UNIT I

Lesson 4
 identify the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic
dimensions of Philippine literary history in the
post-colonial up to contemporary period;
differentiate/compare and contrast the various
21st century literary genres and the ones from
the earlier genres/periods citing their elements,
structures and traditions;
identify the geographic, linguistic, and
ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary
history in the post-colonial up to
contemporary period;
identify the geographic, linguistic, and
ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary
history in the post-colonial up to
contemporary period;
As an aftermath of war and a series of
foreign invasions in our country, the term
post-colonialism was popularized. The
lasting impact of imperialism and
colonialism had been the utmost concern
at this period.
American colonial rule already loosened
but its influences and control are still
somehow affecting us in terms of social,
political and economic aspects of our
country as manifested in the form of
literature produced in various genres.
If you were to share something about
the current condition of the
Philippines to the World in any of
your social media account, what
would be your status/hashtag about?
✔ In 1944, Sergio S. Osmeña, Sr. assumed the
presidency upon the death of Manuel L.
Quezon while the Philippine Commonwealth
government was in exile in the U.S.
✔ Manuel A. Roxas defeated Sergio S. Osmeña,
Sr. as the President in April 1946 for the
Independent Second Republic of the
Philippines.
✔ Elpidio R. Quirino assumed the remaining
term of Roxas when the latter died of a heart
attack in 1948.
✔ In 1953, Ramon F. Magsaysay was elected as the
new president but died in an airplane crash on
March 16, 1957.
✔ Magsaysay's position was assumed by Carlos P.
Garcia who was re-elected and served until 1961.
✔ Diosdado P. Macapagal became the President
after Carlos P. Garcia. He changed the date of
Philippine Independence from July 4, 1946
(Liberation from America) to June 12, 1896
(Liberation from Spanish by the revolutionists). He
also recognized the presidency of Jose P. Laurel.
✔ Ferdinand E. Marcos took office for
presidency in 1965 who got re-elected in 1969
making him the first to win two presidential
terms.
✔ He declared Martial Law on September 21,
1972 and led the country into what he calls
"The New Society" against lawlessness which
incited a lot of opposition.
✔ Marcos was forced to hold an election in
1978 and 1981 to stabilize the country's
chaotic condition where he won again.
✔ The death of Benigno Simeon "Ninoy"
Aquino, Jr. became the beginning of calling for
Marcos' removal.
✔ EDSA People Power Revolution (bloodless
revolution) through the initiative of Maria
Corazon C. Aquino and her supporters erupted
which marked a significant national event.
✔ Snap election was conducted in 1986 which
seated Corazon Aquino- the widow of Benigno
Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. as the 11th
President of the Philippines and ended the 21
years of what many claimed as the tyrant rule.
✔ Marcos went on exile in Hawaii, where he
died on September 28, 1989.
✔ The political and economic condition of the
Philippines during Cory Aquino's
administration was described as chaotic.
✔ Monopolization of the agricultural industry
took place after the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) forced the Philippines to pay its
debt amounting to 27.2 billion dollars which
they claimed to be inherited from Marcos
administration.
✔ Fidel V. Ramos (also known as "Centennial
President") took office in 1992 where he
immediately worked on the country's recovery.
He was awarded the Peace Award by UNESCO
in his effort to achieve a Peace Agreement with
MILF.
✔ Film actor Joseph Ejercito Estrada won
presidency with his pro-poor campaign in1998
but was ousted in 2001 because of corruption
and gambling issues.
✔ Maria Gloria Macapagal Arroyo assumed
office in 1998, got re-elected, and served until
2010. During her term, many impeachment
complaints were filed against her due to
corruption and electoral sabotage where she
got hospital arrest for her spinal surgery.
✔ Former Senator Benigno Simeon C. Aquino
III (aka PNoy or Noynoy Aquino) seated as the
next president in 2010.
✔ Next to him is President- Rodrigo Roa
Duterte who is both a lawyer and politician.
