F. Sionil Jose as artist and social seer, an examination of the Rosales saga

• Main Author: Klincar, Thomas D.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 1988
• Subjects: Jose, F. Sionil 1924- > Criticism and interpretation.
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/1307
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study aims to identify F. Sionil Jose as Filipino artist and social seer examine the five (5) novels comprising the Rosales Saga--Po-on (1984), Tree (1978), My Brother, My Executioner (1979), The Pretenders (1962), and Mass (1983)--as they mirror the socio-political problems of the author's milieu and present the characters of the work as social reflectors of Philippine culture. The Rosales novels are read and pictured as documentary of Philippine social conditions and cultural development during the last 100 years. To show F. Sionil Jose as artist and social seer, the writer researched on Jose's life, beliefs, and commitment. Sionil Jose's success in his field is proved by examining his work within the context of present literature, his effectiveness in employing English as his medium of expression, and his ability to relate to his readers' socio-cultural perceptions.The question whether literature, and specifically the Rosales novels, is relevant as a socio-political referent is affirmatively answered by examining literary characters as prototypes of social roles and attitudes. Of necessity, a synopsis/critical appraisal of each Rosales novel is undertaken correlating the work within Philippine history and the author's own milieu.Sionil Jose's message is artistically presented through theme, characterization, symbol and plot. The study approach is seen to expand upon Neo-Marxist schools of literary theory propounded by Camus, Eagleton, Lukacs and Sartre yet, doing so consistently with the spirit of Neo-Marxism--with the principle that thought reflects concrete social situations--that there should exist several different Marxisms in the world today, each answering the specific needs and problems of its own socioeconomic system. In the Philippines, the socioeconomic system is identified by a near--feudal landlord-tenant relationship and monopoly capitalism. Sionil Jose's works deal with class struggle. His themes are related to society: landlord-tenant relations, Colorum and Hukbalahap revolts, strangle-hold of monopolist-business, plight of intellectuals in and out of universities, conflict between rich and poor--all of which in Rosales saga lead to widespread unrest and violence. However, problems are dealt with imaginatively and they moved readers because Sionil Jose has created fictive structures that make these works germane to perceptions. Through settings, the reader is able to experience the problems that affect the entire country. The characters are depicted with fidelity. In search of moral order and social justice, the weaker protagonists are driven to commit suicide.Sionil Jose shows that growth of culture is closely linked to political and historical forces and, because of his own background, he draws upon the entire context of Philippine society to substantiate his point and offer a prognosis for the future Filipino.