Soledad Reyes
Encyclopedia
Soledad Sarmiento Reyes is a distinguished and recognized Philippine literature scholar, literary and art critic, author, anthologist, consultant, professor, instructor, editor, annotator, researcher, and essayist in the Philippines
. Specializing in the field of popular culture
and the arts in the Philippines, Reyes is a professor teaching interdisciplinary studies at the University of the Philippines
and the Ateneo de Manila University
. She is an accomplished author of books and anthologies.
. In 1977, she received her Masters degree in Arts from the University of the Philippines. She obtained her Masters degree in Arts from the Ateneo de Manila University. She became a holder of a Ph. D. degree after completing her Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines in 1976. In 1981, Reyes obtained her Masters in Arts degree in the field of Sociology of Literature from University of Essex
in England
.
awards. As an exchange professor at the Peking University
in China
in 1977, Reyes focused on the preparation of module
s regarding Philippine literature and popular culture. In 1987, Reyes lectured about Philippine literature, culture, and history at the Xiamen University
in China. From 1987 to 1995, she was a board member of the Writers' Union of the Philippines (Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas, UMPIL). During the Peking University-Ateneo de Manila University Exchange Program in 1992, Reyes was assigned as the delegate of the Ateneo de Manila University. Beginning 2001, Reyes served as the editor of the Humanities
section of the Loyola Schools Review. She was a member of the PEN-International
. Reyes is the editor and annotator of the 100 Nobelang Tagalog Project (100 Tagalog Novels Project) of Filipiniana.net, a digital library based in the Philippines.
Novel, 1905-1975: Tradition and Modernism", 1982), The Romance Mode in Philippine Popular Literature and Other Essays (1991), Kritisismo: Mga Teorya at Antolohiya Para sa Epektibong Pagtuturo ng Panitikan ("Criticism, Theories and Anthologies for the Effective Teaching of Literature", 1992) and Pagbasa ng Panitikan at Kulturang Popular: Piling Sanaysay, 1976-1999 ("Reading Literature and Popular Culture, Selected Essay, 1976-1999). Among the anthologies Reyes edited were Katha ("Creation", 1992), Ang Silid na Mahiwaga: Kalipunan ng Kuwento't Tula ng mga Babaeng Manunulat ("The Mysterious Room: Compilation of Stories and Poems by Female Writers", 1994), and ALIW! Essays on Popular Culture (2000).
In her 2009 essay, From Darna to Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Desire and Fantasy and Other Way, Reyes compared two Filipino superheroines existing in contemporary Philippine popular culture and literature, namely Darna
and Zsazsa Zaturnnah
. According to Reyes, Darna was the modern-day superheroine rooted and molded in Philippine folklore and tradition, while ZsaZsa Zaturnnah was "unarguably a postmodern text that could have emerged only in the twenty-first century, a period of awesome advances in science and technology, and/or frightening borderless wars." Reyes's use of the phrase postmodern hero or postmodern text to describe ZsaZsa Zaturnnah the superheroine and graphic novel
was further explained by Emilou Lindsay Mata Mendoza and Irene Villarin Gonzaga in their Visual Literacy and Popular Culture in the Philippine Literature Classroom: Teaching Filipino Literature through the Graphic Novel, as a comparison between Darna, the female superhero, and ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, the effeminate superhero. Darna was the traditional mold of a Filipino superheroine (gender-wise, a true female superhero) while ZsaZsa Zaturnnah was an "outright subversion" of the conventional form of that superheroine. Because ZsaZsa Zaturnnah is, in reality, a homosexual male or "gay man" named Ada (from Adrian) who works as a beautician (i.e. cosmetologist, hair stylist, manicurist, and pedicurist), but is able to transform himself into "a voluptuous, red-haired Darna-like [real] woman who possesses super powers" whenever he swallows a magical stone and shouts the word "Zaturnnah". In short, ZsaZsa Zaturnnah is in reality a man who literally experiences a sex/
gender change
whenever he becomes the superheroine.
in 1982 by the Manila Critics Circle.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Specializing in the field of popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
and the arts in the Philippines, Reyes is a professor teaching interdisciplinary studies at the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
and the Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
. She is an accomplished author of books and anthologies.
Education
In 1966, Reyes received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Maryknoll College (now known as Miriam CollegeMiriam College
Miriam College is a non-stock, non-profit Filipino Catholic educational institution for girls and young women in Quezon City, Philippines. It offers academic programs from pre-elementary to post-graduate and adult education levels that develop the learning and caring competencies of students and...