✔ Lastly is Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.,
the 17 th President of the Philippines.
✔ Filipino writers began to develop new
themes, styles, and techniques. The first
notable work that appeared right after the
second world war under Japanese occupation
in the Philippines is a novel written by Macario
Pineda entitled “Ginto sa Makiling” which was
considered as a narrative of the Philippines’
social, political, and moral aspects
(Macansantos, et al, n.d.). It was noted for its
resemblance to the work of Rizal and more on
the work of Balagtas in terms of plot and style.
✔ The rise of English writers began after exposure
to American language and culture, although there
were still many Filipino writers observed using the
vernaculars. Sarvia considers the following factors
contributory to the flourishing of Filipino literature:
1) establishment of the University of the Philippines
in 1908 where English was primarily used as the
medium of instruction, 2) the founding of the
Philippine Writers’ Association in 1953, and 3) the
establishment of the Carlos Palanca Memorial
Award in 1955 to name a few.
✔ According to Macansantos, among the common
literary themes in novels and short stories were war
experiences which can be seen in the works of
Stevan Javellana’s “Without Seeing the Dawn”
(1947) and Edilberto Tiempo’s “Watch in the Night”
for the English category. While for Filipino
literature that used the vernaculars, the works of
Lazaro Francisco were profoundly noted for his
style associated to Rizal’s influence such as
“Bayaning Nagpatiwakal” (1932), “Sugat sa Alaala”
(1950), “Maganda pa ang Daigdig” (1956), and
“Daluyong” (1962).
✔ The influence of both Spanish and American
styles could be observed in the work of Nick
Joaquin where his flashback technique was highly
appreciated by critics. Some writers attempted to
incorporate a taste of folk tradition especially in
poetry such as epic and other oral forms of
literature which still existed like Balagtasan.
However, oral tradition became less popular as
people became more interested in short stories.
Literature
Then And
Now
The 21st century literature (sometimes called
"contemporary literature") is viewed as the
literature of the new generation. Specifically,
this refers to literary piece or diverse
postmillennial texts that have been produced
since 2000 or 2001 up to the present. The shift
from paper to the screen first took place in this
type of literature and the use of technology for
human expression such as e-book, blog, digi-
fiction, etc. has been very common.
Characteristics of 21st Century Literature:
▪ written by contemporary authors
within the last decade
▪ deals with current issues and themes
▪ reflects technological culture
▪ literature of emerging genres
▪ often breaks traditional writing
The 21st century learners were born
with the computer already as part of
the daily life essential. Some literary
genres which the computer and
internet helped create are the
following:
Blog
This is also known as web log or a
website containing short articles called
posts that are changed regularly. Some
blogs are written by one person
containing their own opinions, interests
and experiences, while others are
written by many different people.
Chick Lit
This genre fiction addresses issues of
modern womanhood, often humorously
and light-heartedly. The genre became
popular in the late 1990s, with chick lit
titles topping best seller lists and the
creation of imprints devoted entirely to
chick lit.
Creative Nonfiction
Also known as literary nonfiction or narrative
nonfiction, it is a genre of writing that uses literary
styles and techniques to create factually accurate
narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other
nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism,
which is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not
primarily written in service to its craft. As a genre,
creative nonfiction is still relatively young, and is only
beginning to be scrutinized with the same critical
analysis given to fiction and poetry.
Flash Fiction
This is characterized with a style of fictional
literature or fiction of extreme brevity. There
is no widely accepted definition of the
length of the category. Some self-described
markets for flash fiction impose caps as low
as three hundred words, while others
consider stories as long as a thousand
words to be flash fiction.
Hyperpoetry
It is a form of digital poetry that uses links using
hypertext mark-up. It is a very visual form, and is
related to hypertext fiction and visual arts. The links
mean that a hypertext poem has no set order, the
poem moving or being generated in response to the
links that the reader/user chooses. It can either
involve set words, phrases, lines, etc. that are
presented in variable order but sit on the page much
as traditional poetry does, or it can contain parts of
the poem that move and / or mutate.
