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Five Filipino Novels in English Depicting Socio-Political Realities Evoke Human Transformations

Received: 29 May 2018     Accepted: 13 July 2018     Published: 6 August 2018
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Abstract

In the world of literature, Henry James stated that novel is history. This is so because novels are written by authors gathering their plot agenda from prevailing socio-political realities in particular time points in history. This study aims to present a review of five Filipino novels in English as to how they exemplify the fictive realities of the Marcosian era and provides a synthesis of the philosophical learnings derived from them. The novels included are: Fortress in the Plaza by Linda Ty-Casper, Bamboo in the Wind by Azucena Grajo Uranza, Killing Time in a Warm Place by Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., Viajero by F. Sionil Jose and Dream Eden by Linda Ty-Casper. Descriptive method was employed in looking into portrayals of realities and characterizations of personalities in the novels, following a sociological, psychological and philosophical approach in literary criticism. Results showed that sociological dualism, political ferment and economic stagnation were among the socio-political milieu that led to the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines. These realities were reflected in the different dimensions such as the socio-political, the psychological and the philosophical dimensions. While the novels capture the thoughts and aspirations of the authors, these also reveal the human transformations undergone by the characters that arise from their experiences of the Marcosian era. These human transformations include the evolvement of the philosophical constructs of human dignification and that of being a man for others.

Published in English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15
Page(s) 25-32
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Filipino Novels in English, Socio-Political Realities, Marcosian Era, Human Transformation

References
[1] The Novel. A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature, ©English Department, Brooklyn College. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/novel.html. Retrieved 06 Aug 2015.
[2] Novel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novel. Retrieved 06 Aug 2015.
[3] Chikara, Mayur. (2010). Novel as Contemporary Indian History - A Glimpse of Works by Manohar Malgonkar, His Contemporaries, and Precursors. Language in India. 10:8. www.languageinindia.com. Retrieved 06 Aug 2015.
[4] Faruqi, Shamsur Rahman. (2009). The Historical Novel and the Historical Narrative. Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.
[5] The art of Fiction in Henry James’ Novel, The Wings of the Dove. www.mockingbird.creighton.edu/. Retrieved 06 Aug 2015.
[6] Ty-Casper, Linda. (1985). Fortress in the Plaza. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.
[7] Uranza, Azucena Grajo. (1990). Bamboo in the Wind. Manila. Vera-Reyes, Inc.
[8] Dalisay, Jose Y. Jr. (1994). Killing Time in a Warm Place. Quezon City: UP Press.
[9] Jose, F. Sionil. (1993). Viajero. Manila: La Solidaridad Publishing House.
[10] Ty-Casper, Linda. (1998). Dream Eden. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
[11] SC Decision on Martial Law. (2017). https://www.scribd.com/document/353035139/SC-Decision-on-Martial-Law-2017-1. Retrieved 10 July, 2018.
[12] Lacaba, Jose. F. (2017. “Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage” Revised edition. http://blog.anvilpublishing.com/ 12-books-martial-law-philippines/.
[13] Robles, Raissa. (2017). Marcos Martial Law: Never Again". http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/11/17/17 /book-on-marcos-dictatorship-wins-2017-national-book-award.
[14] Katerina Francisco. (2016). Martial Law, the dark chapter in Philippine history. https://www.rappler.com/ newsbreak/iq/146939-martial-law-explainer-victims-stories.
[15] Abuza, Zachary. (2017). Duterte Must Move Beyond Martial Law to Counter Terrorism in the Philippines. https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/duterte-must-move-beyond-martial-law-to-counter-terrorism-in-the-philippines/.
[16] Lualhati, Amador. (1996). Human Dignification and Social Justice: The Philippine Experience in Selected Filipino Novels in English. PhD Dissertation, Manila, MLQU.
[17] Sicat, Maria Teresa. (1994). Imaging the Nation on Four Philippine Novels. Quezon City. UP Press.
[18] Dechosa, Edna. (1999). The Sociological Analysis of Francisco Sionil Jose’s Three Filipino Women. Thesis. University of Batangas.
[19] Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (1990). History of the Filipino People (Eighth ed.), University of the Philippines, ISBN 971-8711-06-6.
[20] Constantino, Renato. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited, Quezon City: Tala Publishing Services, ISBN 971-8958-00-2.
[21] Marcos, Ferdinand. (1965). Inaugural speech: Malacanang Palace.
[22] Marcos, Ferdinand. (1971). Today’s Revolution: Democracy. Manila: Malacañang Palace.
[23] Dimaano, Matilda. (2004). Realities of the Marcosian Era: Historical Reflections in Selected Filipino Novels in English. PhD Dissertation, University of Batangas.
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  • APA Style