. In 1977, she received her Masters degree in Arts from the University of the Philippines. She obtained her Masters degree in Arts from the Ateneo de Manila University. She became a holder of a Ph. D. degree after completing her Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines in 1976. In 1981, Reyes obtained her Masters in Arts degree in the field of Sociology of Literature from University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Career
Apart from teaching and acting as a consultant for Philippine and international universities, Reyes acted as the Chair of the Board of Judges for the Carlos Palanca and Cultural Center of the PhilippinesCultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
awards. As an exchange professor at the Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1977, Reyes focused on the preparation of module
Module
Module or modular may refer to the concept of modularity. It may also refer to:-Computing and engineering:* Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components...
s regarding Philippine literature and popular culture. In 1987, Reyes lectured about Philippine literature, culture, and history at the Xiamen University
Xiamen University
Xiamen University , colloquially known as Xia Da , located in Xiamen, Fujian province, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese. Before 1949, it was originally known as the University of Amoy. The school motto is "Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection "...
in China. From 1987 to 1995, she was a board member of the Writers' Union of the Philippines (Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas, UMPIL). During the Peking University-Ateneo de Manila University Exchange Program in 1992, Reyes was assigned as the delegate of the Ateneo de Manila University. Beginning 2001, Reyes served as the editor of the Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
section of the Loyola Schools Review. She was a member of the PEN-International
PEN-International
The Postsecondary Education Network International, known as PEN-International, is an international partnership of colleges and universities serving the higher education of students with hearing impairment....
. Reyes is the editor and annotator of the 100 Nobelang Tagalog Project (100 Tagalog Novels Project) of Filipiniana.net, a digital library based in the Philippines.
Works
Reyes authored works such as the Nobelang Tagalog, 1905-1975: Tradisyon at Modernismo ("TagalogTagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
Novel, 1905-1975: Tradition and Modernism", 1982), The Romance Mode in Philippine Popular Literature and Other Essays (1991), Kritisismo: Mga Teorya at Antolohiya Para sa Epektibong Pagtuturo ng Panitikan ("Criticism, Theories and Anthologies for the Effective Teaching of Literature", 1992) and Pagbasa ng Panitikan at Kulturang Popular: Piling Sanaysay, 1976-1999 ("Reading Literature and Popular Culture, Selected Essay, 1976-1999). Among the anthologies Reyes edited were Katha ("Creation", 1992), Ang Silid na Mahiwaga: Kalipunan ng Kuwento't Tula ng mga Babaeng Manunulat ("The Mysterious Room: Compilation of Stories and Poems by Female Writers", 1994), and ALIW! Essays on Popular Culture (2000).
In her 2009 essay, From Darna to Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Desire and Fantasy and Other Way, Reyes compared two Filipino superheroines existing in contemporary Philippine popular culture and literature, namely Darna
Darna
Darna is a fictional character and Filipino comics superheroine created by writer Mars Ravelo and artist Nestor Redondo. In her more popular incarnations, she is a deceased warrior from another planet manifesting herself through a girl from Earth, named Narda...
and Zsazsa Zaturnnah
Zsazsa Zaturnnah
Zsazsa Zaturnnah is a fictional comic book superheroine created by Filipino illustrator and graphic designer Carlo Vergara in December 2002. Zsazsa Zaturnnah or Zaturnnah, attracted considerable attention from Philippine media in the years following her first appearance and currently enjoys a cult...
. According to Reyes, Darna was the modern-day superheroine rooted and molded in Philippine folklore and tradition, while ZsaZsa Zaturnnah was "unarguably a postmodern text that could have emerged only in the twenty-first century, a period of awesome advances in science and technology, and/or frightening borderless wars." Reyes's use of the phrase postmodern hero or postmodern text to describe ZsaZsa Zaturnnah the superheroine and graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
was further explained by Emilou Lindsay Mata Mendoza and Irene Villarin Gonzaga in their Visual Literacy and Popular Culture in the Philippine Literature Classroom: Teaching Filipino Literature through the Graphic Novel, as a comparison between Darna, the female superhero, and ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, the effeminate superhero. Darna was the traditional mold of a Filipino superheroine (gender-wise, a true female superhero) while ZsaZsa Zaturnnah was an "outright subversion" of the conventional form of that superheroine. Because ZsaZsa Zaturnnah is, in reality, a homosexual male or "gay man" named Ada (from Adrian) who works as a beautician (i.e. cosmetologist, hair stylist, manicurist, and pedicurist), but is able to transform himself into "a voluptuous, red-haired Darna-like [real] woman who possesses super powers" whenever he swallows a magical stone and shouts the word "Zaturnnah". In short, ZsaZsa Zaturnnah is in reality a man who literally experiences a sex/
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
gender change
Sex reassignment therapy
Sex reassignment therapy is an umbrella term for all medical procedures regarding sex reassignment of both transgender and intersexual people...
whenever he becomes the superheroine.
Awards
The awards Reyes obtained include recognitions for her From Darna to Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Desire and Fantasy and Other Way and A Dark Tinge to the World: Selected Essays 1987-2005. In 2009, Reyes was conferred the rank of Professor Emeritus (together with two other Loyola Schools faculty members of the Ateneo de Manila University, namely Jose A. Marasigan and Mari-Jo P. Ruiz) for her exceptional service and distinguished academic record. Reyes's Nobelang Tagalog 1905-1975: Tradisyon at Modernismo, an anthology tracing the history of Tagalog-language novels has been considered a landmark in Philippine literature, and was granted a Philippine National Book AwardsPhilippine National Book Awards
The Philippine National Book Awards, or simply the National Book Awards, is a Philippine literary award sponsored by the NBDB and the MCC . It is the national book award of the Philippines...
in 1982 by the Manila Critics Circle.