Historical Background of Philippine Literature During the Modern Period

Historical Background of Philippine Literature During the Modern Period  SEPTEMBER 28, 2!2 B" #$%"2! ! &Literature &Literature and histor' are closel' related( )n disco*ering the histor' of a race, the feelings, aspirations, aspirations, custo+s and traditions of a people are sure to e included(  These +an-s feelings, feelings, aspirations, aspirations, custo+s custo+s and traditions traditions that are are .ritten is literature ( Histor' that records +an-s life/ his e0periences, feelings, thoughts( )t is also literature( Then .e can sa' that literature is histor' and histor' is literature(1

Martial La. repressed and curtailed hu+an rights, including freedo+ of the press riters riters used s'+olis+ and allegories to dri*e ho+e their +essage, at the face of hea*' censorship( Theater .as used as a *ehicle for protest, such as the PET% 3Phil( Educational Theater %ssociation4 and 5P Theater(6(7ro+ the eighties on.ards, .riters continue to sho. d'na+is+ and inno*ation  The o.ering of Philippine Philippine literature literature in the *arious *arious languages continue continue especiall' especiall' .ith the appearance of ne. pulications after the Martial La. 'ears and the resurgence of co++itted literature in the !9:s and the !9;s( 7ilipino .riters continue to .rite poetr', short stories, no*ellas, no*els and essa's .hether these are sociall' co++itted, genderarlos Palanca Me+orial %.ards for Literature, the Philippines 7ree Press, Philippine #raphic, Ho+e Life and Panora+a literar' a.ards encourage hi+ to co+pete .ith his peers and hope that his creati*e e?orts .ill e re.arded in the long run( ith the ne. re@uire+ent ' the >o++ission on Higher Education of teaching of Philippine Literature in all tertiar' schools in the countr' e+phasiAing the teaching of the *ernacular literature or literature of the regions, the audience for 7ilipino .riters is *irtuall' assured( %nd, perhaps, a national literature nding its niche a+ong the literature of the .orld .ill not e far ehind( ith the re@uire+ent ' the >o++ission on Higher Education to teach Philippine Literature in all tertiar' schools in the countr', the teaching of the *ernacular literature or literature of the regions .as e+phasiAed( 7ilipino .riters started to use their .ritings to e0plore socio/political realities( The tradition of protest has al.a's een a potent force in the production of sociall'

co++itted .ritings, as a nu+er of critics such as Bien*enido Lu+era, and Epifanio San $uan $r( ha*e argued( The !9;s, for e0a+ple, .itnessed the proliferation of poe+s, short stories, and no*els .hich grappled .ith the urning issues of the ti+es( )n a large nu+er of +agaAines and Cournals, .riters in oth English and Pilipino faced the prole+s of e0ploitation and inCustice, and appropriated these realities as the onl' rele*ant +aterials for their ction( Literature has started .ith fales and legends +ade ' the ancient 7ilipinos long efore the arri*al of the Spanish inuence( The +ain the+es of Philippine literature focus on the countr'-s pre/colonial cultural traditions and the socio/political histories of its colonial and conte+porar' traditions( )s not a secret that +an' 7ilipinos are unfa+iliar .ith Philippine literature especiall' those .ritten long efore the Spanish arri*ed in our countr'( This is due to the fact that the stories of ancient ti+e .ere not .ritten, ut rather passed on fro+ generation to generation through .ord of +outh( =nl' in !2! did the 7ilipinos eco+e to e ac@uainted .ith literature due to the inuence of the Spaniards on us( But the literature that the 7ilipinos eca+e ac@uainted .ith are not 7ilipino +ade, rather, the' .ere .orks of Spanish authors(  The rise of nationalistic pride in the !9:s and !9;s also helped ring aout this change of attitude a+ong a ne. reed of 7ilipinos concerned aout the &7ilipino identit'(1  The !9:-s .ere, su++aril', a period .hen .riters seriousl' grappled .ith prole+s of art( The earl' !9;-s sa. a proliferation of politicall' +oti*ated or co++itted .riting and protest literature( Short/stor' .riters eca+e +ore conscious of the political +ilieu and of social issues in the .ake of the increased acti*is+ all o*er the .orld and right in their countr', especiall' during the trouled da's of a dictatorial go*ern+ent( So+e of the +ore recent ction .riters include Paulino Li+, %lfred "uson, $ose Dalisa', Mario Eric #a+alinda, and >ristina P( Hidalgo(  )n the +eanti+e, .hat aout the no*elists The .ar pro*ided post.ar no*elists .ith a suCect( Ste*an $a*ellana-s ithout Seeing the Da.n focuses on an antiheroic protagonist hardened and e+ittered ' the .ar, ut ulti+atel' *indicating hi+self and eco+ing al+ost heroic in the process( Edilerto Tie+po, the ction .riter and critic, .rote .ith an a.areness of social histor' ut re+ained strictl' for+alistic in his r+ grasp of craft and his handling of histor'( Bien*enido Santos .orked .ith a sense of pathos, iron', and realis+, and took up the the+e of personal and sociocultural alienation, especiall' a+ong 7ilipinos stranded in %+erica during the .ar, su?ering fro+ intense ho+esickness ut so+eho. +anaging to endure .ith strength and fortitude and &lo*eliness1 of spirit(  7rancisco Sionil $ose-s +onu+ental Rosales saga, .hich is +ade up of *e no*els, has, +ore than an' other series of .orks, touched on this 7ilipino search for roots,

as .ell as on struggle, social corruption, and the ght for social Custice in post colonial ti+es( Fo other .riter has een +ore .idel' translated on his o.n countr' and other countries( F(G(M( #onAaleA-s no*els also reect discipline, control, and iron', est reected in his portra'al of the harsh .orld of the sherfolk and peasants .ho endured and pre*ailed .ith dignit' and grace in the face of pressure and .ant( His no*els are +anifestations of realit' turned art(  Recent no*elists ha*e *entured into the +urk' terra incognita of post+odernis+, reCecting the traditional concepts of ction, portra'ing a .orld de*oid of *alue and +eaning, inter.ea*ing literature .ith Cournalis+, histor', iograph', and e*en criticis+( The oCecti*e is +erel' &pleasure of the te0t1 through *eral or ps'chological constructs, a totalit' of *ision( E0a+ples of such a*ant/garde 7ilipino ctionists are Mario Eric #a+alinda, $essica Hagedorn, and %lfred "uson, to na+e ut three of the +ore pro+inent gures(  Mean.hile, the inuence of literature in the countr' is i+periled ' the i+pact of +odern technolog' on life and culture, and the 7ilipino .riter feels it his responsiilit' to put literature ack on track and in the center of life, a.are of the perpetual need to upgrade and transfor+ it into a +eaningful social 'et artisticall' for.ard/+o*ing acti*it', opening up to a large interdependent .orld, listening to the pol'phon' of *oices .hich could add to their o.n largeness of spirit and understanding, a.are that the' cannot continue to .rite in isolation, that each of the .ritings of all .riters of the .orld is ut a +ere episode .ithin that one general e0perience of the uni*ersal person fore*er in the process of unfolding and e*ol*ing( %out these ads