COMPETENCY #2

OUR DIVERSE REGIONAL LITERATURE

Learning Competency Competency Code
The learner shall identify representative texts and
authors from each region. (e.g. engage in oral EN12Lit-Ib-22
history research with a focus on key personalities
from the students’ region/province/ town)

Literature builds nation and nation breeds literature. It is not difficult to locate
nationhood in the face of a globalizing world where foreign is distinctly recognizable
against the background of local or domestic.

This time, after taking a historical approach, let us now take a geographic
panorama of our country’s literature. Regional literature refers to the language, the
folk traditions, the literature, the arts, and the lifestyle of people living in the various
regions of the country. These regions are mainly defined by their language, norms,
and geographical boundaries.

This second module highlights the representative texts and authors from the
islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Furthermore, it will focus on the growth of our
rich local literature.

a. Literature from the islands of Luzon

b. Literature from the islands of Visayas
c. Literature from the islands of Mindanao
d. Contemporary authors from different regions
e. Local Literature

LUZON LITERATURE
Luzon is the largest island group in the Philippines. It is divided into eight regions:
Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR),
National Capital Region (NCR), Bicol Region, Central Luzon, MIMAROPA (Mindoro,
Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), and CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,
Rizal, and Quezon). Kalingas, and Itnegs. Below are some of the major literary works
from Luzon:
a. Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilocos Region) – This is an epic about Lam-ang, a man with
extraordinary strength, who sets out to find his missing father Don Juan.
b. The Legend of Magat River (Cagayan Valley, first version) – This is a legend
about Magat, a handsome and strong-willed youth, who saved a lovely
maiden in a stream from the clutches of a python.
c. Aliguyon (CAR) – An epic from the region of CAR, Aliguyon is about a series of
mortal combats between Aliguyon and Pumbakhayon to settle a tribal feud.
d. Footnote to Youth (NCR) – This is a short story about Dodong, who wanted to
marry Teang. Both were young, so when Dodong asked his father, he was met
with silence. The two ended up getting married, but later on, they both start to
think about and even regret doing so.
e. Ibalon or Ibalong (Bicol Region) – This is an epic about three heroes—Baltog,
Handiong, and Bantong—who all defeated their adversaries.
f. Atin Cu Pung Singsing (Central Luzon) – This is a children’s folk song about a
child who lost the ring given to her by her mother.
g. Tagbanua Myth (MIMAROPA) – This is a myth about the first man, named Adan,
who was like a stone, for he could not speak.
h. The Legend of Maria Makiling (CALABARZON) – This is a story about a mountain
in Laguna called Makiling that was guarded by a fairy named Maria. The
townsfolk fondly called her Mariang Makiling.

VISAYAS LITERATURE
Visayas is the smallest island group in the Philippines. It is divided into three
regions: Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas. The major regional
languages in Visayas are Cebuano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Kinaray-a, and Waray. The
seven main islands in Visayas are Bohol, Cebu, Panay, Samar, Negros, Leyte.
Below are just some of the literary forms produced in Visayas:
a. Poems are called binalaybay.
b. Stories are called asoy or sugilanon.
c. Riddles are called paktakon.
d. Proverbs are translated to hurubaton. These are usually in two lines and
rhymed.
e. Lullabies are called ili-ili.
f. Ambahan is long song alternately sung by a soloist and a chorus.
g. Siday is a long poetic battle between two paid poets representing the two
families in the pursuit of marriage.
h. Balitaw is a love song sung by a man and a woman in a debating manner.

Some major literary works from Western Visayas:

a. Hinilawod is the oldest and perhaps most well-known epic of Panay. It
narrates the story of the goddess of the eastern sky named Alunsina who
reached the age of maidenhood. Every god from different places tried to
win her heart. Soon, the goddess decided to marry a mortal from Halawod,
Datu Paubari.
b. The Fall of Polobulac is a tale from Panay about the seven deadly sins.
Some of the major literary works from Eastern Visayas:
a. Bowaon and Totoon – This is a Waray folktale with the English translation
“Falsehood and Truth.” It is about two friends named Bowaon and Totoon
who could not find work, so they decided to go away from their place to
look for their fortune elsewhere.
b. Si Amomongo at Si Iput-iput – This is a fable about a gorilla and a firefly. The
lesson it conveys is that one should never belittle those who are small
because they could do big things that big people cannot do.
Some of the major literary works from Central Visayas:
a. Sicalac and Sicavay – This is a Visayan creation myth about Captan and
Maguayan who are both gods who created earth and all living things.
Captan planted a bamboo in the garden. One day, it broke into two
sections and out stepped a man and woman who were respectively
named as Sicalac and Sicavay.
b. Catalina of Dumaguete – This is a legend about a 16-year-old girl named
Catalina who was very beautiful and industrious but with many strange
ways. She was said to have mysterious powers and was said to have saved
Dumaguete from the Moros.

