The Pre-Spanish Philippine Literature survived through oral tradition without the intervention neither assistance of the printing press. Although writings were common, oral lore was favored as it was easier for everyone.
Epics, Folklores, Legends, Bugtong, Salawikain, and songs such as Oyayi and Hele were famous during this period. Philippine literature thrived before the Spanish colonization as it was all for entertainment and a way for the early Filipinos to make sense and appreciate the world; most of which were dedicated to value nature as “spiritual” in a sense or even sacred.
Early and even contemporary epics depict powerful and magical creatures reflecting the customs and beliefs of the natives and the people that always end/include moral values; heroes and evil beings/villainous creatures were always present (even in the present time, Filipinos continue to appreciate and celebrate the dynamics of Philippine literature that even some TV shows, especially those directed for the younger audience, have Legends, Bugtong, and Epics).
Although the Spanish colonization ceased and abolished some of the earliest forms of Philippine Literature (as all written/carved pieces of literary proof were burned and Filipinos were forced to stop speaking of such tales as it was deemed “sacrilegious) the colonization brought sudden shifts to the Filipinos that affected their lifestyle.
In the eyes of the natives, the shift started from valuing nature as sacred to worshipping the colonizer’s God as the most divine of all, and I think that made them lose all sense of their identity; feeling foreign in their own land. When lifestyle is included, the customs, beliefs, forms of entertainment, and of course the arts would be affected, and for 3 centuries, the Filipinos underwent a variety of losing a sense of their authenticity to adapting to the environment. Cenaculos, Moro-Moro, Awit, and Zarzuelas are just a few of the Spanish literary genres that the Filipinos adapted.
The Spanish period resulted in two movements: the propaganda and the revolutionary movement which were reformatory rather than objective; literary pieces were focused on liberation. In the propaganda period, Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaene were the “brains and pens” because their literary pieces depicted a strong surge of freedom and rebellion. (Rizal in his ‘Noli Me Tangere’, Del Pilar in his newspaper articles).
These writings inspired the others to fight harder in order to regain the nation’s identity; a land that is not under the ruling of colonizers but a land free from the shackles of selfish foreign demands, cruelty, and colonial injustice, thus, the revolutionary period began.
Due to the failure of the propagandists (with the death of Rizal and seeing as the brains and pens were starting to crumble even more), Andres Bonifacio founded the Katipunan and this is where the “brains and swords” took the upper hand.
Literary genres in the 21st-Century Philippine Literature:
Creative nonfiction is a mixture of flavors, ideas, and feelings. It can be an essay, research paper, a memoir, or poem, and it can be personal or impersonal and even be all of those elements combined.
Hyperfiction or hypertext poetry and also known as hypertext fiction is computer/digital dependent. It uses the computer screen as a medium rather than a printed page. This type of genre is new and it is not limited to the use of words as it may include sounds & images/visuals. It is inaccessible without the use of a computer.
Mobile Phone Text Tula is a Philippine literary form that was inspired/originated from Japan. Due to technology, it has reached and became famous throughout the different parts of the world. It is a type of literature that is made via text messaging and chapters are limited with only 70-100 words due to text characters/symbols.
Chicklit is a “heroine-centered” genre where womanhood is embraced and feminism is celebrated. It involves romance, friendships, and work.
Speculative fiction is a wide range of genres that goes from science fiction to horror to comedy and so forth. It includes the normalcy of life that is intertwined/submerged into fiction.
Flash fiction which has a lot of names: nano fiction, micro fiction, short shorts, or short stories, can be difficult to define brevity, length, and clarity is given importance.
A blog is where an author or a group of authors write on a particular article. It is a journal on the internet where the latest posts appear on top/first/most recent.
Graphic Novels are known to have existed longer but have only been named in the 1960s with their current name. It is a genre of literature that is in comic style where the story is being told through the use of graphics and illustration.
Contemporary Literature refers to the literary pieces that exist in the present period or current time. Fables, folklore, short stories, poems, and other literary pieces/genres that are made during a specific period (especially an earlier time) but are still present today as they are still being orally and visually celebrated is what keeps literature thrive.
This type of literature uses a wide range of mediums starting from paper/printed text to technology and even visual representations, and more. Its themes focus on identity and history specifically self-acceptance, gender identity, self-expression, authenticity, culture, society, and including issues aligned with self-identification.
We all know change is constant and with an ever-changing society, our way of perception and even our lifestyles, and values are affected, thus, literature also changes. Many early works have survived but have also been revised to align with the current events and present forms of entertainment. There are also new and emergent literary pieces that are heavily inspired by early literature, either way, contemporary literature is always and still changing. It has always and will continue to be affected by society.
