Here Are The 6 Major Literary Periods In Philippine Literature
LITERARY PERIODS IN PH – There are six major periods in Philippine Literature beginning with the Pre-Colonial period.
As the Philippines fought for its independence, the literature found within the country evolved. In this article, we are going to tackle each of the periods of Philippine Literature as well as examples from that era.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR LITERARY PERIODS IN PHILIPPINES?
I. PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (–BC to 1564)
Even before the Spaniards occupied the Philippines, the Filipino people already had their own art and culture. Most of these are based on oral traditions passed down from generation to generation.
LITERARY FORMS – The Philippine pre-colonial period of literature had four distinct forms namely:
- Oral Literature – These are forms that are passed on through word of mouth. Examples of these are riddles (bugtong).
- Folk Songs – It is a type of folk lyric that portrays people’s ambitions and objectives, as well as their lifestyles and loves. These are frequently noisy and repetitious, didactic and naïve.
- Folk Tales – These include myths, legends, fables, and fantasies.
- Epics – During the pre-colonial period, the Philippines had epics that are “sustaned narratives based on oral tradition”. Examples of these are Lam-ang, Hinilawod, Kudaman, and Darangen.
II. SPANISH COLONIZATION PERIOD (1565 – 1863)
There are two distinct characteristics of literature when the Spanish occupied the Philippines – religious and secular. During this time, Spanish was introduced as the medium of communication.
LITERARY FORMS – Religious lyrics were prevalent during this time in both Spanish and Tagalog. However, there was also secular or “non-religious” forms which paved the way for awit, korido, nad prose narratives.
III. NATIONALISTIC / PROPAGANDA AND REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1864 – 1896)
At this time, language as a medium for communication shifted from Spanish to Filipino. As such, it was easier to communicate seeds of nationalism to millions of Filipinos.
Here, we saw a slew of propaganda literature that was reformative in nature such as satires, editorials, and others to expose the abuse of the Spaniards.
IV. AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD – Although the American Occupation of the Philippines was short-lived, the country took inspiration from Western Culture. Soon enough, Filipino writers imitated English and American models of literature
V. JAPANESE OCCUPATION – Filipinos broke away from the rules of Balagtasan and instead wrote free and short verses much like the Japanese. During this time, there was also a “Period of Maturity and Originality’
- VI. VINATIONALISTIC / PROPAGANDA AND REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1864 – 1896).
- Martial Law repressed and curtailed human rights, including freedom of the press
- Writers used symbolisms and allegories to drive home their message, at the face of heavy censorship
- Theater was used as a vehicle for protest, such as the PETA (Phil. Educational Theater Association) and UP Theater.
- From the eighties onwards, writers continue to show dynamism and innovation