Philippine Literature
Is a diverse and rich group of works that has evolved side-by-side with
the country’s history. Literature had started with fables and legends made by
the ancient Filipinos long before the arrival of Spanish influence. The main
themes of Philippine literature focus on the country’s pre-colonial cultural
traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial and contemporary
traditions.
It is
not a secret that many Filipinos are unfamiliar with much of the country's
literary heritage, especially those that were written long before the Spaniards
arrived in our country. This is due to the fact that the stories of ancient
time were not written, but rather passed on from generation to generation
through word of mouth. Only during 1521 did the early Filipinos became
acquainted with literature due to the influence of the Spaniards on us. But the
literature that the Filipinos became acquainted with are not Philippine-made,
rather, they were works of Spanish authors.
So
successful were the efforts of colonists to blot out the memory of the
country's largely oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and
journalists are trying to correct this inequity by recognizing the country's
wealth of ethnic traditions and disseminating them in schools through mass
media.
The
rise of nationalistic pride in the 1960s and 1970s also helped bring about this
change of attitude among a new breed of Filipinos concerned about the
"Filipino identity."
Philippine
literature is written in Spanish, English, Tagalog,
and/or other native Philippine Languages.
Why do
we need to study Philippine Literature?
Whatever
nationality you are it is always very important to study the literature of
your country. In doing so you are not only learning about the
historical aspects of your land, but you are also keeping alive the thoughts,
beliefs and cultural variations of your ancestors that differentiate
your country from the rest of the world.
A country's literature also tells us
about its civilization in a form other than straight fact. Literature is
usually one person's description of a situation told through their own personal
feelings; eyewitness testimony to historical events that we were
not present at. Writers have a talent for bringing the past back
to life with emotive language and metaphor, helping us to imagine scenarios
that may have happened decades, or even centuries, ago.