MINDANAO LITERATURE

First Quarter 21st Century Literature from the Regions | 2

Mindanao is the second-largest island group in the Philippines. It is divided into
six regions: Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen
(South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos), ARMM
(Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), and Caraga Region.
The major regional languages in Mindanao are Chavacano, Maguindanao,
Maranao, and Tausug. The region is generally inhabited by Muslims. Although they are
no longer a majority, the Islamic culture is still evident. Large groups of ethnic minorities
can be found in Mindanao, such as Maranao, Maguindanao, Ilanun, and Sangil.
These groups are also referred to as Moro. Meanwhile, the following groups are found
in the uplands: the Bagobo, Bukidnon, Manadaya, Manobo, and Subanon.
In general, the folk literature of Mindanao may be in prose or verse. These are
of collective authorship instead of individual authorship. Every ethnic minority has a
number of raconteurs or narrators who deliver a story in a creative way, bearing two
or three or more folktales. The stories they tell have been conveyed to them by older
members of their respective families, friends, and acquaintances, some of whom
have already died. Raconteurs can be young or old, men or women.
Below are the major literary works from Mindanao:
a. The Origin of Davao (Davao Region) – This is an account of the beginning of
Davao. It is about the natives of Davao called Kalagans .
b. Ag Tobig Nog Keboklagan (Zamboanga Peninsula) – This is an epic story
translated as The Kingdom of Keboklagan. It is considered as one of the oldest
epics in Zamboanga. It is chanted or performed during their week-long buklog
festival, and it tells the life and adventures of an extraordinary hero named
Taake.
c. How Cagayan de Oro Got Its Name (Northern Mindanao) – This is a legend
explaining the origin of the name of the province, which means “shameful
peace.”
d. Ulahingan (SOCCSKSARGEN) – This is an epic about the adventures of Agyu
and his relatives who had a conflict with their rulers. As they flee from their
place, they were guided by a diwata .
e. The Maguindanao Tale of the Faithful Wife (ARMM) – This folktale is about an
aged man’s last words to his son, telling him that he should never marry a
widow and only choose a young lady.
f. Tulalang (Caraga Region) – This folktale is about Tulalang, the firstborn of a poor
couple. One day, he went into the forest to gather some food. When he was
collecting crops, an old lady approached him and pitied their poor life. She
said that they will never be hungry, and they can get anything they want. Soon
after, they had a prosperous life.

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NOTABLE AUTHORS OF DUMAGUETE CITY

The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are
current residents of, or are closely associated with the city of Dumaguete, in Negros
Oriental of the Negros Island, Philippines.

EDITH L. TIEMPO - National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo, poet,

fictionist, teacher, and literary critic, was one of the finest Filipino writers in English
whose works are characterized by a remarkable fusion of style and substance, of
craftsmanship and insight. She was born on 22 April 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva
Vizcaya. Her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences as
revealed, in two of her much anthologized pieces, "The Little Marmoset" and " Bonsai".

As a fictionist, Tiempo was as morally profound. Her language has been marked
as "descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing. " She continues to be an
influential tradition in Philippine literature in English. Together with her late husband,
Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded and directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop
in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the country's best writers. Tiempo's
published works include the novel A Blade of Fern (1978), His Native Coast (1979), The
Alien Corn (1992), One, Tilting Leaves (1995) and The Builder (2003); the poetry
collections, The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966), and The Charmer's Box
and Other Poems (1993); and the short story collection Abide, Joshua, and Other
Stories (1964). She died in August 2011, a few months after the 50th Anniversary of the
National Writers Workshop.

EDILBERTO K. TIEMPO - Fiction-writer and literary critic EDILBERTO K.

