Notes on Philippine Literature in English

Objectives

• At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
  • identify the historical events shaping Philippine Literature in English;
  • develop an understanding of Philippine Literature in English and its key works;
  • appreciate the value and implications of Philippine Literature in English in historical and cultural contexts.

Notable Quote

• "It's not what you know, it's who you know!"
  • Reflects the social and political dynamics that can influence visibility, access, and power within literary communities and historical periods.

Resistance and Collaboration in Cebu 1899-1906; The War against the Americans

• Topic and authoring context: Resil B. Mojares (noted in the slide) with reference to Cebu’s experiences during the Philippine-American period.
• Key idea: interplay of resistance movements and collaboration during the transition from Spanish to American rule and how these dynamics influenced literature, journalism, and cultural production in the region.

Historical Events of Philippine Literature in English (1898-1941)

• $1898$: American forces occupy Manila.
• $1900$: Taal volcano erupts on January 29, killing about $1{,}300$ people and destroying $13$ villages.
• $1901$: Civil government inaugurated; Judge William H. Taft serves as Governor.
• $1907$: Establishment of the first Philippine Assembly; Sergio Osmeña serves as speaker (term: $1907-1922$).
• $1908$: University of the Philippines founded.
• $1909$: Manuel L. Quezon appointed Filipino resident Commissioner to the United States.
• $1913-1931$: Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison initiates the policy of Filipinizing the government.

Literary Developments in the Early English Period

• $1900$: English becomes the official medium of instruction in all public schools.
• $1901$: Philippine Normal School founded to train Filipinos in teaching for elementary education.
• $1905$: Philippine Free Press founded.
• $1910$: The College Folio is published at the University of the Philippines (UP); featured early English-language writers; early selections included ghost stories or folk tales explaining natural phenomena.
• $1920$: The Philippine Herald begins publication, with Paz Marquez Benitez editing its magazine section; launched by Manuel L. Quezon.

Notable Milestones in Philippine Literature in English (1921-1927)

• $1921$: First Filipino novel in English, A Child of Sorrow, by Zoilo M. Galang; first volume of English essays, Life and Success, by Zoilo M. Galang.
• $1924$: Philippine Education Magazine launched; later renamed Philippine Magazine.
• $1925$: The Philippine Press begins offering literary prizes.
• $1927$: The Writers Club founded at the University of the Philippines.

The American Regime (1898-1941): Historical Background

• The Philippine Revolution against Spain culminates in independence movements; the Philippine flag hoisted on $June 12,$$1898$ as a symbol of independence.
• Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo elected president of the First Philippine Republic; the subsequent Philippine-American conflict ends with U.S. military victory in the early 1900s, culminating in the end of large-scale resistance with the final phases of the war by $1903$.
• The peace movement began as early as $1900$; Filipinos continued to write across genres (news, poetry, stories, plays, essays, and novels), expressing nationalism and longing for independence.
• Literature during this period reflected national identity and the desire for self-determination across multiple forms: journalism, poetry, fiction, drama, and essays.

The Press and National Consciousness (1900s)

• Active arousal in literature through newspapers:
  • $EL NUEVO DIA$ (The New Day) founded by Sergio Osmeña in $1900$; censored by American authorities; banishment threats due to nationalist writings.
  • $EL GRITO DEL PUEBLO$ (The Call of The Nation) established by Pascual Poblete in $1900$.
  • $EL RENACIEMENTO$ (The Rebirth) founded by Rafael Palma in $1901$ (listed as 1991 in the slide, but historically associated with the era around 1901).
• Role: Newspapers served as vehicles for nationalist ideas and cultural assertion during early English-language literary development.

Theatrical and Dramatic Works in Early English Period

• Plays produced but curtailed by American censorship due to nationalist themes after initial performances:
  • $KAHAPON, NGAYON AT BUKAS$ (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) by Aurelio Tolentino; themes of suppression by the Americans and colonization.
  • $TANIKALANG GINTO$ by Juan Abad.
  • $MALAYA$ by Tomas Remigio.
  • $WALANG SUGAT$ by Severino Reyes.

