21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

LESSON 1 – LITERATURE Appeal To the intellect To the emotions

To convince, Stir imagination
 “Belle Lettres” a French phrase meaning “a inform, instruct, and set an ideal
beautiful writing” Aim
imitate and of how life
 (Litera means letter) deals with ideas, reflect. should be
thoughts and emotions of man.
 Thus, literature is the story of a man
(Kahayan 1998, p.5-7) Prose fiction
 It is everything that has ever been written.
 The best way to understand human nature  Is an imaginative recreation and re-creation of
fully and to know a nation completely literature life includes short stories and novels.
(Garcia et. Al)
Example:
 Is our life’s story including the strategies,
ideas, failures, sacrifices and happiness (Ang,  Romance
2006)
 Action adventure
 Literature illuminates life  Science Fiction
 Is a creative product of a creative work, the
 Fantasy
result of which is a form and beauty
 Thriller
Hallmarks of Literature  Horror
 Mystery/Crime
 Artistry – quality that appeals to our sense of  Historical
beauty. (beauty)  Magic Realism
 Intellectual Value – stimulates thought  Women’s Fiction
enriches our mental life by making us realize
fundamental truths about life and human Short stories
nature. (thought in the text)
 Suggestiveness –quality associated with the  Often referred to as a “Slice of Life”
emotional power of literature. (emotions  It is a Fictitious narrative compressed into one
present in the text) unit of Time, Place, and Action
 Spiritual Value – elevates the spirit by  It deals with a single character Interest, single
bringing out moral values which make us emotion called forth by a single situation.
better person. (moral of the text)
Example:
 Permanence – it can be read and read again
as each reading gives fresh delight and new  The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
insight and open new worlds of meaning and  Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez
experience. (endurance and impact)
 Universality – timeless and timely, forever Novel
relevant in terms of its theme and conditions.
(timeless)  Is a fictitious narrative with a complicated plot
 Novels have main plot and sub-plots that is
LESSON 2 – DIVISION OF LITERATURE AND ITS develop from the main plot
ELEMENTS  It is made up of Chapters
Prose Poetry Example:
Written in
Written in stanza or verse Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes
Form
Paragraph form
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Expressed in
Expressed in metrical, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Language ordinary rhythmical and
language figurative Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
language
1|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

Fable – usually featuring animals that behave and Conflict – The struggle or complication involving the
speak as human beings, told in order to highlight characters, opposition of person or forces upon which
human follies and weakness the action depends in drama of fiction

Folklore – is an old story that’s been told again and Types of Conflict
again, often for generation Occurs when the protagonist
struggles within himself or herself.
Legend – traditional story or group of stories told
Internal The protagonist is pulled by two
about a particular person or place courses of action or by differing
Example: Legend of Maria Makiling emotions.
Pits the protagonist against
Elements of Fiction Interpersonal someone else. Person-against-
Person
Characters – the representation of human being of a Happens when the protagonist is in
human being person involving in the conflict External conflict with the values of his or her
society
a. Round Character

 is a dynamic character who recognize Plot – a casually related sequence of events, what
changes in the circumstances happens as a result of the main conflict in presented
 Is a fully develop character, with many traits – in a structure format
bad or good – shown in the story
Pyramidical Structure of Plot
Example:
Beginning introduces the
 Harry Potter Exposition time, place, setting, and the
 Hamlet in “Hamlet” main characters
Rising Action unfolds the
b. Flat Character problems and struggles
Complication that would encountered by
 Also known as the stock or the stereotype the main characters
character who does not grow and develop leading to the crisis
 A flat character that is not fully develop Result of the Crisis Part
where the problem or the
Example: conflict is the highest peak
of the interest: the highest
 Queen Gertrude in “Hamlet” point of the story for the
 Madame Forestier from “The Diamond Climax
reader, frequently, is the
Necklace” highest moment of interest
and greatest emotions.
Other: Also known as the crisis of
the point of no return
c. Protagonist – Hero/Heroine
The untying of the
d. Antagonist – A foil to the protagonist
entangled knots, or the part
e. Deuterogonist – Second in importance
Denouement that shows a conflict or a
f. Fringe – One who is destroyed by his inner
problem solved, leading to
conflict
the end
Settings – The locale (place) or period of time in End contains the last
Resolution
which the action of a short story, play, novel or the statement of the story
motion picture takes place. Also known as the
background of the story

2|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

Narrative Order mind

Omniscient Narrator / Author
The most common type knows and sees all
Chronological
of order in children’s book
Occur when author
narrates an event that Mood – the atmosphere or emotional effects
Flashback
took place before the generated by the words, images, situations in a
current time of the story literary work
Occurs when the story
skips a period of time that Tone – a term used to denote an attitude of feeling of
Time lapse the speaker or author as conveyed by the language in
seems unusual compared
to the rest of plot its artful arrangement