TIEMPO was born in 1913. He obtained his M.FA. from the University of Iowa and his
Ph.D. in English from the University of Denver. In addition to having been a
Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellow, Dr. Tiempo, alongside his wife Edith, spent
around four years studying literature and creative writing in the Iowa Writers Workshop.
Upon returning to the Philippines in 1962, the Tiempos founded the Silliman National
Writers Workshop after the objectives of the Iowa writer’s clinic.
He reaped numerous honors for his writing, among them the Cultural Center of
the Philippines Prize, Palanca Awards, the National Book Award, and a prize in the U.P.
Golden Anniversary Literary Contest. He authored over a dozen books in his lifetime.
Titles include the collections A Stream at Dalton Pass and Other Stories (1970), Snake
Twin and Other Stories (1992) and Literary Criticism in the Philippines and Other Essays
(1995); as well as the novels Cry Slaughter (1957), which had four New York printings
and six European translation, To Be Free (1972), the award-winning More Than
Conquerors (1982), and Cracked Mirror (1984). Tiempo died in September of 1996, but
his final novel, Farah, saw print in 2001.

EDDIE ROMERO - NATIONAL ARTIST FOR FILM AND DUMAGUETE FILMMAKER

EDDIE ROMERO was a screenwriter, film director, and producer. He was the
quintessential Filipino filmmaker whose life was devoted to the art and commerce of
cinema spanning three generations of filmmakers. His film Ganito Kami Noon...Paano
Kayo Ngayon?, set at the turn of the century during the revolution against the
Spaniards and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naive peasant through his
leap of faith to become a member of an imagined community. Aguila situates a
family's story against the backdrop of the country's history.

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Kamakalawa explores the folkloric of prehistoric Philippines. Banta ng
Kahapon, his political film, is set against the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the
connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls of politics. His 13-part series of Noli
Me Tangere brings the national hero's polemic novel to a new generation of viewers.
Romero, the ambitious yet practical artist, was not satisfied with dreaming up grand
ideas. He found ways to produce these dreams into films. His concepts, ironically, as
stated in the National Artist citation “are delivered in an utterly simple style —
minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never
predictable.” He was proclaimed National Artist for Cinema in 2003.

DEAN FRANCIS ALFAR - Dean Francis Alfar is a Filipino playwright,

novelist, and writer of speculative fiction. His plays have been performed in venues
across the country, while his articles and fiction have been published both in his
native Philippines and abroad. He is the author of the novel Salamanca as well as
three collections of short fiction - The Kite of Stars and other stories How to Traverse
Terra Incognita and A Field Guide to the Roads of Manila.
His literary awards include ten Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature (Palanca Awards) — including the Grand Prize for Novel — as well as
the Manila Critics' Circle National Book Awards for the graphic novels Siglo: Freedom
and Siglo: Passion, and the Philippines Free Press Literary Award. He is an advocate of
the literature of the fantastic, editing the Philippine Speculative Fiction series, as well
as a comic book creator and a blogger.

CÉSAR RUIZ AQUINO - He is a Filipino poet and novelist. He was born and
raised in Zamboanga, Philippines. He is a Creative writing educator at Silliman
University. He has won the Palanca four times for his fiction and his poetry. His writing
career began when Philippine Graphic published his story Noon and Summer written
in 1961. Cesar Ruiz Aquino's publications include Chronicles of Suspicion, Word
Without End, Caesuras: 155 New Poems, Like A Shadow That Only Fits A Figure Of
Which It Is Not The Shadow, Fire If It Were Ice, Ice If It Were Fire.

AIDA RIVERA-FORD - Aida Rivera-Ford studied for an English degree at

the Silliman University in Negros Oriental in 1949 where she made the distinction as the
first-ever editor of Sands and Corals, the institution’s literary paper. She graduated at
the top of her batch (cum laude) with an AB degree major in English. She obtained
her MA in English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, USA in 1954.
“Love in the Cornhusks” is one of the five stories for which she was awarded the Jules
and Avery Hopwood Prize in Michigan. This story was hailed by Filipino literary greats
like NVM Gonzalez and Epifanio San Juan for its “masterful subtlety but also for its
earnest vision—a rare case of art prevailing upon all creeds and manners of
persuasion.”

