East Asian Literature: Chinese and Japanese works

• Literature unveils beliefs, culture, and feelings of people in specific locations and times.
• It is convenient to understand literature by region or continent due to the vastness of literary traditions.
• Asian literary traditions have a colossal scope and length of existence.

East Asian Literature

• China's unbroken literary tradition began in the 14th century BCE.
• China is known for keeping its identity.
• The Tang Dynasty was the finest era of Chinese literature.
• Poets such as Tu Fu, Li Po, and Wang Wei created landmark works.
• Japan's literary history was influenced by Chinese language and literature.
• Haiku refers to a short, descriptive poem with 17 syllables.
• Noh and Kabuki refer to forms of theater in Japan
• Japanese literature is simple yet complex and abounds with beauty.
• Haiku is a 17-syllable poem with a 5-7-5 syllable count that emphasizes a single, insightful moment.
• It contains a kigo, a word or phrase symbolizing the season; these are often metonyms and can be difficult to spot without Japanese cultural references.
• Matsuo Basho, Japan's greatest haiku poet, believed real poetry was living a beautiful life with nature.
• As early as the 4th century BCE, Korean poets wrote poetry in Classical Chinese.
• Koreans developed Hangul as a distinct writing system in the 15th century, which gave birth to a new way of Korean literature.

South/Southeast Asian Literature

• Indian literature can be traced to Hindu writings like the Veda, Brahmanas, and Upanishads.
• The Veda is a large body of religious texts written in Sanskrit, beginning literary works as early as 1500 BCE.
• Written literature appeared around the 16th century; British colonization later influenced it.
• Burmese literature: Heavily influenced by Buddhist, Thai, and English cultures.
• Thailand: experienced two golden eras of literature: (1) during the era of King Narai (1657-1688) and (2) during the rule of King Rama II (1809-1824).
• Malaysia and Indonesia: Literary traditions owe much to the Sanskrit language and Islamic culture.
• Thailand Literature: Is influenced by Religion, Chinese Culture, and Western Literary Traditions.
• Ramakien: A thai version of the Indian story the Ramayana.
  • The Ramayana tells the story of Rama who was exiled, and his efforts to rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon King Ravana
• Jataka Tales: Buddhist stories about the previous lives of Buddha.
• Modern Thai Literature encompasses Poetry, Novels, and Screenplays

Central Asia Literature

• The area Includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
• Central Asian Literature traditionally was not written down, but was handed down orally as Stories, Verses and Poems and sung by minstrels and bards.

Western Asia Literature

• In the Middle East, the Arabic literary tradition flourished.
• The foundation and key component lies within Islam.
• The Arabian language grew to cultures in Persian, Byzantine, and Andalausian traditions.

Contemporary Times and Asian Literature

• Chinese writers remain prolific.
  • Mo Yan received the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
  • Novels of Yu Hua, Wang Shuo, and Shi Tiesheng rose to popularity
• Western influences have permeated Japanese literature, marked by:
  • Pioneering of modern Japanese novels
  • Translations of poetry from the West
  • Reinventions of traditional Japanese poetic forms such as tanka and haiku.
• The Korean War left a mark on Korean literature; themes of alienation, conscience, and disintegration have been present in works since the 1950s and onward .
• Self-identity became a strong theme.
• Internationally acclaimed Indian writers include Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel Prize winner), Prem Chand, Raja Rao, and R.K. Narayan.
• Russian influence maintained a stronghold on literature from Central Asia.
• Freedom of expression has become problematic for Arabic writers in the 21st century.
• Southeast Asian literature was influenced by Western literature after World War II.