    Matilda Dimaano. (2018). Five Filipino Novels in English Depicting Socio-Political Realities Evoke Human Transformations. English Language, Literature & Culture, 3(1), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15

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    ACS Style

    Matilda Dimaano. Five Filipino Novels in English Depicting Socio-Political Realities Evoke Human Transformations. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2018, 3(1), 25-32. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15

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    AMA Style

    Matilda Dimaano. Five Filipino Novels in English Depicting Socio-Political Realities Evoke Human Transformations. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2018;3(1):25-32. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15,
      author = {Matilda Dimaano},
      title = {Five Filipino Novels in English Depicting Socio-Political Realities Evoke Human Transformations},
      journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {25-32},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20180301.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20180301.15},
      abstract = {In the world of literature, Henry James stated that novel is history. This is so because novels are written by authors gathering their plot agenda from prevailing socio-political realities in particular time points in history. This study aims to present a review of five Filipino novels in English as to how they exemplify the fictive realities of the Marcosian era and provides a synthesis of the philosophical learnings derived from them. The novels included are: Fortress in the Plaza by Linda Ty-Casper, Bamboo in the Wind by Azucena Grajo Uranza, Killing Time in a Warm Place by Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., Viajero by F. Sionil Jose and Dream Eden by Linda Ty-Casper. Descriptive method was employed in looking into portrayals of realities and characterizations of personalities in the novels, following a sociological, psychological and philosophical approach in literary criticism. Results showed that sociological dualism, political ferment and economic stagnation were among the socio-political milieu that led to the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines. These realities were reflected in the different dimensions such as the socio-political, the psychological and the philosophical dimensions. While the novels capture the thoughts and aspirations of the authors, these also reveal the human transformations undergone by the characters that arise from their experiences of the Marcosian era. These human transformations include the evolvement of the philosophical constructs of human dignification and that of being a man for others.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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    AB  - In the world of literature, Henry James stated that novel is history. This is so because novels are written by authors gathering their plot agenda from prevailing socio-political realities in particular time points in history. This study aims to present a review of five Filipino novels in English as to how they exemplify the fictive realities of the Marcosian era and provides a synthesis of the philosophical learnings derived from them. The novels included are: Fortress in the Plaza by Linda Ty-Casper, Bamboo in the Wind by Azucena Grajo Uranza, Killing Time in a Warm Place by Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., Viajero by F. Sionil Jose and Dream Eden by Linda Ty-Casper. Descriptive method was employed in looking into portrayals of realities and characterizations of personalities in the novels, following a sociological, psychological and philosophical approach in literary criticism. Results showed that sociological dualism, political ferment and economic stagnation were among the socio-political milieu that led to the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines. These realities were reflected in the different dimensions such as the socio-political, the psychological and the philosophical dimensions. While the novels capture the thoughts and aspirations of the authors, these also reveal the human transformations undergone by the characters that arise from their experiences of the Marcosian era. These human transformations include the evolvement of the philosophical constructs of human dignification and that of being a man for others.
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Author Information
  • College of Arts and Sciences, Batangas State University, Batangas City, Philippines

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