Mobile Phone Text Tula
A particular example of this poem is a tanaga, a
type of Filipino poem, consisting of four lines
with seven syllables each with the same rhyme
at the end of each line - that is to say a 7-7-7-7
syllabic verse, with an AABB rhyme scheme. The
modern Tanaga still uses the 7777 syllable count,
but rhymes range from dual rhyme forms: AABB,
ABAB, ABBA; to freestyle forms such as AAAB,
BAAA, or ABCD.
Speculative Fiction
This is an umbrella term encompassing the
more fantastical fiction genres, specifically
science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction,
supernatural fiction, superhero fiction,
utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic
and postapocalyptic fiction, and alternate
history in literature as well as related static,
motion, and virtual arts.
 Assessment A
FLASH FICTION WRITING: Be ready to tell a story
that will reflect our experiences in three periods of
our history. Choose one of the micro-plots below
and add details to make it longer but still short
enough to qualify as flash fiction (Word Limit: 200).
Ask a peer to read your work and comment on its
flow and other elements. Revise if needed before
submitting to your teacher.
 Assessment A
1. Hello, goodbye, all in a hurry.
2. Looked down, challenged, persevered, proven,
hailed.
3. The silent moments were our loudest.
4. Superhero fails to play role well.
 Assessment B
Write your own Text Tula on a
drawing of a mobile phone screen
on a manila paper.
 Quiz #4
MULTIPLE CHOICES. Choose the letter of
the best answer. Write your answer on
a separate sheet of paper.
1. What subject or theme is the most common
during the contemporary period?
A. Educational issues
B. Psychological issues
C. Social issues
D. Spiritual issues
2. Post-colonialism is a broad term that can also be
used to study literature. What is the utmost concern
of this term?
A. Impact of imperialism and colonialism
B. Establishment of own governance
C. Threat of another colonizers
D. Welfare of the writers
3. Why do a lot of Filipino thinkers say that the
Philippines remains a neocolony of the U.S.A?
A. Because our country's economy and foreign
policy are both dependent on American
government
B. Because Philippines is directly governed by
American government
C. Because we love Western cultures only
D. This belief is not true.
4. Which phrase best describes the first Edsa
Revolution in our country?
A. Bloody Revolution
B. Bloodless Revolution
C. Corrupted Mind
D. The New Society
5. Modern literature comprises both contemporary
and 21st century literature. How does contemporary
literature differ with 21st century literature?
A. It is stricter in terms of the convention and
mechanics in writing.
B. Technology is commonly embedded in
contemporary literature.
C. Contemporary literature is better in quality.
D. It is commonly written in English language.
6. What does 21st century literature mean?
A. It is any type literary text produced roughly from
2001 up to the present.
B. It is the type of literary that only uses technology.
C. This is the literature of emerging genres.
D. Both A and C.
7. Which literary text only existed during 21st century
literature?
A. Acrostic Poems
B. Chic Lit
C. Essay
D. Proverbs
8. Which literary text only existed during 21st century
literature?
A. Comedia
B. Haiku
C. Myth
D. Speculative Fiction
9. Which among the poems only existed during 21st
century literature?
A. Concrete Poem
B. Lyrical Poetry
C. Hyper Poetry
D. Sonnet
10.Which best characterizes 21st century
literature as compared to the other periods?
A. The use of technology is embedded in the
creation of this type of literature.
B. This is a literature written by contemporary
authors within the last decade.
C. This literature often breaks traditional
writing.
D. All of the above.
 Quiz #4
ANSWERS:
1. C 6. D
2. A 7. B
3. A 8. D
4. B 9. C
5. A 10.D
 Spare Time Activity
Research and list down the Philippine
Presidents as well as their biggest
contributions in the development of our
country. A printed copy shall be
submitted. (Short bond paper)
Thank you!