The real and the imaginary : selected Filipino literature from the Philippine Revolution to the Marcos era

Abstract

Historical literature is valuable to understanding the past as authors are allowed to distort history to heighten certain themes of change and continuity while also expressing the complexities of historical events. This is especially true for the Philippines, as Dr. José Rizal’s Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo began the Filipino Nationalist movement. That tradition of literature is continual celebrated by Filipinos today. The following analysis tracks themes throughout several novels written about Philippine history. In Noli Me Tángere, El Filibusterismo, The Three- Cornered Sun, My Sad Republic, Great Philippine Energy Jungle Café, and the Rosales Saga, Philippine historical literature highlights the inequities caused by the Philippines’ colonial legacy and how individuals strive to counter and fight against those historical limits. I analyze these twelve novels to analyze the three key divisions in Philippine history — those of religion, location, and national identity.