The document provides an overview of Philippine literature during the Spanish colonial period from 1521 to 1898. It discusses the beginnings of literature during Spanish colonization. Various genres of literature flourished, including religious texts translated into local languages, poetic works by native writers, folk songs, plays and narratives. The document also outlines the influences of Spanish culture and the Catholic church on the development of Philippine literature, as well as notable historical figures from the period.
2. Spanish Colonization in the Philippines
started in 1565 during the time of Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi, the first Spanish-
governor-general in the Philipppines .
Literature started to flourish during this
time.
The Spaniards colonized the Philippines
for more than three centuries
The Spanish colonizers wanted to
undermine the native oral tradition by
substituting for it to the story of the
Passion of Christ. However, the native
tradition survived and even flourished in
areas inaccessible to the Spaniards.
3. The church authorities adopted a policy
of spreading the Church doctrines by
communicating to the natives in their
own language
- Doctrina Christiana
The first book to be printed in the
Philippines,was a prayer book written in
Spanish with an accompanying Tagalog
translation.
4. The task of translating religious instructional
materials forced the Spanish missionaries to
employ natives as translator.
Eventually, these natives learned to read and
write both in Spanish and in their native tongue.
Ladinos-bilingual natives
-They published their works, mainly devotional
poetry,in the first decade of the 17th century.
5. Gaspar Aquino de Belen
-the most gifted among the Ladinos
-he wrote the Mahal na Pasion ni Jesu
Christo, a tagalog poem based on
christ’s passion, was publish in 1704.
6. In the 18 century, secular literature
from Spain oin the form of medieval
ballads inspired the native poetic-
drama called komedya, later to be
called more-moro because these
often dealt with the theme of
Christians truimphing over Muslims.
7. Printing overtook the oral
tradition and it set for the
development of Prose.
The first filipino novel was
“Ninay”, written in Spanish by
Pedro Paternno.
8. The prominent figures during Spanish
Colonial Period
• Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar (1788-
1892),popularly called Balagtas, is
acknowledge master of traditional
Tagalog poetry.
• His narrative poem “Florante at Laura”,
written in sublime Tagalog, is about
tyranny in Albanya, but it is also
perceived to be about tyranny in his
Filipino homeland.
9. • Jose Rizal (1896-1896), our national
hero chose the realistic novel as his
medium.
• Rizal’s two novels, “ Noli Me Tangere”
and it’s sequel “ El Filibusterismo “,
chronicle the life and ultimate death
of Ibarra, a Filipino educated on
abroad, who attempts to reform his
country through education.
10. • Inspired by Rizal and his two novels were Andres
Bonifacio (1863-1897) and his closest aide Emilio Jacinto
(1875-1899). Both were writers and social critics who
were profoundly influenced by the liberal ideas of the
French enlightment.
11. • The Philippine revolutionary
period also has it’s share of
women writers.
• Gregoria de Jesus, wife of
Andres Bonifacio, wrote noble
Tagalog poem.
• In Vigan of the Ilocano North,
Leona Frolentino, by her
poetry, became the foremost
Ilocano writer of her time.
12. Spanish Influences on the Philippine
Literature
1. Alibata
2. Christian Doctrine
3. Spanish Language became the literary language
this time
4. European legends and tradition
5. Ancient Literature was collected and and
translated to Tagalog
6. Grammar books were printed in Filipino
7. Religious Tone
13. The First Books
1.Ang Dontrina Christina (The Christian
Doctrine)
2.Nuestra Senora del Rosario
3.Libro de los Cuatro Porstpremiras de Hombre
(in Spanish and Tagalog)
4.Ang Barlaan at Josephat
5.The Pasion
6.Urbana and Felisa
7.Ang mga Dalit kay Maria (Psalm of Mary)
14. Literary Compositions
1. Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala (Art and Rules of
the Tagalog Language
2. Compendio de la Lengua Tagala (Understanding the
Tagalog Language)
3. Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala ( Tagalog
Vocabulary)
4. Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga (Pampango
Vocabulary)
5. Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya (Bisayan Vocabulary)
6. Arte de la Lengua Ilokana ( The Art of the Ilocano
Language)
7. Arte de ka Lengua Bicolana (The Art of the Bicol
Language)
15. Folk Songs
A song that originates in traditional popular culture or that
written in such style. Folk songs are one of the oldest forms
of Philippine literature that emerged in the Pre-Spanish
period. These mirrored the early forms of culture. Many of
these have 12 syllables.
