Nationalism in the Novels

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

OBJECTIVES
o Analyze the literary features of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo o Discover real life characters and setting Rizal patterned the novels o Recover the historical background of the two novels o Discuss and explain how the friars and government respond to the two novels

INTRODUCTION
Rizals biggest contribution to the Propaganda Movement was the printing of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The two works are considered the gospels of Philippine nationalism.

Noli Me Tangere
Berlin, Germany (1886)

El Filibusterismo
Ghent, Belgium (1891)

Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara

Simoun and his revenge

The Social Cancer

NOLI ME TANGERE

I have laughed about our misfortunes because nobody wants to weep with me - Jose P. Rizal

How did Rizal formulate the idea of writing Noli Me Tangere?

Rizal presented a proposal on writing a novel about the Philippines to the CirculoHispano Filipino Jaena and other propagandists agreed to write a book pertaining to the events, heritage, and lives of the Filipinos Pedro Paterno published his novel Ninay; with the subtitle Costumbres Filipinas

The Writing of Noli Me Tangere

Rizal started writing the novel in 1884 The first half was completed in Madrid, one-fourth in Paris, France and the remaining part in Berlin, Germany The title, Noli Me Tangere, in English is Touch Me Not (German Title: Rhre mich nicht an or Berhre mich nicht

Influences on Rizal as a writer

Costumbrismo is a Spanish literary movement which shows local customs and traditions.

Influences on Rizal as a writer

political atmosphere European literature European philosophy
Novels / Poetry / essay

JOSE RIZAL

Influences on Rizal as a writer

JOHN LOCKE

FRIEDRICH WILHELM JOSEPH VON SCHELLING

BENITO PREZ GALDS

Influences on Rizal as a writer

VICTOR HUGO

FRIEDRICH SCHILLER

FRANCOISMARIE AROUET DE VOLTAIRE

Ideas on Noli me Tangere

Juan Lunas Spolarium

Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin

Eugene Sues The Wandering Jew

Uncle Toms Cabin

Bestseller in Europe

Noli Me Tangere
Like Stowes adheres to education as solution to slavery Ibarras mission: education for new generation Helped destroy Spanish colonialism in the Philippines

Political message: Christian unity for the freedom of Negroes Slaves Influenced destruction of slavery in America

Titles of the two novels

The title Noli Me Tangere, in English Touch Me Not (German Title: Rhre mich nicht an or Berhre mich nicht)

o The title based on biblical story, Jesus and Mary Magdalene John 20:17 "Then Jesus speaks to her: Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and tell them: I am going to My Father, to My God and your God."

Titles of the two novels

the word originated from French word, filibustier a sea robber, especially one of the piratical adventurers, English and French, who preyed on Spanish ships in America in the 17th and 18th century

Noli me Tangere: Rizals Purpose

Expose the ills of Philippine society
Make the Filipinos known around the world Obtain freedom and progress through the novel
The author relates this to a social cancer of a breed so malignant that the least contact exacerbates it and stirs in it the sharpest of pains in his dedication: To My Motherland (A mi patria).

I wanted to awaken my countrymen form their profound lethargy, and whoever wants to awaken does not do so with soft and light sounds but with explosions, blows, etc.

THEME, PLOT AND CHARACTERS OF NOLI AND FILI

o Noli Me Tangere revolves around the love between Mara Clara and the main protagonist in the novel, Simoun Ibarra. o Crisostomo Ibarra is an educated man from Europe who discovers the backwardness of his country. o Noli Me Tangere has similar plot with Galds Spanish novel, Doa Perfecta. o El Filibusterismo is the return of Crisostomo in the person of Simoun Ibarra who wants to avenge the maligning of his father and to rescue his sweetheart, Maria Clara.

Noli me Tangere
o Noli Me Tangeres importance is not the plot but its theme and message. o Noli Me Tangere is a thesis-novel, dramtic and moving novel stirring human emotions. o Noli is consistently anti-clerical.

The cover of book, Noli Me Tangere, has hidden messages and meaning.

El Fili: Darker than Noli

Impoverished circumstance; Paciano was in exile, Leonor married a British man

Rizals Thoughts

El Filibusterismo

THEME, PLOT AND CHARACTERS OF NOLI AND FILI

o Crisostomo Ibarra and Simoun Ibarra o Elias o Tasio o Maria Clara o Father Damaso Vardolagas o Capitan Santiago de los Santos o Doa Victorina Espadaa o Basilio

o o o o o o o

Crispin Father Florentino Juli Cabesang Tales Sisa Father Bernardo Salvi Father Hernando de la Sybila o Isagani o Makaraig

THEME, PLOT AND CHARACTERS OF NOLI AND FILI

Rizal uses Sisa and Maria Clara as symbol of the Philippines.

Rizal and El Filibusterismo

It seems that everybody has conspired to embitter my life. They have impeded my return, promising to send me a monthly pension, and after having sent me one months pension they forget about me.

