Ninay Summary Essay Example

Ninay (summary) The first Philippine novel, Ninay gathers together a large number of themes and motifs which shaped the works of a large number of literary texts. It was written by Pedro Paterno and was published in 1908. It portrayed the richness of the Philippine environment and culture through intertwined narratives and descriptions of the countries sights and rituals. It served to disprove the Spanish assertion that the Philippines did not have a distinct culture. Using the nine-day novena for the dead (pasiam) as the frame, the novel unfolds a series of narratives that constitute variations of unrequited love.

The first doomed love affair is between Ninay, for whom the prayers for the dead are being said, and Carlos Mabagsic falsely accused by the villainous Portuguese businessman Federico Silveyro of leading an ins