Question

what can you say about development of philippine literature across the different historical periods?

Answer 1

  A Brief History of Philippine Literature in EnglishI. Pre-Colonial Period- Consisted of early Filipino literature passed down orally; oral pieces have a communalauthorship – it was difficult to trace the original author of the piece since oral literature did not focuson ownership or copyright, rather on the act of storytelling itself;- Many oral pieces became lost in the wave of the new literary influence brought about by theSpanish colonization; however, according to the Philippine Literature: A History & Anthology, EnglishEdition (Lumbera, B. & Lumbera C.), the pre-colonial period of Philippine literature is considered thelongest in the country‟s history; - Literature in this period is based on tradition, reflecting daily life activities such as housework,farming, fishing, hunting, and taking care of the children as well;- Oral pieces told stories which explained heroes and their adventures; they attempted toexplain certain natural phenomena, and, at the same time, served as entertainment purposes;- Pre-colonial literature showed certain elements that linked the Filipino culture to otherSoutheast Asian countries (e.g. oral pieces which were performed through a tribal dance have certainsimilarities to the Malay dance);- This period in Philippine literature history represented the ethos of the people before the arrivalof a huge cultural influence – literature as a cultural tradition, than a form of art that had a particularset of decorum.· Early Forms of Philippine Literature:o Bugtong (riddles; a bugtong contains a metaphor called, Talinghaga), Salawikain (proverb);o Pre-colonial poetry – Tanaga (expresses a view or a value of the world), Ambahan (songs aboutchildhood, human relationships, hospitality; sung by the Mangyan), Duplo (verbal jousts/games),Bayok (thoughts about love), Balagtasan (performed on stage);o Epic poetry – romantic heroes and heroines that are a reflection of the world as perceived by theearly Filipinos.· Notable Works of the Pre-colonial Period:o Tuwaang, Lam-ang, Hinilawod, BantuganII. Spanish Colonial Period (Mid-16th – late 19th century)- The Spanish culture, as reflected in the works of this literature period, showed a clash with the pre-colonial Filipino literature in the beginning. However, due to the length of stay of the colonizers,the Spanish culture was eventually imbued in the Filipino literature of the period;