ANTHONY L. TAN - He is a poet, essayist, and fictionist. His writings have

appeared in various magazines, journals, and anthologies. His poems have been
collected in book form The Badjao Cemetery and Other Poems and Poems for
Muddas. He has won three Don Carlos Palanca awards: two for poetry and one for
the essay. He has sat as a critic-panelist in various writers’ workshops such as the Iligan
National Writers Workshop, the Silliman Writers Workshop, and the IYAS Writers
workshop. Upon his retirement, he had taught in four schools: Notre Dame of Siasi,
Sulu; Silliman University, in Dumaguete City; Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute
of Technology; and De La Salle University, Manila. He is currently working on a novel
about his native island in the Sulu Sea.
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JOSE V. MONTEBON JR. -was a lawyer, public servant, and writer. As a
college student at Silliman University in the late 1940s, he worked as a student assistant
to help pay for his tuition but also contributed to the artistic culture that was being
shaped on campus. He started writing in 1949.
His column for the Sillimanian Magazine, Point of View, which he co-wrote with
Kenneth Woods under the pseudonymous by-line of Alphonse and Gaston, compiled
their passionate literary criticism, taking note, for the most part, the literary works being
produced by Silliman writers which were being published either locally or in national
and international publications such as Philippines Free Press, This Week (the Sunday
magazine of the Manila Chronicle), Graphic Report, Saturday Magazine of the
Philippines, Evening News Saturday Magazine, Philippine Review, Sunday Times
Magazine, and Weekly Women' Magazine, as well as Poetry Magazine in Chicago. In
1954, he won the second prize of the prestigious Philippines Free Press short story
contest with his piece Bottle Full of Smoke, which proved such a popular story it was
eventually translated to Russian. He was elected as Dumaguete City Councilor, and
then became the OIC of Dumaguete City, and then its Vice-Mayor, in 1986-1987. His
short stories are belatedly collected in Cupful of Anger and Bottle Full of Smoke.

JAIME AN LIM - He finished his M.A. in Creative Writing from Silliman

University where he would teach for a number for years. He obtained his Ph.D. in
Comparative Literature from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He has
published a book of literary criticism, Literature and Politics: The Colonial Experience
in the Philippine Novel (1993); two books of short stories, Hedonicus (1998) and The
Axolotl Colony (2016); and two collections of poetry, Trios (1998) and Auguries (2017).
He also won various awards from the Palanca, Panorama, Philippines Free Press,
Focus, and Home Life. In 1996, he was the national fellow for poetry of the Likhaan:
the UP Creative Writing Center, and in 2000, he received the Gawad Pambansang
Alagad ni Balagtas for poetry and fiction in English from the Union ng Manunulat sa
Pilipinas (UMPIL).

LEONCIO P. DERIADA - The award-winning fictionist, playwright, and

poet LEONCIO P. DERIADA is generally recognized as the Father of Contemporary
Literature in Western Visayas. He received his Ph.D. in English from Silliman University in
Dumaguete City in 1981, where he served as chair of its famous English Department.
He is also known for his work in reviving writing in Kinaray-a and for his papers on the
Visayan languages and other regional literature. His published works include, for
fiction, The Road to Mawab (1984), Night Mares (1988), The Week of the Whales (1994),
a drama entitled The Dog-Eaters (1986), and a number of important anthologies such
as a West Visayas volume for Ani (1989), Patubas (1995), and Baul (1999), which he
co-authored with Isidoro M. Cruz. A Palanca Hall of Famer, he has garnered other
prestigious awards such as the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, Asiaweek,
Gawad CCP, Graphic, Focus, Yuhum (Iloilo), and Blue Knight Award from Ateneo de
Davao for Outstanding Achievement in Literature. A recipient of the Metrobank
Foundation' Search for Outstanding Teachers in 2002, Dr. Deriada headed the Sentro
ng Wikang Filipino at the U.P. Visayas. He was also an associate of the U.P. Institute of
Creative Writing.

