21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
Introduction to Philippine Literature
Philippine literature is as rich and diverse as the 7500 plus islands that make up our archipelago. This
is not surprising considering that we have 183 living languages across 17 regions comprised of 82
provinces.
The term literature is derived from the Latin word "littera" which means "a letter of the alphabet".
Literature is traditionally defined as body of written works associated to imaginative and creative
works of POETRY and PROSE and can be classified according to variety of systems such as language,
national origin, historical period, genre and subject matter.
Literature can either be in ORAL or WRITTEN form. The oral literature handed down from one
generation to another, then later on transformed into written form. The products of written literature
are called literary text. A text can be considered literary if it has the elements of psychological
characterization and chronology. Also, literature uses literary devices such as metaphor and
symbolism. Reading for entertainment and learning is the most common reason why people read
literature.
Simply, the best way to describe the characteristics of literary text is that
(1) it narrates a story;
(2) it expresses feelings, thoughts, and ideas which can either be based from the imagination or real
life experiences of the author or other people; and
(3) it delivers significant information and crosses boundaries of time, places, cultures and
languages.
LITERARY STRUCTURE refers to the organizational method used in literature in which the most
common type is the narrative.
Parts of the narrative structure (or plot) are the:
1. exposition,
2. rising action,
3. climax,
4. falling action
5. resolution (denouement)
POETRY. This literary type is usually written in lines and is characterized by having the element of
rhythm, sound, imagery, and form. Its main purpose is to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It can
be divided into three types: narrative, dramatic, and lyrical poetry.
Narrative Poetry. This poetry tells a story and has the elements of a narrative such as characters,
setting, conflict, etc.
Dramatic Poetry. This is an emotionally appealing drama written in verse that tells a story and is
intended to be recited or sung in front of the audience by a character speaking in poetry.
Lyric Poetry. It is the most common type of poetry that focuses on expressing feelings rather than
telling a story.
In contrast to poetry, this literary piece applies a natural flow of speech and grammatical structures
which are mainly consisting of complete sentences arranged logically and sequentially in a paragraph
form.
FICTION. This serves as a product of the writer's wild imagination and creative thinking where the
characters react to the conflict and various issues central to the main idea of a literary work. Its three
types are: short story, novel, and novella. The main genres are crime, fantasy, romance, science
fiction, western, inspirational, historical fiction and horror.
NON-FICTION. These are stories inspired by real events where the writers aim to present, interpret,
or describe experiences based on facts. The judgments, opinions, and commentaries of the writers
may be presented in the form of essays, journals, diaries, feature articles, editorials, and the like.
Genre refers to the forms of literature. The general ones are oral and written.
The main types are prose and poetry. There are many other forms that have sprung through the
years. Specifically, it is defined in the curriculum guide as something that “may be determined by
literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length.
GENERAL GENRES in literature are epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative nonfiction.
They can all be in the form of prose or poetry.
LITERARY ELEMENTS refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text.
Theme Plot Setting Conflict Point-of-view Character
ELEMENTS OF POETRY
1. FORM. Free verse, couplet, limerick
2. IMAGERY. Pictures in words and it adds color in any types of literature especially in poetry
3. RHYTHM AND SOUND. Rhythm falls under the broad category sound. While sound deals with the
common use of rhymes and other literary devices such as repetition (repeating of words, phrases, or
lines), alliteration (repeating same consonant sounds), assonance (repeating same vowel sounds), and
onomatopoeia (the use of the actual sound to represent someone or something), rhythm is more
concerned with the flow of the beat such as whether it is fast or slow.
