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."
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