Philippine Literature in English: Three Time Frames

• The periodization of Philippine Literature in English into three phases:
  1) The Period of Re-Orientation: $1898-1910$
  2) The Period of Imitation: $1910-1925$
  3) The Period of Self-Discovery: $1925-1941$

The Period of Re-Orientation (1898-1910)

• English arrives as a literary vehicle with the American occupation starting $1898$; by 1900 English becomes the medium of instruction in public schools.
• The first English teachers were recruited from the American forces; by 1908, English is used in primary and intermediate grades; UP is founded as a forerunner in higher education using English.
• Writers of this period were adjusting to the new found freedom after suppression under Spanish rule; they needed to reconcile democratic ideals with English language conventions, aiming for direct expression rather than sentimentality.
• Not much literary output in this era; early English-language literature came through two periodicals:
  • a) $El Renacimiento$ (founded in Manila by Rafael Palma) in $1901$.
  • b) $Philippine Free Press$ (established in Manila in $1905$ by R. McCullough Dick and D. Theo Rogers).

The Period of Imitation (1910-1924)

• By $1919$, the UP College Folio published the early Filipino writers in English; these pioneers wrote short stories and attempted to imitate American and British models, leading to a tempered, artificial style.
• Primary influences included: Longfellow, Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Thackeray, Macaulay, Poe, and other Roman-school influences.
• Notable writers in this period include:
  • Fernando Maramag (noted as the best editorial writer of the period); Juan F. Salazar; Jose M. Hernandez; Vicente del Fierro; Francisco M. Africa; Victorano Yamson.
• These writers helped pioneer English poetry and set early standards for literary composition in English in the Philippines.

Essays and Prose in the Imitation Period

• Noted essayists of this time included: Carlos P. Romulo, George C. Bocobo, Mauro Mendez, Vicente Hilario.
• Their essays were scholarly, with sobriety, substance, and structure; they excelled in editorial and serious essays.
• Other essay forms included informal essays, criticism, and journalistic columns, featuring:
  • Ignacio Manlapaz, Godofredo Rivera, Federico Mangahas, Francisco B. Icasiano, Salvador P. Lopez, Jose Lansang, Amando G. Dayrit.
• Notable essays: the shift toward broader critical and social commentary.

Short Stories in the Imitation Period

• Paz Marquez Benitez’s DEAD STARS (early 1920s) stands out as a model for character delineation, local color, plot, and message.
• Other short stories of the time tended to imitate foreign models.
• Publication outlets included: UP College Folio, later replaced by the Philippine Collegian; newspapers and periodicals such as The Bulletin, The Philippines Herald (1920), The Philippine Review, The Independent, Rising Philippines and Citizens, and the Philippine Education Magazine (1924).

The Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-1941)

• By this period, Filipino writers had achieved mastery of English writing and wrote across many subjects; themes persisted in love and youth but expanded widely to other topics.
• Poetry (noteworthy poets):
  • Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion; Jose Garcia Villa; Angela Manalang Gloria; Abelardo Subido; Trenidad Tarrosa Subido; Rafael Zulueta da Costa.
  • Styles included free verse, sonnets, and experimental forms, with a growing sense of social consciousness.
• The Short Story (1925-1934): Flourished due to incentives from publications like the Philippine Free Press, The Graphic, The Philippine Magazine and college publications such as the UP Literary Apprentice.
• Essays and Other Prose Styles (1925-1941):
  • Essays grew in quality and quantity; topical breadth and stylistic variety.
  • Political/social reflective essays: Federico Mangahas, Salvador P. Lopez, Pura S. Castrence, Vicente Albano Pacis, Ariston Estrada, Jose A. Lansang.
  • Critical essays: Salvador P. Lopez, I. V. Mallari, Ignacio Manlapaz, Jose Garcia Villa, Arturo B. Rotor, Leopoldo Y. Yabes; example: Maximo V. Soliven’s THEY CALLED IT BROTHERHOOD.
  • Personal/familiar essays: F. B. Icasiano (Mang Kiko), Alfredo E. Litiaco, Solomon V. Arnaldo, Amando G. Dayrit, Consuelo Gar (Catuca).
• Notable works and milestones during this period:
  • 1940: Salvador P. Lopez’s LITERATURE AND SOCIETY (collection of critical reflections; won first prize in the Commonwealth Literary Contest of 1940).
  • 1940: Camilo Osías published THE FILIPINO WAY OF LIFE (essays on Filipino life drawn from history, folkways, philosophy, and psychology).
  • 1941: F. B. Icasiano (Mang Kiko) reprints of Icasiano essays in Sunday Times Magazine under the column From My Nipa Hut, exploring the common tao with humor and sympathy.

