Asian Literature: China and Japan

• Literature is a repertoire of stories revealing beliefs, culture, and feelings in specific locations and times.
• The vastness of world literature necessitates understanding it by region or continent.

Lesson 3: Asian Literature Objectives

• Asia's representative texts and authors should be identified.

• Texts need to be understood within their regional, national, and global context.

• The cultural and aesthetic diversity in world literature should be appreciated.

• Asian literary traditions are extensive in scope and historical length.

East Asian Literature: China

• China has a continuous literary tradition since the 14th century BCE.
• China maintained its cultural identity in its literature.
• The Tang Dynasty was the finest era of Chinese literature.
• Landmark works were created by poets Tu Fu, Li Po, and Wang Wei.

East Asian Literature: Japan

• Chinese language and literature influenced Japan's literary history.
• Haiku is a short, descriptive poem containing 17 syllables.
• Noh and Kabuki and forms of Japanese theater.
• Japanese literature is simple yet complex and filled with beauty.

Haiku

• Haiku is a 17-syllable poem with a 5-7-5 syllable structure, focusing on a single insightful moment.
• Haiku traditionally contains a kigo, a word implying the season.
• Kigo are often metonyms, making them difficult to understand without Japanese cultural knowledge.
• Matsuo Basho, Japan's greates haiku poet, believed poetry was leading a beautiful life with nature.

East Asian Literature: Korea

• Korean poets wrote poetry in Classical Chinese from the 4th century BCE.
• Koreans developed Hangul in the 15th century.
• Hangul writing system led to new ways of composing Korean literature.

South/South East Asian Literature: India

• Indian literature comes from Hindu texts like the Veda, Brahmanas, and Upanishads.
• The Veda is a large religious text in the Sanskrit written around 1500 BCE.
• Written literature appeared around the 16th century.
• British colonization influenced Indian literature.

South/South East Asian Literature: Southeast Asia

• Burmese literature has strong influences from Buddhist, Thai, and English cultures.
• Thailand saw golden ages of literature during King Narai's era (1657-1688) and King Rama II's rule (1809-1824).
• Malaysia and Indonesia owe much of their literary traditions to Sanskrit and Islam.

Thailand Literature Influences

• Religion
• Chinese Culture
• Western Literary Traditions

Ramakien

• Ramakien is a Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana.
• Ramakien is a story about Prince Rama, exiled from his kingdom, who rescues his wife Sita from the demon King Ravana.

Jataka Tales

• Jataka Tales are Buddhist stories about Buddha's past lives.

Modern Thai Literature Genres

• Poetry
• Novels
• Screenplays

Central Asia Literature

• Central Asian Literature was traditionally oral, in the form of stories, verses, and poems.
• Traveling minstrels and bards performed, often gathering in public spaces.

Central Asia Literature Includes

• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

Western Asia Literature

• In the Middle East, Arabic literary tradition flourished with Islam as its foundation.
• Arabic language grew into cultures in Persian, Byzantine, and Andalusian traditions.

Contemporary Trends in Asian Literature

• Chinese writers continued to be prolific.
• Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
• Notable writers include Yu Hua, Wang Shuo, Shi Tiesheng, Gao Xiaosheng, Wang Zengqi, and Zhang Chenzhi.
• Western influences impacted Japanese literature.
• Modern Japanese novels pioneered new forms.
• Poetry from the West was translated.
• Traditional Japanese poetic forms, such as tanka and haiku, were reinvented.
• The Korean War left a mark on Korean literature.
• Themes of isolation, conscience, and collapse emerged in Korean works after the 1950s.
• Self-identity became a strong theme.
• Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel Prize winner), Prem Chand, Raja Rao, and R.K. Narayan were internationally acclaimed Indian writers.
• Russian influence remained strong in Central Asian literature.
• Freedom of expression became a challenge for Arabic writers in the 21st century.
• After World War II, Western literature influenced Southeast Asian literature.