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MERLIE ALUNAN - Poet and anthologist MERLIE ALUNAN earned her MA in
English, major in Creative Writing, at Silliman University in 1975. For the next twenty years
or so, she wrote almost exclusively in English, publishing several volumes of poetry and
winning literary prizes along the way, among which are the Palanca Awards, the
Philippines Free Press prize, and HomeLife Magazine's poetry contest.
Alunan's collections of poetry published under the titles Hearthstone, Sacred
Tree; Amina Among the Angels; Selected Poems; and Tales of the Spiderwoman are
all winning pieces in the Palanca. Two of her poetry collections have been finalist in
the National Book Award. She is the Professor Emeritus of the U.P. Tacloban. She now
resides both in Tacloban and in Dumaguete and continues to write. She was recently
the recipient of the Suthorn Phu Award given by Thailand last 2013, the first Filipino
writer to be so honored. For this achievement, and for her lifetime devoted to literature
and creative writing, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts conferred on
her the Ani ng Dangal Award last 2014.

FR. ROMAN SAGUN – Fr. Sagun is the Dumaguete's premiere church

historian. He was ordained a priest in 1985 after finishing priestly studies, magna cum
laude, and holds a Master's Degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. In 1990-
1992, he took up post-graduate studies in ecclesiastical history at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome, with focus on Latin paleography, a study of ancient
writings. He did research work at the Vatican Secret Archives in Rome and among
others in Spain, and France. In the United States, he also did research work at the New
York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives in Washington
D.C. He has also researched at the Philippine National Archives and the Philippine
National Library. For 23 years, he was professor at St. Joseph Seminary College in
Sibulan, teaching the History of Philosophy, with focus on the philosophy of
hermeneutics. His articles, especially those on Philippine church history, have been
published by Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, among other publishing
venues, including publications in Rome and Quezon City.

LAKAMBINI A. SITOY - LAKAMBINI A. SITOY is an author, joumalist, and

teacher. She is known for her two collections of short stories, Mens Rea and Other
Stories, and Jungle Planet. Her novel Sweet Haven was published in French translation
by Albin Michel as “Les filles de Sweethaven in 2011. As a journalist, Sitoy was a lifestyle
and cultural section editor for various papers and was a columnist and section editor
for the Manila Times. She has also received nine prizes in the annual Don Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards, as well as a Philippines Free Press Award in 1994. She
currently teaches English at Studieskolen in Copenhagen, Denmark.

IAN ROSALES CASOCOT - He is a novelist and teaches film, literature,

and creative writing at Silliman University in Dumaguete City. He has won the Palanca
Award several times and has also won the NVM Gonzalez Prize, a PBBY Salanga Writers
Prize, and the Fully Booked/Neil Gaiman Philippine Graphic/Fiction Prize for his fiction.
His books include Heartbreak & Magic: Stories of Fantasy and Horror , Don't Tell Anyone,
Beautiful Accidents, and The Lives of Bamboo Girls. He was a writer-in-residence for
the International Writers Program of the University of Iowa in the United States in 2010.
He is the founding coordinator of the Edilberto and Edith Tiempo Creative Writing
Center.

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ROWENA TIEMPO TORREVILLAS - an award-winning poet, fictionist, and
essayist. She was born in 1951 in Dumaguete City. She has an AB and an MA in
Creative Writing, 1971 and 1978, and a Ph.D. in English Literature, 1983, all from Silliman
University. She was an associate program administrator of the International Writing
Program at the University of Iowa. Her several awards include the Palanca for poetry:
3rd prize, 1980, for The Running Shadow and the Secret Tree ; 1st prize, 1983, for Seeress
and Voyager, the Palanca also for fiction in English; the UMPIL Distinguished Writer
Award, 1984. Her works include Mountain Sacraments: Selected Poems (DLSU Press,
1991), The Sea-Gypsies Stay (1999), Upon the Willows and Other Stories (New Day,
1980), and Flying Over Kansas (Giraffe Books, 1998). She also co-edited, with Paul
Engle, The World Comes to Iowa (Iowa State University Press, 1987). Her parents are
writers Edilberto Tiempo and National Artist for Literature Edith Tiempo.

MYRNA PENA-REYES - She earned her BA in English from Silliman University

and went on to acquire her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon,
where she also taught. She has published two books of poems, The River Singing Stone
(Anvil, 1994) and Almost Home: Poems (UP Press, 2003; 2004). Her other poems, fiction,
essays, and literary reviews have appeared in the Sands and Coral, Silliman Journal,
the Philippine Collegian, Solidarity, the Philippine Free Press, The Weekly Graphic, the
Weekly Women' Magazine, the Asia-Philippines Leader, and The Sunday Times
Magazine. Her works were also anthologized in Philippine publications such as the
Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature in English from 1900 to the Present (1998); A
Habit ofShores: Filipino Poetry and Verse from English '60s to the '90s (1999); and Filipino
Women Writers in English: Their Story 1905-2002 (2003) as well as in US publications: From
Here We Speak: An Anthology of Oregon Poetry (1993); The Forbidden Stitch (1989);
Making Waves (1989); Gathering Ground (1984); Anthology of Eugene Writers #1 (1
982), and Sequoia (1973).