Final Thought: Epigraph

• Salman Rushdie quotes: "Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and in the human spirit… not absolute truth, but the truth of the tale, of the imagination and of the heart."
• This encapsulates the enduring purpose of Philippine Literature in English: to navigate identity, society, and imagination within a changing political and cultural landscape.

Connections, Implications, and Reflections

• Language policy and identity:
  • Transition to English as official medium of instruction reshaped literary production, audience, and accessibility.
  • The shift influenced writers’ techniques, with emphasis on direct expression and clarity.
• Literature as nationalism:
  • Newspapers and drama served as instruments of national awakening and resistance.
  • Nationalist themes faced censorship and suppression under American rule, highlighting tensions between art and power.
• Cultural exchange and originality:
  • Early writers imitated foreign models, which eventually gave way to self-discovery and unique Filipino voice in English.
  • The period highlights both the borrowings from Western literary traditions and the development of a distinctly Filipino perspective within English.
• Educational and societal implications:
  • The establishment of UP and other institutions helped cultivate a generation of writers who could contribute to national discourse.
  • Periodicals and literary prizes stimulated production and recognition, shaping the trajectory of Philippine literature in English.
• Ethical and practical considerations:
  • Censorship, nationalist risk, and the responsibility of journalists and authors to convey truthful, culturally grounded perspectives.
  • The tension between serving a national cause and adhering to literary aesthetics.

Key Figures to Remember

• Zoilo M. Galang — A Child of Sorrow (1921); Life and Success (essays, 1921).
• Paz Marquez Benitez — Dead Stars (short story, early 1920s).
• Fernando Maramag; Juan F. Salazar; Jose M. Hernandez; Vicente del Fierro; Francisco M. Africa; Victorano Yamson — early English-writing figures.
• Carlos P. Romulo; George C. Bocobo; Mauro Mendez; Vicente Hilario — notable essayists.
• Ignacio Manlapaz; Godofredo Rivera; Federico Mangahas; Francisco B. Icasiano; Salvador P. Lopez; Jose Lansang; Amando G. Dayrit — critics and columnists.
• Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion; Jose Garcia Villa; Angela Manalang Gloria; Abelardo Subido; Trenidad Tarrosa Subido; Rafael Zulueta da Costa — poets of the Self-Discovery period.
• Aurelio Tolentino; Juan Abad; Tomas Remigio; Severino Reyes — dramatists with nationalist themes.
• Salvador P. Lopez; Camilo Osías; Mang Kiko (F. B. Icasiano) — influential essayists and commentators.

Glossary of Terms and Period Labels

• Re-Orientation (1898-1910): Early English-language cultivation and adaptation to new political realities.
• Imitation (1910-1925): Emulation of Western models with growing but imperfect integration into Filipino subject matter.
• Self-Discovery (1925-1941): Emergence of a confident Filipino voice in English, expansion into poetry, short stories, and essays, and incorporation of social consciousness.

References to Specific Works and Publications (Selected)

• A Child of Sorrow by Zoilo M. Galang (1921) — First Filipino novel in English; marker for narrative development.
• Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez (early 1920s) — Model of narrative craft.
• LITERATURE AND SOCIETY by Salvador P. Lopez (1940) — Essay collection; Commonwealth Literary Contest winner.
• THE FILIPINO WAY OF LIFE by Camilo Osías (1940) — Essays on Filipino life across dimensions of history and psychology.
• THEY CALLED IT BROTHERHOOD by Maximo V. Soliven — Example of critical essay.
• English-language periodicals and outlets:
  • El Renacimiento (1901) — Manila-based periodical by Rafael Palma.
  • Philippine Free Press (1905) — Editorial and literary platform.
  • The Philippine Herald (1920) — Magazine section edited by Paz Marquez Benitez.
  • Other outlets: The Bulletin, The Philippines Herald (1920), The Philippine Review, The Independent, Rising Philippines and Citizens, Philippine Education Magazine (1924).

Epilogue

• The study of this literature reveals a complex negotiation of language, nation, form, and purpose under colonial rule and in the construction of a post-colonial Filipino modernity in English.