Symbolism – stand for something other than

Plot Devices themselves, they bring to mind not their own concrete
qualities, but the idea or obstruction that is associated
Something out of with them
chronological order to
Flashback reveal information, to Images – are usually characterized by concrete
understands the qualities rather than abstract
character’s nature
Theme – the central or dominating idea in literary
To keep the readers
work, it is the topic or the subject of the selection
Foreshadowing guessing what will
happen next Prose non-fiction
This is the feeling of
excitement or the tension  The branch of literature compromising works
Suspense of the reader’s of narrative prose dealing with or offering
experience as the action opinions of conjectures upon facts and reality
of the plot unfolds
This is an ending that Example:
catches the readers off
Surprise Ending  Biography
guard the unexpected
turns of events  Autobiography
 News article
 History
Point of View – the writer’s feeling and attitude  Essay
towards his subjects; determines who tells the story;  Speeches
identifies the narrator of the story (the form of  Researches
narration also affects the story itself.)  Letter
Classification of Point of View  Diary
 Journal
First Person Speaker part of the
story, can observe Elements of Non-Fiction
characters but I, me , we, Purpose – one characteristics of non-fiction writing is
reveals things and us, our (s) the purpose
reactions only of
self  To inform
Third Person Story to a only as  To persuade
one character can He, him, his,  To entertain
observe she, her(s),  To explain
Limited Third Narrator part of the they, them,
Person story, cannot read theirs Lay out – lay out should attract the reader and
any character’s encourage reading and progression through the book
3|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

Information – includes facts, little known information, Elements of Poetry

and ideas that spark curiosity, create mystery, and
propel the listeners/reader/viewer to discover and 1. Sense – Revealed through the meaning of
learn words, images and symbols.
a. Diction – denotative and connotative
Characterization meanings or symbols.
b. Images and Sense Impression – sight,
 Characters are well developed sound, smell, taste, touch, motion and
 No stereotype or biased characterization emotions.
 Creates empathy for the characters c. Figure of Speech – Simile, Metaphor,
 Uses quotations and anecdotes. Particularly in Personification, Apostrophe, etc.
biographies it is important to use the
character’s words and anecdote that originate Tone Color
from someone with first-hand knowledge of
the incidents. Example:

Style and Tone – style should maintain the reader’s Alliteration – same sound or consonant letter at the
interest. Non-fiction presents information, but the beginning of the word
listeners/viewer/reader doesn’t need to be bored by a
 He claps the crags with crooked hands
collection of information in choppy sentences. Good
(Tennyson)
style adds interest to the story.
Consonance – same sound or consonant letter at the
Poetry
end of the word
 Is a kind of language that says it more intensely
 He had a bad luck at the back of her lock.
than ordinary language does
Assonance – same sound or vowel letter in the
Apparently, we have to remember 5 things about
middle of the word
Poetry (Baritugo, 2004, p.i)
 Maiden crowned with glossy blackness.
 Poetry is a concentrated thought
 Poetry is a kind of word-music Long armed maid, when she dances.
 Poetry expresses all the senses
 Poetry answers our demand for rhythms Rhyme – same sound or one to two letters in the end
 Poetry is observation plus imaginations of the word

Some Definitions of Poetry:  She always say good bye

 A poem is a meaningful organization of words And tears appear in her eye.

(Gemino Abad)
 The fusion of two poles of mind, emotions and Repetition – Repeating
thoughts (T.S Elliot)
 Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow
 Poetry is the union of mind and feelings.
(Manuel Viray) Anaphora – the repetition of words or phrases in a
 Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of group of sentences, clauses, or poetic lines
powerful feelings recorded in tranquility
(William Wordsworth)  Five summers, with the length of Five long
 It is rhythmic creation of beauty. (Edgar Allan winters! And again I hear these waters…
Poe)
 It is the record of the best and happiest 2. Sound – is the result of the combination of
moments of the happiest and best minds. elements.
(Percy B. Shelly)
 Poetry is the essence of the creative 3. Structure
imaginations of man. (Jaime G. Ang)

