21st Century Literature

from the Philippines and the World

21st CENTURY IN LITERATURE

refers to world literature in prose

produced during the 21st century.
The range of years in 21st century literature
was written from (roughly) the year 2001 to
the present.

 Literature depicts the history, culture and

tradition of a country. It is hard to imagine
a nation without it.

 Philippine Literature
"The history of a nation can be learned in its
constitution its laws, and its political statements.
But to know the history of a nation's spirit, you
must read its literature." (Croghan, 1977)
Philippine Literature in English reveals the spirit
of the Filipino.
Gradually, this literature has learned to express
the deepest of human experiences in words that
create memorable images.

Importance of Literature
sharing of human experiences
learn what you are and how you have
become what you are
learn learn what you might be in the
future.
shows how the Filipino differs from others

Development of Philippine Literature

Philippine Literature in English
1. The Early Period
1900-1930
2. The Middle Period
1930-1960
3. The Modern Period
1960-1974
4. Contemporary
1970-Present

Pre-colonial Times

Folk speeches, folk songs, folk narratives

and indigenous rituals and mimetic
dances that affirm our ties with our
Southeast Asian neighbors.
Most seminal of these folk speeches is the
riddle which is tigmo in Cebuano, bugtong
in Tagalog, paktakon in Ilongo and
patototdon in Bicol.

Folk Narratives:
epics and folk tales are varied, exotic and magical. They
explain how the world was created, how certain animals
possess certain characteristics, why some places have
waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or fauna and, in
the case of legends, an explanation of the origins of
things.

Sample Epics:
Darangen: (Maranao- Islam) narrates the
heroic feats of the Maguindanao people
highlighting the bravery and prowess of
the skilled Moro warriors.
Biag-ni-Lamang: (Ilokano)
Hudhud: (Ifugao) features the characters
Aliguyan (Aliguyon), Bugan and their
families, and the elements of the early
civilization which rose in the mountain
province

Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilokano)

Hudhod & Alim (Ifugao)
Kabuniyan & Bendian (Ibaloi, Benguet)
Kumintang (Tagalog)
Ibalon & Aslon (Bikol)
Maragtas, Haraya, Lagda & Hinilawod
(Bisaya)
Hari sa Bukid (Negros)
Darangan (Muslim)

Numerous newspapers in English were

published:
Komedya
Senakulo
Sarswela
Ibong Adarna
Florante at Laura
Noli Me Tangere
El Filibusterismo

 1905: The Philippine Free Press is

founded;
1910: College Folio is published at UP;
1920: Phil. Herald/Phil. Magazine (most
influential literary Magazine.)

Spanish Occupation

UP was founded in 1908

Characteristics
language is easy to understand
moralistic
sense of nationalism is evident
romantic grammatically uneven

 the Philippine Commonwealth Government was

established on July 4, 1935
writers began to explore the idea of searching
for a national identity
the short story flourished
the first Commonwealth Literary Awards were
given in 1940
Philippine Independence was proclaimed on July
4, 1946
Philippine literature in English greatly improved.

Japanese Occupation
Characteristics

recurrent subject matter/themes rural life,

love, self-sacrifice and suffering, novelty of city
life, value of education, struggle against poverty
recurrent setting the province, the barrio, the
small town
recurrent characters the barrio lass/lad, the
first schooled/educated person in the barrio, the
teacher, hardworking farmer/fisherman, ardent
lovers, the Filipino expatriate educated in
America.

World War II/Japanese occupation

stylistic characteristics simple structure,
simple plots, mild climaxes, explicit
symbols, slow pace or movement,
abundant description of people and places
reflected Filipino customs, traditions,
practices, traits
culture clashes American vs. Filipino

 the first Palanca Memorial Awards were given in

1950; for English and the Tagalog one-act play in
1954.
there was a growing sense of nationalism
the Republic Cultural Awards were started in 1960
1st winner was N.V.M. Gonzalez
the first Pro Patria awards were presented in 1961
1st winners were Jose Garcia Villa, N.V.M.
Gonzalez, and Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
the first Asian Writers Conference was held in
Baguio in 1962
themes of confusion and violence were evident in
the late 60s and 70s

 Martial Law was declared in Sept. 21

1972.
continued influence of the West upon Phil.
Literature was evident
recurrent subject matter colonial
mentality, guerilla and wartime stories,
consequences of the war (poverty,
disorientation, identity crisis), love, family,
death, social problems

Characteristics
recurrent setting the home, the city, the
province, America
recurrent characters rich/poor people,
characters with psychological problems,
immigrants in America

Martial Law was lifted in 1981.

1986 EDSA Revolution occurred .
gay and lesbian literature came out
more social problems are tackled
TV and films have become more popular.
younger writers have entered the literary scene
more literary criticisms have been written

Characteristics
very innovative in structure and style
influence of different isms and literary
trends from the West
characters, plot structure and narrative
techniques are more complex

 The book, 21st century literature from the

Philippines and the world provides usin
Philippine English, with lexical items in
Filipino, and with dislogue that tries to
capture the Filipino-ness of the English
that is used in the Philippines.

 There's hope that in reading today's Phil.

literature in English, the reader will find a
reflection of oneself and reflection of
Philippines Society. This is composed of
novel excerpts, short stories, essays, and
poems that are organzied in a thematic
manner.

 There is pleasure in reading and analyzing

literature that is slowly being forgotten.

The book is divided into 2 parts;

1. 21st century Philippine Literature
2. 21st century World Literature

The text included post- colonial, sociopolitical perspectives about literature and
society. Although the text include have
been published from 2000 abd beyond,
these spans concerns about the new and
the old.
This book aims to help us udenrstand the
complex world we live in through the use
of literature.