Crisostomo to Simoun: Idealism to Anarchism

Crisostomo Ibarra
Idealist, Education is the answer to change and freedom; Balances everything

Simoun Ibarra
Anarchist; revolution is the key to change; embraces the fire like the phoenix;

Movements for and against the novels

o Positive comments on Noli from Europe: Adolph Meyer, Feodor Jagor and Ferdinand Blumentritt. o Felix Hidalgo admired the courage of Rizal while Plaridel called his work excellent and above standard. o Family, friends and especially the masses were enthusiastic about the novel.

Noli me Tangere: Rizal against his Alma Mater

o The printing and arrival of Noli in the Philippines forced a confrontation between Rizal and UST. o UST Rector, Fr. Gregorio Echevarria appointed a committee to review and examine the novel. o August 30, 1887, the verdict was handed down: Heretical, impious and scandalous

Movements for and against the novels

o Instead of Noli Me Tangere, the novel was called Noli Me Legere o Permanent Commission on Censorship of the Philippines ( Comisin Permanente de Censura) through Fr. Salvador Font found the novel libelous, defamatory, full of falsehood and calumny.
..According to the author, Spain has brought here nothing good, or so dearly it has cost the Islands the few rudiments of civilization that they have received that degradation and death would be a thousand times preferable living under the despotic government of Spain

Movements for and against the novels

The

friars were furious with Jose Rizal and his novels. The church banned the books importation, so some would smuggle the book to the country. And the friars warned readers that reading Noli Me Tangere means imposed punishment such as excommunication, banishment and castration. Friar Jose Rodrguez issued a pamphlet entitled Caiingat Cayo warning people of the evils of Noli Me Tangere

Summary
o Both novels are jeremiads, and considered thesis-novels. o Both Fili and Noli projects the fears of the illustrado class: lost of Philippines as colony of Spain o The novels retained the costumbrist interest in custom and manners. o European philosophy and literature influenced Rizals thoughts on the novels. o The novels infuse Filipino literature with Spanish liberalism; and Jose Rizal created a forum of thinking aloud his political ideas.

NOLI AND FILI: REAL LIFE SETTING AND CHARACTERS

Rizals novels alluded to real life characters and setting Examples are Telesforo Chuidian who was said to be the inspiration for Kapitan Tiago Calle Anloague was a real street Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto was a real restaurant

Some have speculated that Jose Rizal modeled Quiroga, Chinese from El Filibusterismo, after Don Carlos Palanca. Jose Alejandrino, a friend of Rizal, confirmed that it was indeed the case. Alejandrino further claimed that Don Carlos Palanca approached Aguinaldo when he was forming his revolutionary government about the possibility of creating an opium monopoly.

Carlos Palanca Tan Quiensien As the Chinaman Quiroga?

Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto on San Fernando Street, Binondo

The Spanish troops were actually Filipino soldiers in the Spanish army

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING

Chapter 14 of El Filibusterismo depiected students in a boarding house. The boarding house has no name; but with great probability that the scenes and events in El Filibusterismo were Rizals moments in Casa Tomasina.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING

Fr. Francisco Gainza could be one of the prototypes of Fr. Sibyla. Fr. Francisco Gainza opposed the idea of teaching Spanish in all elementary schools in the Philippines in 1861.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING

Academia de Castellano is a true event as stated by Don Felipe Calderon in his letter to Miguel Unamuno. Felipe Calderon and the students of 1887-1888 initiated the idea of the establishment of Spanish Academy.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING

Don Benigno Quiroga Ballesteros seems to be the high official that left teh Philippines over disgust and clash with the new Governor-General.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING: FRIARS

Father Milln has been connected to the real life Fr. G.B. De la R because he is Rizals professor in Ampliacion de Fisica.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING: FRIARS

Father Sibylas character, accordingly, may be based on personal traits of prominent Dominicans in Rizals time: Fr. Jose Hevia Campomanes and Fr. Bernardino Nozaleda.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING: FRIARS

Father Fernandez, exceptionally humble and good among the friars, probably was Father Evaristo Fernandez Arias, a Dominican poet, friend and professor of Rizal.

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING: STATUE OF THE FOUNDER

Juanito, Now I remember! You know, I have been put in charge of collecting the contributing.

What contributions?
For the monument. What monument? Why, Father Baltazars! Didnt you know? And who is Father Baltazar?

REAL LIFE CHARACTERS AND SETTING: STATUE OF THE FOUNDER

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STATUE From the Cronica of the Dominicans, the Rector, Fr. Joaquin Fonseca conceived the idea of erecting the monument of Fr. Benavidez in a public place. But Rizal never saw the fulfillment of the project.

o According to Fr. Villaroel,

Was there perhaps in Rizals life some Basilio or Basilia, relative, student, or friend, whom he wanted to immortalize by using their names in the novels? Besides Basilio the student and Basilio the captain, I suspect that two other personal names are anagrammatically of Basilio, namely Salvi ( Vasil, Basil) and Sibyla (Basily).

SUMMARY
o Noli and Fili are novels rooted from historical situations and experiences of the author. o University of Santo Tomas is prominent in the background of the two novels. o His main thesis: discredit the colonial government and religious institution. o Did he regret studying in UST because he showed it in his two novels? The answer is no. Through his favorable intention of depicting good and bad friars he was able to balance revenge and gratitude.