MODULE IN 21st CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES

AND THE WORLD

INTRODUCTION
For Dr. Jose Rizal, being a Filipino is important; but it is just as important to recognize
that he is a citizen of the world. As Filipinos, we read literature from different countries to
discover different cultures and perspectives present in our world. In the end, what we may
discover in the world might be something that can help improve our nation and ourselves.
The goal of this module is to introduce these stories to Filipino readers to show them the
wonders of the world and to help them come to terms with these stories on their own ground, so
to speak.

TOPIC: INTRODUCTION TO WORLD LITERATURE

“The relationship is reciprocal. Our culture affects what we write and what we write is
used to interpret our history. However, our history influences culture, which creates a beautiful
loop in which these three things work together to define a group of people, a nation, etc.” –
Anonymous

For this week, we will be dealing with Word Literature, and the known 12 Great Books in
the World.

EARLY PERIODS OF WORLD LITERATURE

The Classical Period (1200 BCE – 455 CE)
A golden age for literature and arts
Some significant literary works in this period:
The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
Works and Days by Hesiod
Theogony by Hesiod
Greek writer and philosophers during this period:
Gorsgias
Aesop
Plato
Socrates
Aristotle
Euripides

The Medieval Period (455 CE – 1485 CE)

Also known as Anglo-Saxon Period
Some significant literary works in this period:
The Canterbury Tales
Beowulf
The Dark Ages and the Bards
The Dream of the Holy Rood
Famous Authors during this period:
Geoffrey Chaucer
Thomas Aquinas
Martin Luther
Caedmon
Significant Literary Genres:
Elegy
Religious Liturgy
Narrative Romance

The Renaissance Period (1485-1660 CE)

It is considered to be the division between the Middle age and Modern era.
 Some significant literary works in this period:
Romeo and Juliet
When I was Fair and Young
Utopia
The faerie Queen
Famous Authors during this period:
William Shakespeare
Sir Thomas More
Queen Elizabeth I
Edmund Spencer

LATER PERIODS OF WORLD LITERATURE

The Enlightenment Period (1660 BCE – 1790)
Referred to as The Age of Reason.
Era of Logic
Some Significant Literary works in this period:
All for love
The Rake of the Lock
Rights of Man
Elegy written in a Churchyard
Famous Authors during this period:
John Dryden
Alexander Pope
Thomas Paine
Thomas Gray
Popular Types of literature during this period:
Essay
Melodrama
Letters
Fables

The Romantic Period (1790 – 1830)

Great Age for the Novel
Emphasize on Emotion, Imagination and Individualism.
Some Significant Literary works in this period:
I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud
Kubla Khan
Song of Innocence and of Experience
Mathilda
Famous Authors during this period:
William Wordsworth
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Blake
Mary Shelley

The Victorian Period (1832 – 1901)

The Reign of Queen Victoria.
The literature of this Era expressed the fusion of pure romance to gross realism.
Some Significant Literary works in this period:
The Pickwick Papers
How do I love Thee
Ulysses
Famous Authors during this period:
Charles Dicken
Elizabeth Browning
Alfred Lord Tennison
 The Modern Period (1914 – 1945)
Characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing, in both
poetry and prose fiction.
Some Significant Literary works in this period:
The Road Not Taken
And Death Shall Have No Dominion
Insensibility
Famous Authors during this period:
Robert Frost
Dylan Thomas
Wilfred Owen

The Post Modern Period (1945 onward)

Characterized by reliance on narrative techniques such as fragmentation, paradox,
and the unreliable narrator.
Some Significant Literary works in this period:
Infinite Jest
The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock
Waiting for Godot
Famous Authors during this period:
David Foster Wallace
T.S Eliot
Samuel Beckett

TOPIC: 12 GREAT BOOKS IN THE WORLD

In this part of the module, we are to discuss the 12 Great Books that have influenced the
world because of its authenticity, content, and impact to readers.

 The Bible or the Sacred Scriptures

This has become the basis of Christianity originating from Palestine and Greece.
The Bible is composed of 66 Books, and divided into two testaments: Old Testament is
composed of 39 Books, while New Testament is composed of 27 Books.

 Koran
The Muslim bible is originating from Arabia. The word “Qur’an” literally means
'The Book being read repeatedly.” The revelation of the Qur’an started through Wahi
(inspiration) from Allah.

 The Iliad and the Odyssey

These have been the source of Myths and Legends of Greece. They were written
by Homer. Some view the Iliad as a work of history. The Iliad consists of 15,693 lines,
composed around 800 B.C. by a single creative genius, Homer. This work is composed in
Asia Minor. Iliad means “tale of Ilium,” or Troy the Iliad had the same role with the
Bible. This narrative poem describes a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and
the Trojans that lasted more than 10 years. The Iliad is ultimately a book about the
meaning of life and how to lead that life.
The Odyssey is fundamental to the modern western canon and is the second-oldest
extant work of Western literature; the Iliad is the oldest. Scholars believe
the Odyssey was composed near the end of the 8th century BC.

 The Mahabharata
Considered to be the longest epic in the world. The oldest preserved parts of the
text are thought to be not much older than around 400 BCE, though the origins of the epic
probably fall between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. The epic is traditionally ascribed to
the sage Vyāsa , who is also a major character in the epic. It contains the history of
 religion in India. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a
discussion of the four "goals of life".

 Canterbury
It depicts the religion and customs of English in early days. This originated from
England and was written by Chaucer.

 Uncle Tom's Cabin

This depicted the sad fate of slaves. This became the basis of democracy.

 The Divine Comedy
This shows the religion and customs of early Italians.

 El' Cid Compeador
This shows the cultural characteristics of Spaniards and their national theory. The
title means, El Cid (Moors) – The Lord, and Compeador (Christians) -The one
who stands out in the battlefield.

 The Song of Roland

This includes the Doce Pares and Ronces Valles of France. It tells about the
Golden Age of Christianity in France.

 The Book of the Dead

This includes the cult of Osiris and the Mythology and theology of Egypt.

 The Book of the Days

This was written by Confucius of China. This became the basis of Christian
Religion.

 One Thousand and One Night of the Arabian Nights

It shows the ways of government of industries and of society of Arabia
and Persians

Check Your Understanding

Identify the period of world literature, literary work, or author being described/defined in
each item.
1. This shows the cultural characteristics of Spaniards and their national theory.
2. He authored The Road Not Taken.
3. It is considered to be the Great Age for the Novel.
4. This became the basis of democracy.
5. It is considered to be the division between the Middle age and Modern era.
6. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four
"goals of life".
7. It is characterized by reliance on narrative techniques such as fragmentation, paradox, and
the unreliable narrator.
8. These literary masterpieces were written by Homer.
9. A book which is composed of 66 books, and divided into two testaments.
10. The literature of this Era expressed the fusion of pure romance to gross realism.

Reflection
If given a chance not to be a Filipino, what nationality would you like you to be?
Considering your choice’s literature, explain why.