Philippine Literature Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering the definition of literature, its historical evolution in the Philippines (Pre-Colonial, Spanish, American, Japanese, and Contemporary periods), and various literary genres.

Litera

The Latin term from which the word literature is derived, meaning letter.

Philippine Literature

A diverse and rich group of works that evolved alongside the country's history, starting with ancient fables and legends.

Alibata

The first Filipino alphabet, which was eventually replaced by the Roman alphabet.

Archipelago

A term describing the Philippines, which consists of exactly $7,107$ islands, each with specific cultures and native literature.

Riddles (Bugtong)

Mystifying statements or questions phrased and rhymed to require ingenuity to answer; known as tigmo in Visayan, paktakon in Ilonggo, and atototdon in Bicolano.

Epigrams (Salawikain)

Short sayings which reflect hidden meanings through good lines and provide moral values.

Tanaga

A common form of poetry consisting of a quatrain with $7$ syllables each and the same rhyme at the end of each line (AABB rhyme scheme).

Chant (Bulong)

Statements used in witchcraft, enchantment, or to give respect/excuse to unseen elemental spirits to avoid harm.

Ambahan

A traditional poetry of the Hanunoo Mangyans of Oriental Mindoro used to teach life lessons or impart experiences.

Balagtasan

A Filipino form of debate done in verse, named after Francisco Balagtas.

Doctrina Christiana

The first book ever printed in the Philippines in $1593$ by the Dominican press.

Pasyon

A Philippine epic narrative of the life of Jesus Christ, written in stanzas with $5$ lines of $8$ syllables each.

Awit

A dodecasyllabic ($12$ syllables) song form slowly sung to a guitar or banduria; exemplified by Florante at Laura.

Kurido (Corrido)

Metrical romances or tales following an octosyllabic ($8$ syllables) structure and recited to a martial beat.

Karagatan

A poetic vehicle of a socio-religious nature celebrated during the death of a person.

Propaganda Movement

A reformatory movement whose members included Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena.

Sarswela

A type of drama originating from Spain that includes singing and dancing with lyrics alternatively spoken and sung.

Fray Botod ($1876$)

A work by Lopez Jaena that exposed the greed, immorality, and ambition of some friars.

Dasalan at Tocsohan

A work by Marcelo H. del Pilar featuring a sarcastic version of a catechism used against Spanish priests.

Lakas ng Bayan (People Power)

The movement that prevailed from February $21-25$, $1986$, to regain independence.

Literary Genre

A category of literary composition determined by technique, tone, content, or length.

Folk Songs (Awit ng Bayan)

Songs with repetitive, didactic, and sonorous lines that reflect rural life and aspirations.

Oyayi

A Filipino term for a lullaby, which is a soothing song used to put babies to sleep.

Harana

Courtship songs used by young men to capture the hearts of the girls they love.

Epics

Long narrative accounts of heroic exploits, such as Darangen in Maranaw and Hudhud in Ifugao.

Ag Tobig Nog Keboklagan

An epic of the Subanen people of Zamboanga chanted during the Buklog festival.

Myths

Symbolic narratives of unknown origin that relate actual events associated with religious beliefs, like the story of Bathala.

Fables

Brief stories for children often using animals as characters to represent particular attributes and demonstrate a useful truth.

Creative Nonfiction

A genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.

Blog

A web log containing short articles called posts that can be changed regularly by a blogger.

Mobile Phone Text Tula

A modern version of the tanaga often read on cellular phones with various rhyme schemes like AABB or ABAB.

Hyperpoetry

A form of digital poetry that uses hypertext mark-up links so the user chooses the order of the poem.

Spoken Word Poetry

An oral art performed in an emotive manner focusing on word play aesthetics, such as intonation and voice inflection.

Chick-Lit

A genre addressing issues of modern womanhood, often humorously, where relationships with family/friends are as vital as romance.

Flash Fiction

A style of fictional literature characterized by extreme brevity, with length caps often ranging from $300$ to $1,000$ words.

Speculative Fiction

An umbrella term for fantastical genres including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and dystopian fiction.