REVIEWER IN 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE

WORLD

TAGALOG LITERATURE
 Tagalog Literature is the literature used in most parts of Luzon. Those who use this type
of literature are coming from Southern Luzon, Central Luzon and Metro Manila or NCR.
 Tagalog Region is the birthplace of a rich tradition of Philippine culture in language,
politics, economy and literature.

Narrative Poetry tells a story. Its main purpose is to entertain through story telling.
 An example of a narrative poem made by a National Artist for Literature is “Mariang
Sinukuan” by Virgilio Sendaden-Almario aka Rio Alma

VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO, also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who
has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed
modernist poetics.

The “Typhoon.” (2005) he tells of the “perennial tempests” that visit the land, as he finds
himself with full of amazement to be greeted by clear daylight with each new morning.

Figure of Speech is a literary device used as a word or phrase that has a meaning that may
be different than its literal meaning. It adds color and interest, and awakens the imagination.

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human

attributes.

Mood, is one element of narrative structure of a piece of literature. It can also be referred to
as atmosphere because it creates an emotional setting enveloping the reader.

PAOLO MANALO is a poet born in Manila and an assistant professor of English, literature
and creative writing at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Free verse is an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns,rhyme, or
any other musical pattern.
Text Tula
One of the most recent genres in Philippine Literature. It is a poetry genre mastered by
Frank Rivera that were entire poems that are written and read on mobile phones.

FRANK RIVERA was born on 29 February 1948 in Paete, Laguna. He is also known as
“makata sa cell phone” with his popular “textula” series, Rivera has, to date, authored 21
books of plays of poetry for stage, radio, TV and film, ; plus short stories, essays and four
books of poetry published by UST Publishing house.

Haiku
It is a Japanese poem consisting of 3 lines with 5-7-5 syllables.

Chick Lit or Chick literature

It is a genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and
light-heartedly.
The plot of a story is the main action that runs through the whole story.
The plot has five elements in the story.

 Introduction
The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.
 Rising Action
This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is
revealed
 Climax
This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story
 Falling action
The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. the reader knows what has
happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not
 Resolution
The Part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome
of the conflict.
MINA V. ESGUERRA writes contemporary romance and young adult novellas.
One of her work is the chick lit “My Imaginary Ex”.

CIRILO F. BAUTISTA, a National Artist for Literature, a poet, fictionist, critic, and writer of
nonfiction, was born in 1941.

CEBUANO LITERATURE
Cebuano Literature refers to the body of oral and written literature of speakers of Cebuano,
the mother tongue of a quarter of the country’s population who live in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor,
Negros Oriental, and parts of Leyte and Mindanao.

Early Poetic Forms

 GARAY (VERSES)
 HARITO (SHAMAN’S PRAYERS)
 TIGMO (RIDDLES)
 PANULTIHON (PROVERBS)

 Balak - generic form for poetry, characterized by the presence of enigma or

metaphor called balaybay or sambingay.
 Balitaw - extemporaneous poetic debate between man and woman that is sung
and danced simultaneously.
 Kulilising hari - a variant of the Tagalog duplo, is usually performed at funeral
wakes, illustrated in a dramatic form
 Pasyon - longest poetic form, a verse rendering of the life and suffering of Jesus
Christ that is read during Lent
 Linambay- also known as Moromoro because of its anti-Muslim theme.

WRITERS' GROUP OF CEBUANO LITERATURE

 Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya (LUDABI) and Bathalan-ong Halad sa Dagang
(BATHALAD)- a writers’ groups certainly contributed to literary growth, which have
chapters in Mindanao.
MARIA CACAO (LEGEND OF SOUTHERN CEBU)
 It is a legend that tells about a story of a diwata who lives in a cave. Her name Maria
Cacao comes from the cacao (tableya). It was believed that the people borrow from her
but they never return what they borrow or if they return it, it was broken.

