ST.

BERNADETTE COLLEGE OF VALENZUELA

#6121 Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City
Senior High School Department
STUDY GUIDE

UNIT II
ST
21 CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE WORLD
Literature is meant to be universal. It has been proven countless times that literature has the capacity
to reach and touch people from all walks of life. This is even truer now because literature is easily translated
into other languages, some of which you may even download for free from the internet. This rapid transit
and transmission of literary data have been predicted before in letters that one particular German literary
critic has written to so many of his colleagues. His name was Jonathan Wolfgang von Goethe who coined the
term weltliteratur, which literally “world literature.”

In the essay “World Literature and Europe Literature” by Robert Dainotto, it is recounted how
Goethe, when he was reading a Chinese novel, had realized that the Oriental society portrayed in the novel
was quite the same as his German one-actually, the characters “think, feel, and act” the same way that he
did, and only found the Chinese more efficient at what they do. He said then that the concept of
weltliteratur is meant to be a two-way process: that literature may be shared by one nation to the other so
that it is a give-and-take process. This is his concept world literature and how it all started. Imagined
Goethe’s reaction to the way you use the Internet now!

The idea of a “world literature” is the way this second unit was intended to be written for you. The
modules are arranged such that you are introduced to the literature outside of the country by first
immersing yourself in our neighbours in Southeast Asia, until you reach the other side of the globe. In this
way, you are given time to acclimate yourself to the cultures, society, and situation that are most familiar to
you first, until you are ready to explore other parts of the literary world. Furthermore, Unit II is meant to let
you realize your place in the vastness of the world by comprehending and understanding the nature of the
other cultures and the way they relate to yours. Most importantly, you may realize how these cultures may
enrich your own Filipino culture and vice versa. The possibilities are endless in world literature, and this is
what you will discover as you go through the exciting and enriching literary selections in this unit.

Learning Outcomes for the Unit

 Understand and appreciate literary texts in various genres across national literature and cultures.
 Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of 21st century literature of the world through
 A written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form
and theme, with a description of its context derived from research
 A critical paper that analyses literary texts in relation to the context of the reader and
the writer or a critical paper that interprets literary text using any of the critical
approaches.
 An adaptation of a text into other creative forms

Prepared by: Ms. Lyka Galvez 1

21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World – Grade 12
 ST. BERNADETTE COLLEGE OF VALENZUELA
#6121 Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City
Senior High School Department
STUDY GUIDE

 An adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Module 9
A Rediscovery of the Literary World
Objectives:
At the end of this module, you should be able to;
1. Identify representative texts and authors from Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and
African.
2. Situate the texts in the context of the region, the nation, and the world.
3. Appreciate the cultural and aesthetic diversity of the world literature.
4. Understand literary meanings in context and the use of critical reading strategies.

Learn About It!

Literature of the World

There is a lot to be said about the diversity and universality of world literature. The distinct language
and inventiveness of certain literature coming from different continents showcase the lives and emotions of
their people, while offering the world a view of what happens in their society. A good example is the
common themes of dispora in Asia and African literature, magic realism in Latin American literature, and
societal issues in the classical literature of Europe and North America.

Some of the contemporary writers nowadays are quite adept at portraying their cultures through
fiction. Some of these are Charlson Ong’s epic novel Banyaga, which narrates the plight of Chinese-Filipino
boys and their hardships in the country; Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in Afghanistan
and tells the story of two women who are placed in a situation that leaves them no choice but to depend on
each other; Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle tells the story of a man searching for something
and his tales of another world; and Chinua Achebe’s classic Things Fall Apart is all about a tribe in Africa that
chronicles its societal issues and battles against outside colonizing forces.

Reflect Upon!
In your opinion, do you think world literature has influenced or continues to influence Philippine
literature in some way? How?

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Prepared by: Ms. Lyka Galvez 2

21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World – Grade 12
 ST. BERNADETTE COLLEGE OF VALENZUELA
#6121 Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City
Senior High School Department
STUDY GUIDE

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The Filipino-Chinese in World Literature

Ethnic Chinese and Native Filipinos have interacted with each other since the 9 th century, when the
Chinese sailed toward the Philippines to barter and trade items. Some of them stayed in the islands and
intermarried with the daughters of prominent tribes. Thus, the history as well. Thus, Chinese and Filipinos is
very much intertwined not only in local history, but in world history as well. The blend of these two cultures
is still prominent in our society today. As you can see, almost 20-30% of our culture has Chinese ancestry.
Filipino-Chinese (or also commonly known as chinoy) literature is an important part of Philippine
literature for it is a melting pot brings. It is important to recognize Filipino-Chinese
literature in world literature, for it may impart the experiences of being a product of two
different (and oftentimes contrasting) cultures, which, is common experience in the
global context.
Here is an award-winning short story sess Filipino-Chinese life here in the
country. Charlson Ong is a Filipino-Chinese writer who has penned award-winning works
in Philippine literature. He is also a well-known fictionist who has published collections of
his short stories. He is best known, however, for his novels Embarrassment of Riches (2002),
Banyaga: A Song of War (2006), and Blue Angel, White Shadow (2010). He currently teaches at the
University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Charlson Ong
Activity 1
Read the story “The Trouble in Beijing” by: Charlson Ong. Draw a concept map showing the
characters of the story and their respective goals as characters. Present your concept map to the class.
(https://buglas-writers.medium.com/the-trouble-in-beijing-1de18ce305c4)

