Ijllt) Issn: 2617-0299

International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation (IJLLT) ISSN: 2617-0299 www.ijllt.org Formalist Criticism: Critique on Reynaldo A. Duque’s Selected Ilokano Poems Ranec A. Azarias1* & Apollo S. Francisco 2 1Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College-Santiago Campus, Santiago, Ilocos Sur, Philippines 2 Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College-Sta. Maria Campus, Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur, Philippines Corresponding Author: Ranec A. Azarias, E-mail: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Received: September 18, 2019 Philippines is country with rich literatures that embody the culture and history Accepted: October 16, 2019 of the Filipinos. One of the rich sources of literatures is that of the Ilokano Published: November 30, 2019 people in the Ilocos region of Luzon. However, dearth of critical studies on Volume: 2 Ilokano literature is evident. As such, this study analyzed the selected Issue: 6 DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2019.2.6.44 contemporary Ilokano poems of Reynaldo A. Duque using the frameworks of KEYWORDS Formalism namely literariness and organic whole. Through content analysis and close reading, the study discovered that Reynaldo A. Duque employed archetypal technique, eight literary devices in his poems: persona, tone, mood, rhyme, rhythm, formalism, Ilokano literature, figures of speech, symbolism, imagery, theme and syntax; the meaning of the literary criticism poem progresses as the eight devices are being decoded; each device gives a clue to the meaning of the poems. Nevertheless, Ilokano literature and text still reveal universal truth specifically on universality of human character or emotions and of the society’s culture; it possesses literary elements. 1. INTRODUCTION1 standpoint, a work of literature is evaluated on the In understanding a work of literature, one must be basis of its literary devices and the susceptibility of the familiar with literary criticism. Literary criticism is a same to scientific investigation (Balogun, 2014). tool in understanding literature. It allows people to Simply put, Formalism looks into the literariness of examine a certain literary piece from different angles. the text and how the elements of the literary texts are Thus, it helps one to conceptualize the pedagogical unified to form the organic whole of the texts. import of a certain literary piece into its ideological standpoints. Furthermore, contemporary texts being one of the subjects of formalist criticism refer to those literary With the growing interest of literary enthusiasts pieces written in the 20th century up to present; towards literary criticism, many approaches and literature during thisperiod is known as contemporary theories have been postulated to aid them in the literature. With the rise of contemporary literature and realization of the crucial mandate of literary criticism. text, contemporary writers’ styles and topics begin to One of these approaches to literary criticism is flourish and evolve as time goes. Contemporary Formalism or Formalist Criticism. Formalism is also literature and texts reflect modern life, culture, known as new criticism; thus, focusing on language and ideals. Contemporary literature is no contemporary texts. This approach likewise focuses on longer innocent but ironic as it reflects peoples’ the form of the literary piece. It involves close reading political, social, and personal disillusionment; it no of the text. Its maxim is art for art’s sake which means longer dares to believe that it can create anything new; that Formalists view literature as self-complete, it can only cast the old in new forms; it uses language written for its own sake and unified by its form (Beaty carefully and precisely to illustrate ideas (Bob, 2009). et al, 2002). The interpretation of this is that form used Nevertheless, contemporary literature and text still to present ideas in a work of literature is exalted more reveal universal truth specifically on universality of than content (Balogun, 2014). From the Formalist’s Published by Al-Kindi Center for Research and Development. Copyright (c) the author(s). This is an open access article under CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 393 Formalist Crticism: Crituque on Reynaldo A. Doque’s Selected Ilokano Poems human character or emotions and of the society’s approaches, researches dealing on literary criticism are culture. also limited in number. Specifically, published On one hand, the literature of the Ilokanos is called researches using formalism or formalist criticism, an KurditanSamtoy from the words "kurdit" which means approach used in this research, are limited. Perhaps, to write and "sao mi ditoy" meaning our language here there are studies but are unpublished making them (Duque, 2011). The ancient Ilokano writers expressed hard to locate and review. themselves in folk and war songs. Today, Ilokano writers express themselves through poetry, novels, essays and other contemporary text forms. Finally, in an attempt to explore Ilokano literature and its literary conventions, this study analyzed the poetry Interestingly, the Ilokano writer continues to write, of Ilokanos specifically the contemporary poems of expressing the sentiments of his race; thus enriching Reynaldo A. Duque-a native of Bagani, Candon City, further the literary traditions of the Ilocos region in Ilocos Sur. The poems were studied for appreciation particular and of the country in general (Duque, 2011). and cultural preservation since literature is a society’s As proof, many of the contemporary Ilokano writers culture. Last, the study aimed to answer the following have gained prominence in the field of literature and questions: even won major prizes in the annual Palanca Awards, 1. What are the literary devices employed by the the most prestigious and most anticipated of all literary poet in his poems? contests in the Philippines. These famous winners' 2. How did the poet defamiliarize the texts? names include Reynaldo A. Duque, Prescillano N. 3. How does each device help each other in forming Bermudez, Maria Fres-Felix, Clarito G. de Francia, the organic whole in conveying the message of Ariel S. Tabag, Daniel L. Nesperos, Roy V. Aragon, the poems? Danilo Antalan, Bernardo D. Tabbada and Noli S. Dumlao. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical Framework Despite constituting a very significant stream of Philippine literature, there is a dearth of critical studies of Ilokano literature. In fact, study of Ilokano literature was started by Leopoldo Y. Yabes in the 1930s; the comprehensive bibliography of writers and their works also remain to be compiled and written. Most if not all researches dealing with Ilokano literature used biographical and historical approaches, thus neglecting other approaches to literary criticism and one of these is formalism. Additionally, studies on Ilokano literature though limited manifest dearth of information specifically on diverse Ilokano writers’ views and milieu, their sources and influences; their aims and projects; their positions and oppositions; their styles in writing. Last, with the vital need to review related studies and given the availability of resources for research and review, the researcher discovered that there are no existing researches on Ilokano poetry using Formalism as an approach to literary criticism. Figure 1. Theoretical Framework of the Study Moreover, researches that deal with literature are The poems were studied employing content analysis focused on the famous or more studied literatures through close reading using Russian Formalism neglecting the literatures of some groups. Despite the (literariness and defamiliarization) and New Criticism popularity of literary criticism, theories and (organic unity) which comprise Formalism as an 394 IJLLT 2(6):393-446 approach to literary criticism (Fig. 1). Thus, the Russian formalism focuses on the analysis of following discussions, which are closely related to the literary devices (literariness) as these are the keys subject of the study, present theories and concepts to defamiliariazation. These two tenets of Russian which gave the researcher wider insights in conducting formalism framed the first and second problem of the research activity: the study. On Formalism On Literariness. Literariness is the sum of Formalism developed and flourished in Russia in the special linguistic and formal properties that middle of the twentieth century; it has two tenets: distinguish literary texts from non-literary texts, Russian Formalism and New Criticism. As an according to the theories of Russian Formalism. approach to literary criticism, it focuses on form. The The leading Formalist Roman Jakobson declared analysis stresses items like symbols, images, and in 1919 that ‘the object of literary science is not structure and how one part of the work relates to other literature but literariness, that is, what makes a parts and to the whole. Formalists believe that all given work a literary work. Rather than seek information essential to the interpretation of a work abstract qualities like imagination as the basis of must be found within the work itself; there is no need literariness, the Formalists set out to define the to bring in outside information about the history, observable literary devices by which literary politics, or society of the time, or about the author's texts—especially poems—foreground their own life. Therefore, it disregards extrinsic factors and language. Literariness was understood in terms of focuses on the intrinsic aspects of the text. defamiliarization, as

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