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.