4|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

a. Rhythm – ordered recurrent alteration of Shape – contextual and visual designs, jumps,
strong and weak elements in the flow of the omission of shapes. Capitalization and Lower Cases
sound and silence. Duple, Triple, Running,
or, Common Rhyme Example:
b. Meter – stress; duration or number of
syllables per line, fixed metrical pattern, or a Wanna be a Fish by Eighty Six
verse form. Quantitative, Syllabic, Accentual,
LESSON 3 – LITERARY CRITICISM
and Accentual Syllabic
c. Rhyme Scheme – formal arrangement of Literary Criticism
rhymes in stanza or the whole poem.
A written study, interpretation and evaluation of a
Word Order – natural and unnatural arrangement of work of literature (write a writing, 2026)
words
1. Biographical Criticism – Is a critical
 Words/Sentence Structure approach to literature in which information
about an author’s life and background is used
Example: Archaic Language – Words that were once to better understand his works.
in common use but have since fallen out of use. 2. Historical Criticism – Works by looking into
the background of a literary work: cultural and
Hast Hath Art Shalt Doth Didst
social contexts, as well as the authors
Has Have Are Shall Does Did
biography
3. Deconstruction Criticism – Is a school f
Thou Thee Thy Thine Ye literary criticism that suggests that language is
not a stable entity and that we can never
You You Your Yours You -
plural exactly say what we mean.
4. Feminism – Tries to correct a predominantly
male-dominated critical perspective with a
Ellipsis – Omitting some words for economy and feminist consciousness. This form of criticism
effect places literature in a social context and
employs a broad range of disciplines, such as
Example: history, psychology, sociology, and linguistics,
to create a perspective that considers feminist
 Bry ate pizza and Kaye donuts. issues.
 Once I carried him the milk… he straightened
up/To drink it. (Henry 19-21) Feminist theories also attempt to understand
representation from a woman’s point of view
Punctuation – Abundance or lack of punctuation and analyze women’s writing strategies in the
marks. context of their social conditions.

Example: 5. Marxist – Is a strongly politically-orientated

criticism, deriving from the theories of the
My Punctuation Poem social philosopher Karl Marx. Marxist criticism
insists that all use of language is influenced by
Period means Stop the social class and economics.
Question mark means you’re asking a question It directs attention to the idea that all language
Comma means take a little break makes ideological statements about things
like class, economics, race, and power, and
Exclamation point means you’re Excited! the function of literary output is to either
support or criticize the political and economic
Quotation marks means somebody’s talking! structures in place.
6. New Criticism – Evolved out of the same root
Ellipsis means…some. thing’s. coming. theoretical system as deconstructionism,
called formalist criticism. New Criticism
5|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

suggest that the text self-contained entity and A. Literary Forms

that the reader needs to know to understand it
is already in the text 1. Oral Literature
7. Psychological – Uses psychoanalytic
theories, especially those of Freud and Riddles (bugtong) – battle of wits among participants
Jacques Locan, to understand more fully the
• Tigmo –Cebu
text, the readers, and the writer.
• Paktakon – Ilonggo
• Patotdon – Bicol
The basis of this approach is the idea of the
existence of human consciousness – those Proverbs (salawikain) – wise sayings that contain a
impulses, desires, and feelings about which a metaphor used to teach as a food for thought.
person is unaware but which influence
emotions and behavior Tanaga – a mono-riming heptasyllabic quatrain
expressing insights and lessons on life is "more
8. Queer theory, or gender studies – Is a emotionally charged than the terse proverb and thus
relatively recent and evolving school of has affinities with the folk lyric."
criticism, which questions and problematizes
the issue of gender identity and sexual 2. Folk Songs- It is a form of folk lyric which
orientation in literary text. expresses the hopes and aspirations, the
people's lifestyles as well as their loves.
Queer Theory overlaps in many respects with These are often repetitive and sonorous,
feminist theory in its aims and goals, being at didactic and naïve.
once political and practical. To many queer
theorists, gender is not a fixed identity that Hele or oyayi – lullaby
shapes actions and thoughts, but rather a
“role” that is “performed” Ambahan (Mangyan) – 7-syllable per line poem that
are about human relationships and social
It also challenges the notion that there is such entertainment.
a thing as “normal”, because that assumes the
existence of a category for “deviant”. Queer Kalusan (Ivatan) - work songs that depict the
theorists study and challenge the idea that livelihood of the people.
these categories exist at all, but particularly in
terms of sexual activities and identities. Tagay (Cebuano and Waray) – drinking song.

Kanogan (Cebuano) – song of lamentation for the

dead.
LESSON 4 – PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
3. Folk Tales
Philippine Literature
Myths – explain how the world was created, how
 Is the body of works, both oral and written, certain animals possess certain characteristics, why
that Filipinos whether native; naturalized or some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains,
foreign born, have created about the flora or fauna.
experience of people living in or relating to
Philippine Society. It is composed or written in Legends – explain the origin of things.
one of the Philippine languages, in Spanish, in
• Why Pineapple Has Eyes
English and in Chinese as well.
• Legend of Maria Makiling
I. Pre-colonial period (--BC to 1564)
Fables – used animal characters and allegory.
Characteristics:
Fantastic stories – deal with underworld characters
1. Based on oral traditions such as “tiyanak”, “aswang”, “kapre” and others.

