknown. As they’re not written down
as such, most folktales don’t have a single author, and their content changes over time. They’re
considered to be creations of the “folk” or people, hence the name.

*The key difference between folktale and legend is that while folktales are stories that are passed down
from one generation to another, legends are truly inspired from historical events

The Sun and the Moon (Visayan) folktale

ONCE upon a time the Sun and the Moon were married, and they had many children who were the stars.
The Sun was very fond of his children, but whenever he tried to embrace any of them, he was so hot that
he burned them up. This made the Moon so angry that finally she forbade him to touch them again, and
he was greatly grieved.
One day the Moon went down to the spring to do some washing, and when she left she told the Sun that
he must not touch any of their children in her absence. When she returned, however, she found that he
had disobeyed her, and several of the children had perished.

She was very angry, and picked up a banana tree to strike him, whereupon he threw sand in her face,
and to this day you can see the dark marks on the face of the Moon.

Then the Sun started to chase her, and they have been going ever since. Sometimes he gets so near that
he almost catches her, but she escapes, and by and by she is far ahead again.

Epics. These are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic

achievements or events, usually of a hero, are dealt with at length.

Our country’s epics are considered ethno-epics because unlike, say, Germany’s Niebelunginlied, our epics are not
national for they are “histories” of varied groups that consider themselves “nations.”

The epics come in various names: Guman (Subanon); Darangen (Maranao); Hudhud (Ifugao); andUlahingan(Manobo).
These epics revolve around supernatural events or heroic deeds and they embody or validate the beliefs and customs
and ideals of a community. These are sung or chanted to the accompaniment of indigenous musical instruments and
dancing performed during harvests, weddings or funerals by chanters. The chanters who were taught by their ancestors
are considered “treasures” and/or repositories of wisdom in their communities.

Folk Songs. These are one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the pre-Spanish period. These
songs mirrored the early forms of culture. Many of these have 12 syllables. Examples of which are Kundiman, Kumintang
o Tagumpay, Ang Dalit o Imno, Ang Oyayi o Hele, Diana, Soliraning and Talindaw.

(Sample video will be played)

Legend is a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be true. A
narrative which shows how and why things came to be.
The Legend of The creation of the World – Bikol

Thousands and thousands of years ago, there was a time when the space occupied by the universe was vacant. The
moon, the sun, the stars, and the earth were conspicuous by their absence. Only the vast expanse of water and the sky
above it could be seen. The kingdom of the sky was under the rule of the great god Languit, while the water was under
the sovereignty of the god Tubigan.
Languit had a daughter called Dagat, the sea, who became the wife of Paros, the wind , who was the son of Tubigan.
Four children were born to Dagat and Paros, three of whom were boys called Daga, Aldao, and Bulan, and one girl called
Bitoon.
Daga, a strong man, possessed a body of rock; Aldao, a jolly fellow, had a body of gold; Bulan, a copper-made man, was
a weakling; while the beautiful Bitoon was made of pure silver.

After the death of their father Paros, Daga, being the eldest son, succeeded in control of the winds. Soon after, Dagat,
the mother died, leaving her children under the care of the grandparents Languit and Tubigan.

After assuming control of the winds, Daga became arrogant and ambitious, desiring to gain more power, so he induced
his younger brothers to attack the kingdom of Languit. At first they refused; at Daga’s anger, Bulan and Aldao were
constrained to join him in his plot.
Preparations were made and when everything was ready, they set out on their expedition and began to attack the gates
of the sky. Failing to open the gates, Daga let loose the winds in all directions so that the gate was destroyed and the
brothers succeeded in gaining entrance. But they were met by the enraged Languit who set out three bolts of lightning
after them. All of them were struck by lightning. The copper body of Bulan melted into a ball; so also was the golden
body of Aldao. Daga’s body fell into the sea and became what is now the earth.
Their sister Bitoon, on discovering the absence of her brothers, went out to look for them. But upon meeting the
enraged god Languit, Bitoon was also struck by another bolt of lightning which broke her body into many pieces.
Then Languit descended from the sky and called Tubigan and accused him of helping their grandsons in their attack on
his kingdom. But Tubigan defended himself saying he had no knowledge about the attack for he was asleep far down
into the sea. Tubigan succeeded in pacifying Languit and the two regretted and wept over the loss of their
grandchildren. Since they could not revive them, they gave each body a light.
Tubigan then planted a seed which grew into a bamboo tree. From one of its branches came a man and a woman, who
became the first parents of the human race. Three children were born to them. One called Maisog invented a fish trap.
One day he caught such a very big and grotesque looking whale that he thought it was a god, so he ordered his people to
worship it. The people gathered around and began to pray; but no sooner they had begun, when gods from the sky
appeared and commanded Maisog to throw the whale to the water and worship no one but the gods.
But Maisog was not afraid and defied the gods. Languit, the king of the sky, struck Maisog with lightning and stunned
him.
Then he scattered the people over the earth as a punishment. In this way the earth was peopled. Maisog’s body was
blackened by the lightning and all his descendants are black. But Maisog’s son was carried to the north and became the
parent of the white people. His other children were brought to the south where the sun was hot and it scorched their
bodies so that all their people were of brown color. The other people were carried to the east where they had to feed on
clay due to scarcity of food. Because of this diet, their descendants were of yellow color.In this way the earth came into
being.

Performance Task – (Rubrics will be provided)

Objectives for folksongs
1. Document and showcase traditional folksongs to preserve and pass on cultural heritage, highlighting
the unique music, lyrics, and themes found in various regions or communities.
2. Educate viewers about the historical and cultural significance of folksongs, exploring how these songs
reflect the values, traditions, struggles, and beliefs of specific groups or regions.
3. Encourage inclusivity by promoting the understanding and appreciation of diverse folk music
traditions, fostering respect for cultural expressions and encouraging the preservation of these art
forms for future generations.
Objectives for Chants
1. Document and showcase traditional chants to preserve and pass on cultural heritage to future
generations
2. Educate viewers about the historical and cultural significance of chants in specific communities or
regions.
3. Encourage inclusivity by showcasing the importance of respecting and appreciating diverse forms of
expression. make for folksong objective