Doku - Pub - 21st Century Literature From The Philippines

21ST CENTURY LITERATURE
FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND

THE WORLD
TOPIC: 21st Century Literature in Various Regions

21st Century Literature in Various Regions
 Topics under this module
 Philippine Literature during the Precolonial Period
 Philippine Literature during the Spanish Colonial Period
 Philippine Literature during the American and the

Japanese Periods
 Philippine Literature in the Postwar and
Contemporary Period
 Life and Works of Jose Garcia Villa
 Life and Works of Carlos P. Romulo
 Life and Works of Francisco Arcellana
 Life and Works of Nestor Vicente Madali (N.V.M.)
Gonzalez
 Life and Works of Edith L. Tiempo
 Life and Works of F. Sionil Jose
PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
DURING THE
PRECOLONIAL PERIOD
Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to
identify the characteristics of precolonial literature of
the Philippines.
What texts are considered precolonial literature?
Learn about it!
The precolonial literature includes all literature produced before the

Spanish colonization like chants, proverbs, songs, and folk narratives. These
were all passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.
Philippine folk narratives are varied and distinct. They depict the people’s
livelihood, customs, and traditions.
1. Folktale – This is a characteristically anonymous, timeless, and
placeless tale circulated orally among a people.

2. Fable – This features animal characters or inanimate objects that behave
like people.
3. Legend – This is presented as history but is unlikely to be true.
4. Myth – This is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural
phenomenon.
5. Epic – This narrative poem celebrates the adventures and
achievements of a hero.
Folktales
Folktales about Juan are very popular. Some emphasize certain virtues,
and some serve as warning about behavior. Also, some are for the reader’s
amusement.
Example 1:
Juan Gathers Guavas (A Tagalog Folktale)
One day several neighbors came to Juan’s home to visit. His father wanted
to give the guests something to eat, so he sent Juan to get some ripe guavas
for them.
Full of mischief, Juan decided to play a joke on his father’s guests. He went
to get the guavas and ate all of them while thinking of a good joke. Then he
saw a wasp’s nest hung nearby. With some difficulty he managed to take it
down and put it into a tight basket. He hastened home and gave the basket
to his father. Quickly he left the room where the guests were and closed the
door and fastened it.
As soon as Juan’s father opened the basket, the wasps flew over the
room. With the door locked, the people fought to get out of the windows.
After a while Juan opened the door. When he saw the swollen faces of the
people, he cried.
“What fine, rich guavas you must have had! They have made you all so fat!”
Example 2:
Juan Pusong and His Father’s Cows (A Visayan Folktale)
One day Juan Pusong's father put his cows out to pasture. Juan slipped away
from home and took the cows into the forest and tied them there. When his
father found out that the cows were missing, he looked around for them. While
looking, he ran into his son.
“Where did you come from?” he asked.
“I just came from school, Father. How about you, where are you going?”
“I am looking for our cows.”
“You don’t say!" said Juan.
By that time, everybody knew about Juan’s power as a seer. So, he took a little
book from his pocket and looked into it. He said, “Our cows are tied together in
the forest.” So, his father went to the forest and found the cows.
Later on, people would discover that Juan could not read even his own name.
Consequently, his father beat him for the trick he had played on him.
Fable
The monkey is a common animal character in Philippine fables.
It is often depicted as a cunning animal.
Example:
The Monkey and the Crocodile (A Tagalog Fable)
One day, a monkey saw a tall macopa tree laden with ripe fruits, which
stood by a wide river. It was hungry, so it climbed the tree and ate all of the
fruits. When it climbed down, it could find no means by which to cross the
river. Then it saw a young crocodile who had just woken up from its siesta. It
said to the crocodile in a friendly way, “My dear crocodile, will you do me a
favor?”
The crocodile was greatly surprised by the monkey’s amicable salutation. So,
it answered humbly, “Oh, yes! If there is anything I can do for you, I shall be
glad to do it.” The monkey then told the crocodile that it wanted to get to
the other side of the river. Then the crocodile said, “I’ll take you there with
all my heart. Just sit on my back, and we’ll go at once.”
The monkey sat firmly on the crocodile’s back, and they began to move. In a
short while they reached the middle of the stream. Then the crocodile
began to laugh aloud. “You foolish monkey!” it said, “I’ll eat your liver and
kidneys, for I’m very hungry.” The monkey became nervous.
Trying to conceal its anxiety, it said, “I’m very glad that you
mentioned the matter. I thought myself that you might be
hungry, so I have prepared my liver and kidneys for your
dinner. Unfortunately, in our haste to depart, I left them
hanging on the macopa tree. Let us return, and I’ll get
them for you.”
Convinced that the monkey was telling the truth, the crocodile
turned around and swam back to the direction of the
macopa tree. When they got near the riverbank, the monkey
nimbly jumped up onto the land and scampered up the tree.
The crocodile came to realize what happened and said, “I am
a fool.”
Legend
There are different Filipino legends of the great flood. The story of Bukidnon, for
instance, tells that a huge crab caused the water to rise by going into the sea. On the other
hand, the Igorot story tells that the sons of Lumawig the Great Spirit caused the
flood.
Example 1:
The Flood Story (A Legend of Bukidnon)
A long time ago there was a very big crab which crawled into the sea. When it went
in, it crowded the water out so that it ran all over the earth and covered all the land.
Now about one moon before the flood happened, a wise man had told the people
that they must build a large raft. They did as he commanded and cut many large
trees until they had enough to make three layers. These they bound tightly together;
when it was done, they fastened the raft with a long rattan cord to a big pole in the
earth.
Soon after the raft was done, the flood came. White water poured out of the hills,
and the sea rose and covered even the highest mountains. The people and animals
on the raft were safe, but all the others drowned.
Soon the waters went down, and the raft was again on the ground. It was near their
old home, for the rattan cord had held.
The people on the raft together with the animals were the only ones left on the
whole earth.

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21ST CENTURY LITERATURE

FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND

TOPIC: 21st Century Literature in Various Regions

 Philippine Literature during the American and the

placeless tale circulated orally among a people.

4. Myth – This is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural

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