Looking beyond the Text or at the Text

A. Further Discussion of New Historicism and “Death of the Author”
The idea of historical criticism is a reiteration that for you to understand any given literary text, you need
to understand first who the author is, his or her social background, the concepts that were established
appreciate a literary text, you need to be familiar with who the author is and the world he or she lives back
when the text was written.
Furthermore, new historicists seek to find the political function of literature back at when it was written
and try to find the ways on how cultures produce and reproduce themselves. They try to reveal the historical
truth and authority in a text so as to find the prevailing ideas and assumptions of its historical time. Hence,
history moves beyond just being mere data or chronicles of time, facts, and event; history becomes a
complicated catalog of the human being’s reality and ideas. Literature written in a particular time may reveal
its social organization, taboos, prejudices, problems, practices, and much more. Its also seeks to discover
how these ideas have evolved as the literary text itself changes.
Another theory that counteracts new historicism is from an essay by French philosopher Roland Barthes
entitled “The Death of the Author.” Here, Barthes argues against looking at the author’s identity and the

Prepared by: Ms. Lyka Galvez 3

21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World – Grade 12
 ST. BERNADETTE COLLEGE OF VALENZUELA
#6121 Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City
Senior High School Department
STUDY GUIDE

context in which the author lived in to understand the author’s literary text. He says that if allow the author
to intervene in the text or if you give the text an author, the view and interpretation may be limited.
He further states that the readers must separate the literary text from its writer so that the text itself
may be liberated from the tyranny that the author’s context may impose on the selection. Every literary
selection has multiple layers of meaning; thus, these meanings must be allowed to flow
and be interpreted on their own, without the author’s background or history.
Kirmen Uribe is a Basque writer born from a fishing family in Ondarroa (Biscay). He
studied Basque Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country-Gateiz and also has a
graduate degree in Comparative Literature in Trento, Italy. He won the Becerro de
Bengoa Prize for his book-length essay in collaboration with Jon Elordi entitled Lizardi
and Erotism while he was in prison for resisting the then-obligatory military draft that he
did not want to participate in. in 2009, he won the Spanish Literature Prize for his novel
Bilbao-New York-Bilbao. Uribe has since engaged in various forms, such as poetry, multimedia, and
Children’s and young literature, and has won many awards and participated in international festivals for
Kirmen Uribe
writers.

Activity 2
Read an excerpt from Bilbao-New York-Bilbao by: Kirmen Uribe (21st Century Literature from the Philippines
and the World (Second Edition) book, pages 153-158). Answer the following;
1. Write a short essay that explains how new historicism or the “Death of the Author” concept (choose one)
can be applied to Bilbao-New York-Bilbao.
2. Try to think of a memorable trip that you had. Write a short travelogue about your journey to your
destination similar to the way the author did. What were your thoughts at that time? What events
occurred during the trip?
One of the richest cultures in the world is the African nation. Africa is said to be “seat of human
civilization” because the first bones of hominids (or the ancestors of modern humans today) were found in
Ethiopia. This place was where they found Lucy the Autralopithecus, a skeleton of himonid that lived in
Ethiopia3.2 millions of years ago.
Africa, as a continent, is also the challenged by outside forces. The countries in this continent have been
gripped again and again by colonial invasions, civil wars, diseases, famine, and so much
more. Africans, however, have shown the world how they survive and thrive. Their
literature is a testament to their infallible spirit.
Chinua Achebe is Nigerian novelist, professor, and critic who rose to critical Chinua Achebe
acclaim when he published his magnum opus, Things Fall Apart. It is the most widely
read book in African Literature. He is a titled Igbo chief who was given scholarships to
attend universities, until he invested in his writing. He has taught in Western
universities and has also dabbled in African politics. In 2007, he received the Man
Booker International Prize for his contribution to world literature.
Activity 3
Read an excerpt from Thins Fall Apart by: Chinua Achebe, and answer the following;

Prepared by: Ms. Lyka Galvez 4

21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World – Grade 12
 ST. BERNADETTE COLLEGE OF VALENZUELA
#6121 Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City
Senior High School Department
STUDY GUIDE

1. An old adage says, “The apple does not fall far from the tree.” Do you agree with this or not? Do you
have certain characteristics that are similar to your parents, or do you feel completely different from
them?
2. What unique aspects of the Igbo Village culture in Nigeria does the excerpt show? Do you think Okonkwo
is a good exemplar of the Igbo culture?