“Haring Gangis ug Haring Leon“ – fable about the abusive behavior by the dominant
group.
Juan Pusong – folktale that suggest the value of humor, keeping of one’s wit and
resourcefulness.

VICENTE SOTTO
 Sotto is regarded as the Father of Cebuano Language and Letters.
 Sotto published Ang Suga, the first newspaper in Cebuano in 1900.
 Sotto's play "Paghigugma sa Yutang Natawhan" (Love of Native Land), dramatized the
Cebuano people's heroic struggle against Spanish feudal rule in the modern realist
mode.
 He wrote, directed, and produced the first Cebuano play, Elena, a play in three acts. It
was first performed at the Teatro Junquera on May 18, 1902.

NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW

THE FIRST PERSON
-a story written in the first person is told by an “I”, where an “I” can be the main character,
a less important character witnessing events, or a person telling a story they were told by
someone else.
THE SECOND PERSON
-the narrator addresses the protagonist as “you”. Often, this kind of story has the
narrator speaking to a younger version of their self.
THE THIRD PERSON
-Characters are referred to as “he” and “she”. In this case, the narrator (who may be
indistinguishable from the author) is not a character in the story.

CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD

 she grew up in Cebu city, Philippines, the youngest of four children.
 She co-founded PAWWA or Philippine American Women Writers and Artists; she also
founded Philippine Ameican Literary House.

ILOCANO LITERATURE
 The Ilocano literature is one of the most colorful regional Filipino liretarure.
 Prior to the Spanish colonial Period, ilocano literature is purely alive in form of written
and oral literature.
 Ilocano poetry was heavily influenced by Spanish Poetry.
 Contemporary Ilocano writers are know to bag numerous major awards in the most
prestigious Philippine Literature Award Giving Body in the Palanca Awards.

Essay
 Is an analytic, interpretative, or critical literary composition usually much shorter and
less systematic and formal than a dissertation or thesis and usually dealing with it's
subject from a limited and often personal point of view.

ALDOUS HUXLEY
 Famous English Essayist.
 Defines essay as “A literary device for saying almost everything about anything.”

FRANCISCO SIONIL JOSE

 Born 3 of December 1924
 Filipino journalist and fictionist.
 He was declared as a National Artist for Literature in 2001.
 He has been called a Philippine National Treasure.
 He founded the Philippine branch of PEN. An international organization of poets,
playwrite and novelist.
 In 1965 he stared his own publishing house SOLIDARIDAD/SOLIDARITY. A journal of
current affairs, idea, and arts.
 His work is available in 28 languanges.
 He received the1980 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative
Communication Arts from Asia and in 2004 Pablo Neruda Centennial Award from Chile.

HILIGAYNON LITERATURE
 Western Visayas literature, or Panayanon literature, includes that written or orally
transmitted in the provinces into which Panay island is divided: Iloilo, Capiz, Antique,
and Aklan.
 The term also includes the literature of the provinces of Negros Occidental and
Guimaras, both of which are on separate islands. This is because the people of
these two islands have the same ethnic origins as those of Panay.

Hiligaynon refers to the language and culture of the Illongo people, who inhabit Iloilo,
Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental.
Hiligaynon is a word which originated from “ilig” which means “to flow”.
Ilongo is now used to the more popular and informal use of the language.
 The term “Negrense” or “Negrosanon” or “Tabukanon” became the specific word for
the inhabitants of Negros Occidental. The practice extends to other places in the
Panay provinces.
 One refers to those from Aklan as Aklanon, or from Antique as Antiquenos.
Another term which is commonly heard is “Binisaya”.