ELENA G. MAQUISO - Two things in ELENA G. MAQUISO'S life—her faith

and her talent for writing—pushed her to co-author books such as Sharing Our Faith
with Our Children and Daygon Ang Diyos. She became an enthusiastic advocate of
using locally composed psalms in churches and community and pushed this through
the publication of her hymnals such as Alawiton Sa Pagtoo and Awit Sa Kalipay Alang
sa Kabataan, the songs from soon became staples in churches around the Visayas
and Mindanao. Her love for the country also impacted Philippine literature. During the
later years of her life, she conducted a comprehensive study on local folklore,
researched, recorded, transcribed, and then translated what is now the Ulahingan,
an epic from Southern Philippines featuring the Manobo's social life and customs, in
1977. In 1980, she also edited Mga Sugilanon Sa Negros, an anthology of Negros
folktales.

BOBBY FLORES VILLASIS - He was born in Bayawan City, and spent some
of his childhood in Iloilo City. He studied at St. Paul College where he earned his AB
degree in English. In 1960, he established residence in Dumaguete City. His manuscript
entitled Storm Signals won the prize for best fiction in 1974. He has also received
multiple awards from the Don Carlos Palanca Awards for his plays, and he has also
received awards for his short fiction from Focus Magazine and the Philippines Free
Press. His published books include Demigod, which is comprised of plays, poems, and
short stories published in 1998; and Suite Bergamasque, which is comprised of short
stories about Dumaguete's famous Rizal Boulevard. He was co-editor with Merlie
Alunan of Kabilin, the official book of the Negros Oriental Centennial Celebration.

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ELSA MARTINEZ COSCOLLUELA - an award-winning poet, playwright,
and fictionist. She graduated with AB and MA degrees in Creative Writing from Silliman
University. She was the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of St. La
Salle for 32 years. Upon retirement, she has conferred the rank of Professor Emeritus
and was designated Special Assistant to the President for Special Projects, a post that
she continues to hold. During her term as VPA, she founded the Negros Summer
Workshops with film Director Peque Gallaga in 1990, and the IYAS Creative Writing
Workshop in 2000, in collaboration with Dr. Cirilo Bautista, Dr. Marjorie Evasco and the
Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center of De La Salle University, Manila. She
writes poetry, fiction, drama, and film scripts in English. She has published a book of
poetry, Katipunera and Other Poems. Several of her works have been anthologized.
As a writer, she is best known for her full-length play, In My Father's House, which has
been produced here and in Japan, Singapore, San Francisco, and New York. She was
inducted to the Palanca Hall of Fame in 1999 and is the recipient of several awards
from the CCP, Free Press, and the Philippine Centennial Literary Competition. She
continues to work at the University of St. La Salle where she manages several special
projects and directs projects for the Eduardo Cojuangco Foundation.

CARIDAD ALDECOA RODRIGUEZ - Negros Oriental is one of the

country's most historically introspective localities, and CARIDAD ALDECOA
RODRIGUEZ has played a crucial role in this. A product of the strong historiographic
legacy of Silliman University, she stood out for her large body of history books on
Negros Oriental and Dumaguete, making her one of the first local historians in a
country where historiography, and history teaching, has largely centered in national
history. She had written detailed histories of the province during the American Period,
during the Japanese Occupation, a look at how the province participated during the
Revolution—making Negros Oriental one of the few provinces outside Luzon to look
into its role during this period, a history of the province during the Third Republic, and
a special focus on Dumaguete City. Her magnum opus is a three-part collection of
the history of Negros Oriental from the American period to the Third Republic. It was
a project commissioned by the Negros Oriental provincial government under then-
Governor Emilio Macias Il and was sponsored by the Toyota Foundation.

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COMPETENCY #3
CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE GENRES
Learning Competency Competency Code
The learner must be able to compare and contrast
the various 21st-century literary genres and the ones EN12Lit-Id-25
from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements,
structures, and traditions.