2. Crude on ideology and phraseology 4. Epics -These are “narratives of sustained

length based on oral tradition revolving around
6|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

supernatural events or heroic deeds” (Arsenio 4) Tratado

Manuel).
Examples:
Examples:
• Urbana at si Feliza by Modesto De Castro
• Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilocano) Ang Bagong Robinson (1879) by Joaquin Tuason
• Kudaman (Palawan)
• Hinilawod (Panay) III. Nationalistic / propaganda and revolutionary
• Darangen ( Maranao period (1864 – 1896)

II. Spanish colonization period Characteristics:

(1565 – 1863)
1. Planted seeds of nationalism in Filipinos
Characteristics:
2. Language shifted from Spanish to Tagalog
1. It has two distinct classifications: religious
and secular 3. Addressed the masses instead of the
“intelligentista”
2. It introduced Spanish as the medium of
communication. A. Literary Forms

A. Literary Forms 1. Propaganda Literature - Reformatory in

objective
1. Religious Literature - Religious lyrics written
by ladino poets or those versed in both Political Essays – satires, editorials and news
Spanish and Tagalog were included in early articles were written to attack and expose the evils of
catechism and were used to teach Filipinos Spanish rule.
the Spanish language.
• Diariong Tagalog – founded by Marcelo del
Pasyon – long narrative poem about the passion and Pilar
death of Christ. The most popular was “Ang Mahal na • La Solidaridad – whose editor-in-chief is
Passion ni Jesu Cristong Panignoon Natin” by Aguino Graciano Lopez-Jaena
de Belen
Political Novels
Senakulo – dramatization of the pasyon, it shows the
Examples:
passion and death of Christ
• Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo –
2. Secular (non-religious) Literature
Jose Rizal’s masterpieces that paved the way
Awit - colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and to the revolution
chanting
2. Revolutionary Literature – more
Korido – metrical tale written in octosyllabic propagandistic than literary as it is more
quatrains. violent in nature and demanded complete
independence for the country
Example:
Political Essays – helped inflame the spirit of
• Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar revolution

3. Prose Narratives – written to prescribe • Kalayaan – newspaper of the society, edited

proper decorum. by Emilio Jacinto

1) Dialogoiii. Ejemplo Poetry

2) Manual de Urbanidad • True Decalogue – Apolinario Mabini

3) Ejemplo
7|Page
21st Century Literature 1st Quarter – 1st Sem

• Katapusang Hibik ng Pilipinas – Andres 2. Filipino writers mastered English and

Bonifacio familiarized themselves with diverse
• Liwanag at Dilim – Emilio Jacinto techniques.

IV. American colonial period (1910-1945) 3. Literary giants Appeared.

A. Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930) Palanca Awards for Literature

1. Filipino writers imitated English and American • Jose Garcia Villa , Nick Joaquin, NVM
Models Gonzales, Gregorio Brillantes, Gilda Cordero
Fernando, Bienvenido Santos
2. Poems written were amateurish, which
phrasing and diction is awkward and artificial. National Artist Awards

Short Stories • Jose Garcia Villa

• Nick Joaquin
• Dead Stars – Paz Marquez Benitez
• The Key- Paz Latorena VI. Contemporary/ Modern Period (1960-Present)
• Footnote to Youth – Jose Garcia Villa
1. Martial law repressed and curtailed human
Novels rights including freedom of press

• Child of Sorrow- first novel written in English 2. Writers used allegories and symbolism to
language by Zoila Galang drive home their message at the face of heavy
censorship.
B. Period of Emergence (1945-1960)
3. Theater was used as a vehicle of protest such
1. Highly influenced by Western Literary trends as the PETA and UP Theater.
like romanticism and realism
4. From eighties onwards, writers continue to
2. Short story is the most prevalent literary form. show dynamism and innovation.

3. Jose Garcia Villa earned the international title 5. The new trends have been used and
“ Poet of the Century”. introduced to meet the needs and tastes of
the new generation. 21st Century learners are
V. Japanese occupation (1942-1960) demanded to be ICT inclined to compete with
the style and format of writing as well. New
A. War Years (1942-1944) codes or lingos are used to add flavor in the
literary pieces produced nowadays.
1. Tagalog poets broke away away from
balagtas tradition and instead wrote in
simple language and free verse.

2. Fiction prevailed over poetry

• Suyuan sa Tubigan by Macario Pineda

• Lupang Tinubuan by Narciso Reyes
• Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa by Liwayway Arceo

B. Period of Maturity and Originality (1945-

1960)

1. Bountiful harvest in poetry, fiction, drama,

essay

8|Page