Folk songs truly manifest the artistic feeling of the Filipinos.
They show the Filipino’s innate appreciation for love and for
beauty.
Examples of Folk songs:
• Leron-leron Sinta (Tagalog)
• Pamulinawen (Ilokano)
• Dandansoy (Bisaya)
• Sarong Banggi ( Bicol)
• Atin Cu Pung Singsing (Kapampangan)
16. Recreational Play
• There are many recreational plays performed by Filipinos
during the Spanish times. Almost all of them were in poetic
form. Here are examples:
1. Tibag –the word tibag means to excavate.
This ritual was brought here by the Spaniard to remind the
people about the search of St. Helena for the Cross on
which Jesus died.
2. Lagaylay –this is a special occasion for the Pilareños of
Sorsogon during May, time to get together.
As early as April, the participating ladies are chosen and
sometimes, mothers volunteer their girls in order to fulfill a
vow made during an illness or for a favor received. In some
parts of Bicol, a different presentation is made but the
objective is the same –praise, respect and offering of love to
the Blessed Cross by St. Helen on the mound she had dug
in.
17. 3. The Cenaculo –this is a dramatic performance to
commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ. There
are two kinds: the Cantada and Hablada. In
the Hablada the lines are spoken in a more deliberate
manner showing the rhythmic measure of each verse and the
rhyming in each stanza and is more dignified in theme;
the Cantada is chanted like the Pasion. The Cenaculo is
written in octosyllabic verse, with 8 verses to the stanza. The
full length versions take about 3 nights of staging.
Performers come in costumes with wigs and performers are
carefully chosen for their virtuous life. One performs the role
of Jesus Christ and another the role of the Virgin Mary. Many
famous Cenaculo players come from the Tagalog regions
although there are also those from Ilocos, Pampanga, Bicol
and both Sibulanon and Hiligaynon.
4. Panunuluyan –this is presented before 12:00 on Christmas
Eve. This is a presentation of the search of the Virgin Mary
and St. Joseph for an inn wherein to deliver the baby Jesus.
5. The Salubong (or Panubong) -The Salubong is an Easter
play that dramatizes the meeting of the Risen Christ and his
Mother. It is still presented in many Philippine towns.
18. 6. Carillo (Shadow Play) –this is a form of dramatic entertainment
performed on a moonless night during a town fiesta or on dark
nights after a harvest. This shadow play is made by projecting
cardboard figures before a lamp against a white sheet. The figures
are moved like marionettes whose dialogues are produced by
some experts.
The dialogues are drawn from a Corrido or Awit or some religious
play interspersed with songs.
These are called by various names in different places:
Carillo in Manila, Rizal and Batangas and Laguan; TITRES in Ilocos
Norte, Pangasinan, Bataa, Capiz and Negros; TITIRI in Zambales;
GAGALO or KIKIMUT in Pampanga and Tarlac; and ALIALA in La
Union.
7. The Zarzuela –considered the father of the drama; it is a musical
comedy or melodrama three acts which dealt with man’s passions
and emotions like love, hate, revenge, cruelty, avarice or some
social or political problem.
8. The Sainete –this was a short musical comedy popular during the
18th century. They were exaggerated comedies shown between
acts of long plays and were mostly performed by characters from
the lower classes. Themes were taken from everyday life
scenarios.
19. Moro-moro
Moro-moro (Comedia) is a play that became popular in
the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. It depicted battles
between Christians and Moros-as Muslims in the Philippines are
popularly known-with the Moros as the perpetual villains who always
lost to the Christians in the end.
Duplo
The Duplo was a poetic debate by trained men and women in the
ninth night, which is the last night of the mourning period for the
dead.
Karagatan
The Karagatan was also a poetic debate like the Duplo, except its
participants were amateurs. Both were held in homes and their
theme was about a ring that fell into the sea.