Contemporary writers often consciously draw inspiration and ideas from the writers
who have come before them. As an outcome, many works of 21st literature deal with
the events, movements, and literature of the past in order to make sense of the current
times. In addition, the technological developments of the 21st century have directed
other writers to theoretically write about the future, usually to comment on the present
and suggest introspection.

Literature continues to change with society and although we are in the 21st
century and are bonded with technology, authors are still trying to address absolute
human questions in new ways and therefore, reconcile them with the ever-changing
technology that surrounds us; hence, the birth of the different 21st-century literary genres.

This module is divided into different topics:

a. Popular Fiction
b. Creative Non-fiction
c. Electronic Literature
d. Graphic Literature
e. Emerging Literary Genres

POPULAR FICTION
It includes those writings intended for the masses and those that find favor with
large audiences. Its main purpose is to appeal to the general public. Some of its
noticeable characteristics are the following:
• Its characters are mostly stock figures.
• Its setting is either familiar or exotic.
• Its story is plot-driven.
• Its language is closer to everyday spoken language.
• It contains a lot of dialogues.

Common Themes of Popular Fiction

1. Crime. It focuses on crime, their detection, criminals, and their motives.

Suspense and mystery are key elements of the genre.

2. Fantasy. It uses magic or other supernatural elements as a

main plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place

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in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common.
Fantasy works frequently feature a medieval setting.

3. Romance. It primarily focuses on the relationship and romantic love between

two people and must have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.

4. Science fiction. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific and

other innovations and has been called a literature of ideas.

5. Inspirational. Inspirational fiction has faith-based themes, which may overlap

with Philosophical fiction or Theological fiction. It may be targeted at a
specific demographic, such as Christians.

6. Horror. Horror fiction aims to frighten or disgust its readers. Although many horror
novels feature supernatural phenomena or monsters, it is not required. Early
horror took much inspiration from Romanticism and Gothic fiction. Horror is
often mixed with other genres.

CREATIVE NONFICTION
Creative nonfiction is a form or genre of writing which blends a delicate mixture of
the two ends of writing (being fiction and nonfiction). It uses literary tropes to create a
factually based narrative.

Kinds of Creative Nonfiction

• Memoir - This account is narrowly focused on a single event in a person’s life.

• Biography - This is a detailed account of a person’s life written by another

person.

• Autobiography - This is a written account of the life of a person written by the

subject himself or herself.

• Diary - This is a collection of discrete accounts of a person’s experiences and

thoughts each day.

• Essay - This writing features any subject that the writer personally comments
about or describes.

ELECTRONIC LITERATURE
Electronic literature is the collective term for literary works with important literary
aspects that take advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-
alone or networked computer. Most works are not for printing formats as they are

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designed to be fully experienced digitally, such as graphics, animations, games or quests,
and sounds.

A. Digital Fiction
Digital fictions are read from a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and thus, can be
app-based or web-based. These fictions contain hyperlinks, sound effects, mini-games,
or moving images. Readers may take an active role in digital fictions. They direct the
course of the story or narrative by choosing a hyperlink or controlling a character’s
adventure or quest. There are two types of digital fiction:

1. Hypertext fiction. This type of digital fiction is nonlinear and reader-centered.

The readers are provided with different links in the story, thereby deciding on
what order to read the pages of the story and choosing how a story will pan
out.

2. Interactive fiction. An interactive fiction is an adventure story in a software-

simulated environment, usually a video game (role-playing game or RPG),
where the reader or the player controls how the story will develop. It has
multiple storylines and endings may vary.

B. Digital Poetry
Digital poetry is another form of electronic literature that can be accessed through
a computer, tablet, or smartphone. This type of literature is available on the Internet and
sometimes recorded as digital video or films.

1. Hypertext poetry. This type of digital poetry is characterized by links wherein a

word, a phrase, or a line is linked to another page, which describes or
elaborates on the idea conveyed in the poem.

2. Interactive poetry. It allows readers to contribute to the content or form of a

poem. Readers can collaborate to create a poem or interact with it.

3. Code poetry. It intermixes notions of classical poetry and computer code.

Code poems can be performed by computers or humans through spoken
word and written text.

4. Visual or concrete poetry. This type uses visual presentation to enhance the
meaning of the poem. Simply put, the layout or how the words/lines/verses are
placed or shown is as important as the content.