An Excerpt from Things Fall Apart

By: Chinua Achebe
Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a
young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for
seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was
this man that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a
spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights.
The drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath. Amalinze was a wily craftsman, but Okonkwo was as
slippery as a fish in water. Every nerve and every muscle stood out on their arms, on their backs and their thighs, and one almost
heard them stretching to breaking point. In the end, Okonkwo threw the Cat.
That was many years ago, twenty years or more, and during this time Okonkwo's fame had grown like a bush-fire in the
harmattan. He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look. He breathed heavily, and it
was said that, when he slept, his wives and children in their houses could hear him breathe. When he walked, his heels hardly
touched the ground and he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody. And he did pounce on people
quite often. He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his
fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had had no patience with his father.
Unoka, for that was his father's name, had died ten years ago. In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable
of thinking about tomorrow. If any money came his way, and it seldom did, he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine, called
round his neighbours and made merry. He always said that whenever he saw a dead man's mouth, he saw the folly of not eating
what one had in one's lifetime. Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbour some money, from a few cowries to
quite substantial amounts.
He was tall but very thin and had a slight stoop. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing
on his flute. He was very good on his flute, and his happiest moments were the two or three moons after the harvest when the village
musicians brought down their instruments, hung above the fireplace. Unoka would play with them, his face beaming with
blessedness and peace. Sometimes another village would ask Unoka's band and their dancing egwugwu to come and stay with them
and teach them their tunes. They would go to such hosts for as long as three or four markets, making music and feasting. Unoka
loved the good fare and the good fellowship, and he loved this season of the year, when the rains had stopped and the sun rose
every morning with dazzling beauty. And it was not too hot either, because the cold and dry harmattan wind was blowing down
from the north. Some years the harmattan was very severe and a dense haze hung on the atmosphere. Old men and children would
then sit round log fires, warming their bodies. Unoka loved it all, and he loved the first kites that returned with the dry season, and
the children who sang songs of welcome to them. He would remember his own childhood, how he had often wandered around
looking for a kite sailing leisurely against the blue sky. As soon as he found one, he would sing with his whole being, welcoming it
back from its long, long journey, and asking it if it had brought home any lengths of cloth.
That was years ago, when he was young. Unoka, the grown-up, was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had
barely enough to eat. People laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money because he
never paid back. But Unoka was such a man that he always succeeded in borrowing more, and piling up his debts.
One day a neighbour called Okoye came in to see him. He was reclining on a mud bed in his hut playing on the flute. He
immediately rose and shook hands with Okoye, who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm, and sat down.
Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a
lump of white chalk.
"I have kola," he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest.
"Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it," replied Okoye, passing back the disc.
"No, it is for you, I think," and they argued like this for a few moments before Unoka accepted the honour of breaking the kola.
Okoye, meanwhile, took the lump of chalk, drew some lines on the floor, and then painted his big toe.
As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies. When they
had eaten, they talked about many things: about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral feast and

Prepared by: Ms. Lyka Galvez 5

21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World – Grade 12
 ST. BERNADETTE COLLEGE OF VALENZUELA
#6121 Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City
Senior High School Department
STUDY GUIDE

about the impending war with the village of Mbaino. Unoka was never happy when it came to wars. He was in fact a coward and
could not bear the sight of blood. And so, he changed the subject and talked about music, and his face beamed. He could hear in his
mind's ear the blood-stirring and intricate rhythms of the ekwe and the udu and the ogene, and he could hear his own flute weaving
in and out of them, decorating them with a colourful and plaintive tune. The total effect was gay and brisk, but if one picked out the
flute as it went up and down and then broke up into short snatches, one saw that there was sorrow and grief there.
Okoye was also a musician. He played on the ogene. But he was not a failure like Unoka. He had a large barn full of yams and
he had three wives. And now he was going to take the Idemili title, the third highest in the land. It was a very expensive ceremony
and he was gathering all his resources together. That was in fact the reason why he had come to see Unoka. He cleared his throat
and began.
"Thank you for the kola. You may have heard of the title I intend to take shortly."
Having spoken plainly so far, Okoye said the next half a dozen sentences in proverbs. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is
regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long
time, skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally. In short, he was asking Unoka to return the two hundred cowries he had
borrowed from him more than two years before. As soon as Unoka understood what his friend was driving at, he burst out laughing.
He laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the ogene, and tears stood in his eyes. His visitor was amazed, and sat
speechless. At the end, Unoka was able to give an answer between fresh outbursts of mirth.
"Look at that wall," he said, pointing at the far wall of his hut, which was rubbed with red earth so that it shone. "Look at those
lines of chalk;" and Okoye saw groups of short perpendicular lines drawn in chalk. There were five groups, and the smallest group
had ten lines. Unoka had a sense of the dramatic and so he allowed a pause, in which he took a pinch of snuff and sneezed noisily,
and then he continued: "Each group there represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries. You see, I owe
that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it. I shall pay, you, but not today. Our elders
say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. I shall pay my big debts first." And he
took another pinch of snuff, as if that was paying the big debts first. Okoye rolled his goatskin and departed.
When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed
of him? Fortunately, among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father.
Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages.
He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles
and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars. And so, although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the
greatest men of his time. Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed
his hands he could eat with kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands and so he ate with kings and elders. And that was how he
came to look after the doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia by their neighbours to avoid war and bloodshed.
The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna.

Prepared by: Ms. Lyka Galvez 6

21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World – Grade 12