ASEAN Literature: Intro and Types

ASEAN Literature Lesson 1: Intro to Literature

• Literature is derived from the Latin word "litera", meaning letters or words.
• Literature interprets the meanings of nature and life in words of charm and power, touched with the author's personality, in artistic forms of permanent interests and expresses significant human experiences.

Literary Types

• Based on structure and content.
• Prose includes novels, short stories, plays, legends, fables, anecdotes, essays, biography, news, and oration.
• Non-prose (poetry) is divided into narrative poetry (epic, metrical tale, ballads), lyric poetry (folk songs, sonnets, elegy, ode, psalms, Awit, Corridos), and dramatic poetry.
• Fiction ("Literature of Power") encompasses myths, poems, short stories, novels, and plays.
• Non-fiction ("Literature of Knowledge") includes biographies and news.

The 7 Literary Standards

• Universality appeals to everyone regardless of culture, race, sex, and time.
• Permanence endures across time, encompassing timeliness (occurring at a particular time) and timelessness (remaining invariably throughout time).
• Artistry possesses aesthetic appeal and a sense of beauty.
• Intellectual Value stimulates critical thinking and enriches mental processes.
• Suggestiveness conjures emotional power to define symbolism, nuances, implied meanings, images, and messages.
• Spiritual Value elevates the spirit and the soul, motivating and inspiring.
• Style presents how man sees life through the formation of ideas, forms, structures, and expressions.
• Literary devices are the typical structures used by writers to convey their message, categorized as either Literary Elements or Literary Techniques.

Literary Elements

• Literary elements are inherent in a literary piece, extensively employed by writers.
• Plot is the logical sequence of events in a story.
• Setting refers to the time and place of a story.
• Protagonist is the "good guy," the main character.
• Antagonist is the "bad guy," in conflict with the protagonist.
• Point of View is the perspective through whom the reader experiences the story.
• Conflict is an issue around which the story revolves.
• Mood is the general atmosphere of a narrative.
• Tone is the attitude conveyed through language
• Theme is the central idea or concept of a story.

Literary Techniques

• Literary Techniques are structures used in texts to achieve artistic ends and greater understanding.
• Symbolism uses an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning
• Flashback is an interjected scene of the story that takes it back in time from the current point in the story.
• Flash Forward takes the narrative to a future time from the current point of the story.
• Cliffhanger is an abrupt ending that places the main characters in a perilous situation with no resolution.
• Foreshadowing contains hints that prepare the reader for what is to come.
• Imagery creates visual representations of actions, objects, and ideas.
• Simile compares two distinct objects using "as" or "like".
• Metaphor compares two distinct objects without using "as" or "like".
• Personification attributes human qualities to non-human entities.
• Hyperbole exaggerates actions and ideas.

Literary Approaches

• Feminism is often associated with literary pieces written by women that deal with women in society.
• New Historicism deals with the cultural context during the writing of the piece.
• Formalism or New Criticism focuses on rhetorical and logical connections.

ASEAN Literature Lesson 2: Vietnam Literature

• Vietnam Literature consists of folk and written literature.
• Folk literature is oral.
• Written literature includes kanji, "chu Nom" (Nom letters) and "chu Quoc ngu" (national language) literature.

Tone Rule

• Tone rules are important elements in Vietnamese verse forms, dividing tones by their falling and rising nature into Bằng (flat) and Trắc (sharp or non-flat) categories.

Rhyme Scheme Rule

• VẦN GIÀU (rich rhymes) occur when two words have the same final sound and tone category.
• VẦN NGHÈO (poor rhymes) occur with nearly similar final sound and tone category.

Different Poetic Forms of Vietnam

• THO BON CHU (Four Word Verse) is measured by the number of words per line and often written in couplets
• THO SAU CHU (Six-Word Verse) is measured by word count, uses alternate or envelope rhyme, and can be written in quatrains or octaves
• THO BAY CHU (Seven Word Poetry) has a more flexible tonal pattern.
• THO TAM CHU (Eight Word Poetry) has flexible stanza length and rhyme.

ASEAN Literature Lesson 3: Brunei and Myanmar Literature

• Brunei was known to be trading with and paying tribute to China in the 6th century CE and gained independence on January 1, 1984.

Brunei-Malay English Dictionary Terms

• Saya/Aku = I/me
• Awak/Kau = You
• Kami = We/us
• Si Awang = That Boy
• Si Dayang = That Girl
• Lelaki/Laki-laki = Guys/Boys/Men
• Perempuan/Bini-bini = Girls/women
• Budiman =Gentleman
• Kebawah Duli = his majesty
• Makan = eat
• Cinta = love
• Suka = Like
• Terima Kasih (thank you)

Brunei Malay Language

• Brunei Malay, Bahasa Melayu Brunei, or Kedayan (Kedaian) is sometimes conflated and is the national language of Brunei and a lingua franca in parts of East Malaysia.
• Standard Malay is the official language of Brunei.
• Arabic is used in the Quran and by Islamic scholars.
• Chinese minority speak Chinese varieties like Hainanese, Hoisan and Fuchow.
• English is widely used as business and official language.

Literature of Brunei Darussalam

• The Language and Literature Bureau promotes development and publishes textbooks.
• Includes Sajak poetry and Sya'ir Awang Simawn epic poem.

Myanmar Literature

• Burmese is the mother tongue of the Bamar and the official language of Myanmar.

Thailand Literature

• The Thai language feature five tones: high, mid, low, rising, and falling.
• The traditional thai greeting the "wai", the "sawatdi khrap" for male speakers, and "sawatdi kha" for females
• Thai Literature was traditionally heavily influenced by Indian culture.
• The most important poet in Thai literature was Sunthorn Phu.