5. Kinetic poetry. Writers employ the use of kinetic typography or moving text for
an elaborate expression of an emotion or thought. Kinetic poetry is often
produced in videos.

6. Mobile phone text tula. A literary work is originally written on a cellular phone
via text messaging. Chapters usually consist of about 70-100 words each due
to character limitations on cell phones.

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GRAPHIC LITERATURE
Graphic literature, also called sequential storytelling, is literature in the form of
comics. The term “graphic literature” has come to encompass not just works of fiction but
also autobiographical narratives, nonfiction, and even poetry. Graphic literature also
comes in different genres, like horror, historical fiction, romance, science fiction, etc.

Kinds of Graphic Literature

1. Japanese manga. Japanese manga is an example of graphic literature that

has many followers. This type of graphic literature is created in Japan and/or
written in Japanese.

2. Graphic novels. The distinction between graphic novels and comic books is still
argumentative. A general view, though, is that a graphic novel is read like a
book, as it tells one story from the beginning to the end, whereas comic books
are periodicals. As such, graphic novels are often longer and have a more
complex storyline.

3. Comic strips. In the Philippines, comics is a widespread graphic literature. Being

periodicals, comics are released in serial format and are often short humorous
or adventure stories. A comic book may also contain several stories.

EMERGING LITERARY GENRES

Fan Fiction
An emerging literary genre that is popular on social media, especially for people
who follow television shows and movies. The genre got its name from its creators, the fans.
Most works of fan fiction are free and can be read through blogs, social networks, or fan
fiction websites. In the Philippines, the most popular website that features fan fiction is
Wattpad. Works of fan fiction are mostly written under pseudonyms.
Stories uploaded via Wattpad not only materialize into books but are also
adapted into movies, such as Diary ng Panget, Talk Back and You’re Dead, She’s Dating
the Gangster, and Your Place Or Mine?

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Flash Fiction
Flash fiction is known for its extreme brevity. This is the collective term for stories or
narratives that have approximately 1,000 words or fewer. Flash fiction has a minimal or
complete lack of exposition, and it uses deliberate, purposeful, and inventive language
and rhythm to create an experience. An example of this includes Karapote: Antolohia
Dagiti 13 a Nasuerte A Sarita by Ariel S. Tabag and Kislap by Abdon Balde Jr.

Another example is the Fast Food Fiction: Short Short Stories To Go, edited by
Noelle Q. de Jesus. The collection features stories written by well-known Filipino writers
like Gemino H. Abad, Gregorio Brillantes, Jose Dalisay, Jr., Jessica Zafra, and Lakambini
Sitoy.

Metafiction
A work of metafiction can be a story about a writer who writes a story or a story
about another work of fiction. In this type of fiction, the author, the narrator, or the main
character directly speaks to the reader. The reader also plays a part in the story. Some
examples of metafiction include Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World and Umberto Eco’s
The Name of the Rose. Some works of metafiction by Filipinos are the
novel Ilustrado (2010) by Miguel Syjuco and Hari Manawari (2011) by German Gervacio.

Slipstream
Slipstream is a nonrealistic fiction that crosses science fiction and fantasy or
mainstream literary fiction. However, not all slipstream stories do. Slipstream stories often
employ elements of the surreal and anti-reality. Some examples of slipstream fiction
include Kelly Link’s Stranger Things Happen, Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and Haruki
Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

For many, works of slipstream are difficult to categorize because of their similarities
with speculative fiction. The collection Philippine Speculative Fiction, edited by Dean
Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar, contains stories that are slipstream fiction.

Chick lit
This is genre fiction, which “consists of heroin-centered narratives that focus on the
trials and tribulations of their individual protagonists”. The genre often addresses issues of
modern womanhood – from romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the
workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways. Some of the chick-lit in the Philippines
are: Spotlight New Adult by Mina V. Esguerra, Tall Story by Candy Gourlay and All’s Fair in
Blog and War by Chrissie Peria

Magic Realism
Magic realism is a fiction genre in which magical elements are blended with
reality. It is characteristic of the stories by Latin American writers like Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Isabel Allende. The short story The Death of Fray Salvador
Montano, Conquistador of Negros by the Filipino writer Rosario Cruz Lucero has elements
of magic realism.

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