Balagtasan
Balagtasan is Filipino form of debate done in verse. The term is
derived from the surname of Francisco Balagtas
20. • Dung-aw
The dung-aw expresses the lyric mode of death, the thought of
which it congeals one’s blood with chill anticipation thrusts one into
the blank depth of sorrow. It is the song of grief, sorrow, lamentation
and praise for the dead. The dung-aw is charged with deep emotion
and is stamped with feeling of sympathy and love which arise
directly form sharp personal sorrow which the singer of the dung-aw
may have felt while creating it extemporaneously.
Awit and Korido
Philippine metrical romances, awit and korido in Tagalog,
are long verse narratives on chivalric-heroic, religious,
legendary and folkloric themes. 'Koridos' or 'corridos,' as
Philippine romances are generally called, are heavily
influenced by foreign literature. They were the most popular
among the Spanish colonial literary forms. They are of
uniform stanza pattern -- monoriming and assonant quatrain
-- and vary in length, from a few hundred to several
thousand lines.
22. The literature of the formative past by the various groups
of people who inhabited the archipelago.
A literature of varrying human interest
Close to the religious and political organizations of the
ancient Filipinos
The verses were addressed to the ears rather than the
eyes.
Verses composed and sung were regarded as group
property.
Versification
-Octosyllabic
Legendary and religious poems
-Dodecasyllabic
Romance
23. Riddle (bugtong)
Made up of one or more measured lines with rhymes and
may consist of 4 to 12 syllables
Showcase the Filipino wit, literary talent, and keen
observation of the surroundings
Involves reference to one or two images that symbolize the
characteristics of an unkwon object that is to be guessed
Purpose of Bugtong
• To entertain
• To titillate
• To curse
• To preserve the culture
24. Salawikain and Sawikain
• Epigrams/Maxims/Proverbs
• Short poems that have been customarily been used and
served as laws or rules on good behavior by our ancestors
• Allegorie or parables that impact the lessons for the young
• Often used in expressing single idea, that usually saturucal
and had a witty ending.
• Maxims- rhyming couplets (5,6, 8 syllables)
Example of Salawikain
Ang matapat na kaibigan, tunay na maaasahan
Example of Sawikain
Kumukulo ang dugoo- very angry
Write on water- forget about it
Example of Maxims
Pag hindi uukol
Hindi bubukol
Means= What is not intended for one will not bear fruit
25. Bulong or Chants
Used in witchcraft or enchantments
Sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon
Sa simbahan din ang tuloy
Hele hele
Bago Keyme
Tabi tabi po
Makikiraan po lamang
26. Kasabihan or Sayings
Used in teasing or to comment on a person’s acutations
Nag almusal mag-isa
Kaning lamig;tinapa
Nahulog ang kutsara
Ikaw na sana,sinta
Tanaga
A quatrain with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of
each line
No title, 7-7-7-7,AABB
Example
Tahak ng tingin, tulak
ng sulyap, yakao, lapat
Ng titg sa balikat
Hatak pa, kindat, hakat
27. Myth
A traditional story consisting of events that are ostensibly
historical, explaining the origins of a cultural practice or
natural phenomenon.
A myth can be a collectively held belief that has no basis in
fact. This usage, which is often pejorative,[11] arose from
labeling the religious myths and beliefs of other cultures as
incorrect, but it has spread to cover non-religious beliefs as
well.[12] Because of this popular and subjective word
usage, many people take offense when the narratives they
believe to be true are called myths.
To the source culture a myth by definition is "true", in that
it embodies beliefs, concepts and ways of questioning to
make sense of the world.
28. There are many different creation of myths
in Philippine mythology, originated from
various ethnic groups.
• Story of Bathala
• Visayan Version
• The Legend of Maria Makiling
Presence of Different Deities
Ex. Bathala
Mythical creatures
Ex.
• Aswang
• Dila
• Diwata
• Dewende
• Tikbalang
• Mankukulam
29. Ancient Metrical Tales
Ifugao- Hudhud ni Aliguyon
Ilocos-Biag ni Lam-ang
Bicol- Ibalon
Mindanao- Darangan
Panay- Hinilawod
Bagobo- Tuwaang
Kalinga- Ulaliim
Manobo- Agyu or Olahing
Subanon- Sandayo