NOTABLE WRITERS IN HILIGAYNON

1. Santiago Alv. Mulato related in his article “Why Hiligaynon” how the Spaniards,
through misconception, became indirectly responsible for popularizing the word
“Hiligaynon” to refer to a group of people called by that name.
2. Flavio Zaragoza Cano who hailed from Cabanatuan, Iloilo, wrote both in Spanish and
Hiligaynon.
 His masterpiece, De Mactan A Tirad (From Mactan to Tirad), won the first
Commonwealth Literary Contest in Spanish in 1940.
3. Another famous poet from Binalbagan, Negros Occidental is Augurio M. Abeto who
is unforgettable for his Dalawidaw and Tuburan.
4. Angel Magahum is remembered as the first Hiligaynon novelist who wrote the first
novel in Hiligaynon, Benjamin.
5. Magdalena Jalandoni, whose works, Ang Bantay Sang Patyo, and Ang Dalaga Sa
Tienda, marked her place as a famous novelist.
6. Ramon Muzones, a prolific and eloquent writer,whose literary prowess is illustrated in
his many unforgettable novels such as Margosatubig, Tamblot and Dama de Noche.

HINILAWOD
 It is considered as the oldest and longest epic of Panay, and is sung for a number of
days.
 It tells about the story of the three superheroes, Labaw Dongon, Dumalapdap, and
Humadapnin- all sons of the goddess Alunsina and her mortal husband, Paubari.
 It also gives account of the unusual and fantastic adventures of these three sons
especially when each decides to go in quest for his own bride.
 The last part of the epic interestingly reveals the origin of Panay and Negros as the
result of the moral combat between the youngest son, Dumalapdap, and the monster,
Ayutang.

LITERARY GENRES & TRADITIONS AND FORMS FROM DIFFERENT NATIONAL

LITERATURE AND CULTURES: ASIAN, ANGLO-AMERICAN, EUROPEAN, LATIN
AMERICAN AND AFRICAN

ASIAN LITERATURE
Asia
 It is the Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in
the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres.
 The literature of Asia has a rich collection of stories that reflect the beliefs, culture, and
feeling of the people.
 The literature of India, China, and Japan has been the most popular among other Asian
countries due to its longevity and influence over other countries.

INDIA
 India is the huge land in Southern Asia, extending from the Himalayan Mountains south
to the tip of a great peninsula that reaches from out into the Indian Ocean. It is known as
“Land of prayer”.
 Indian literature is based on piety, a deeply religious spirit. Classic Indian literature
would reflect their predominant faith: Hinduism.
 Rig-Veda – made up of hymns in praise of the gods. The hymns are strong, energetic
religions expressions comparable to the Old Testament Psalms.
 Upanishads- consists of a group of sketches, illustrations, explanations and critical
comments on the religious thoughts suggested by the poetic hymns of Rig-Veda.

Kalidasa
He is the greatest writer of plays. He is called the brightest of the “nine gems of genius”.

Rabindranath Tagore
He was a great Indian poet and dramatist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in
1913 and was knighted by the British Government in 1915.

Shakuntala – it is a story of a king who goes hunting in the woods and meets a beautiful
maiden named Shakuntala with whom he falls in love.

Panchatantra (Five headings) – a book that said to contain the first fables ever written.
Fables are stories of animals who behave like human beings.

Two most important epics of India

Ramayana – is about the reincarnation of the creator god Vishnu in the person of Rama,
who is the hero of the epic.

Mahabharata – deals with the other reincarnation of Vishnu in the person of Krishna. It is
considered as the greatest epic of India.

CHINA
 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a unitary sovereign
state in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of
around 1.404 billion

Confucius
 Perhaps the greatest philosopher of the world has known.
 One of the truly great men that China has produced. The word Confucius is the
westernized form of his name, which is Kung Fu-tze, Kung being his proper name, Fu
signifying revered, and tze signifying teacher.

Li Po (701-761)
 Also known as Li tai Po, was one of the leading Chinese poets of the eighth century.
 His writings deal with the good things of life and with the pathos of human destiny. With
a striking vividness they treat of love, friendship, wine, nature, and simple village living.

Po-Chu-I (722-846)
 Was a well-known Chinese poet who represented the classical tradition in Chinese
literature, politics and morality.

JAPAN
 Japan is a sovereign island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off
the eastern coast of the Asian mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the
north to the East China Sea and China in the southwest.
 The kanji, or Sino-Japanese characters, that make up Japan's name mean "sun origin",
and it is often called the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Murasaki Shikibu
 She is a court lady who was the author of the Genjimonogatari (The Tale of Genji),
generally considered the greatest work of Japanese literature and thought to be the
world’s oldest full novel.
Matsuo Basho
 He was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō
was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after
centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku (then
called hokku).

Noh Play
-It is the national theater of Japan.
The Puppet Play (Doll Theater)
-The puppets are beautifully made and lifelike in size. The strings are expertly
manipulated and the dialogue realistically interpreted.

Kabuki Play
-The play of the masses. It is less intellectual, more realistic, even sensational.

ANGLO-AMERICAN LITERATURE
Anglo-America
 Anglo-America most often refers to a region in the Americas in which English is a main
language and British culture and the British Empire have had significant historical,
ethnic, linguistic and cultural impact.
 Anglo-America is distinct from Latin America, a region of the Americas where Romance
languages (Spanish, Portuguese and French) are prevalent.

Captain John Smith

-he was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and
author. He played an important role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony, the first
permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century.

Greatest 19th Century Poets: Walt Whitman; Emily Dickinson

Edgar Allan Poe

 He was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry
and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre.

Edward Bellamy
 He was an American author and socialist, most famous for his Utopian novel, Looking
Backward, a tale set in the distant future of the year 2000.
 EUROPEAN LITERATURE
European Literature refers to the literature in many languages.

Dante Alighieri
 He remains Italy's greatest poet. He was born in the city of Florence, in the region of
Tuscany, Italy in the spring of 1265.
 He wrote La Commedia, the Divine Comedy, from 1308 to 1320, completing the work
the year before he died.

Divine Comedy
 is a long narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a
year before his death in 1321.
 It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in Italian literature and one of the
greatest works of world literature.

LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE

 Latin America generally refers to territories in the Americas where the Spanish or
Portuguese languages prevail: Mexico, most of Central and South America, and in the
Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
 Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in
several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages
of the Americas as well as literature of the United States written in the Spanish
language.

AUTHORS
 Jorge Luis Borges
-The most eminent Latin American author of any century, because to read him is to
activate an awareness of literature in which he has gone farther than anybody else. He
was credited for developing and advancing the “fantastic” style in the region.
 Gabriela Mistral
 -Her poetry captures not only the wide political themes of Latin American identity
and progress, but also the intimate spheres of loss, grief, and motherhood.

AFRICAN LITERATURE
 Africa is the world's second largest and second most-populous continent.
-It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states (countries), nine territories and
two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition.
 African Literature is history of Slavery, oppression or suppression, violence and
humiliations of their life.

AFRICAN WRITERS
 Chinua Achebe
-He was born on November 15,1930 in Nigeria. He died on March 12, 2013. He was
a novelist, a poet, a critic, and a professor. He was best known for his first novel which
is called Things Fall Apart. It was written in 1958.
 Ngugi wa Thiong'o
-Kenyan writer who was born on January 5, 1938. His works include plays, novels,
short stories, and essays. He has written everything from children's literature to social
criticism. Most of his work is in English, but some of it is in Gikuyu.
 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
-She was born on September 15, 1977 in Nigeria. She writes poems, short stories,
and novels. One of her stories, called That Harmattan Morning, was chosen as joint
winner of the BCC Short Story Awards. She also won the O. Henry prize for a story
called The American Embassy.
 Ayi Kwei Armah
-He is a notable Ghanaian writer who was born in 1939. He mainly writes novels. He
has written six novels, all of which have been fairly well received. His most well known
work is called "Fragments."
 Buchi Emecheta
-She is a Nigerian novelist who was born on July 21,1944. She has published over
20 books. Her most well-known novels are: "Second-Class Citizen," "The Bride Price,"
"The Slave Girl," and "The Joys of Motherhood."
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