21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World (Quarter 2) [SOLIMAN, ACUNIN]

CHINESE LITERATURE • 4 Great Classical Novels

1. Journey to the West
• Shang Dynasty – start of writing
2. Outlaws of the Marsh
• Logographic – style of writing; uses symbols that
3. Romance of the Three Kingdoms
represents a word
4. Dream of the Red Chamber (Ming and
o Shang Writing System
Qing)

人 女 目 • Divinatory Texts
− example of Chinese writing (bones and shells)
man
man/person woman eye − oracle bones (3600 years ago) – oldest Chinese
writing
• The Book of Poetry (Shijing) – highlights
traditional literature • Battle by Chu‘ü Yüan (translated by Arthur Waley)
a. The Songs of the South − all about the experience of a warrior in a war
b. History and Philosophy of the Qing and Han − a battle of two sides that ended up in a bloody
Dynasties battlefield
c. Tang Poetry; Song Lyric − reflection of the past; thru this poem we are
d. Prose (Tang and Song dynasties) looking at the poet’s perspective in life and
e. Short stories, novels, dramas (Tang and Qing) society
o subject matter: war
• Modern Period – 1912 (start) o imagery: kinesthetic imagery
− Focused on heart and mind o style: free verse (no measure)
− blended realities and imaginations using
symbolisms • On the Threshing Floor, I Chase the Chickens
− all about changes Away by Yu Xiuhua (translated by Ming Di)
− A battle of survival in a small village
• Traditional Period – all about acceptance − Compares freedom and contentment of the
− Influenced by Christianity (1368-1644) bird to the farmer
o Confucianism o subject matter: life
o Daoism (Taoism)
o Buddhism
} 3 main beliefs o imagery: visual, auditory
o style: free verse, soliloquy (speaking thoughts
aloud to the audience)
• Confucianism – preaches benevolence,
righteousness, individual effort, commitment to • THEME VS SUBJECT
society, harmony among people o Theme: phrase; central idea
• Chinese Literature has been receptive to India and o Subject: one word; root of the literary piece
Japan since the 20th Century

• 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature Awardees

o Mo Yan
o Yu Hua
o Wang Shuo
o Shi Tiesheng
o Gao Xiaosheng
o Wang Zengqi
o Zhang Chenzhi
 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World (Quarter 2) [SOLIMAN, ACUNIN]

• Analogy – comparing 2 different objects ii. Kobi Ake

o Dog is a puppy as cat is a kitten iii. Takiji Kobayashi
o Top: Bottom; Deep: Shallow iv. Haruki Murakami
• Allegory – characters and symbols symbolize
something • Fathers of Anime
o Tortoise (slow) and Rabbit (fast) i. Ōten Shimokawa
o Dove (peace) ii. Jun’ichi Kōuchi
• Allusion – uses reference to place, person, etc. iii. Seitaro Kitayama
o The backyard is a garden of Eden. (Biblical
allusion) • The Dull Sword – first anime (June 30, 1917)
• Simile and Metaphor – simile uses like/as • Tetsuwan Atomu – first Japanese TV anime (Jan 1,
1963)

JAPANESE LITERATURE (Land of Rising Sun)

− influenced by the Chinese Literature

• Edo Period (1603-1868)
− edo means sleepy town
− Tokugawa Shogunate Period – over 250 years

a. Ancient Period – myths (creation) and legends

(origin and journey)
o tale of the creation of Japan says that the islands
of Japan came from the gemstones of the swords
1. Ono Yasumaro
2. Nihon Shoki
3. Man’yoshi
} based on real events

b. Classical Period – the golden age; Heian Period

o Tale of Genji – popular seminal text
− influenced by Outlaws of the Marsh
− considered as the world’s first novel

c. Medieval Period – history and literature

− war tales and renga (poem made by 2
authors; 3 stanzas 17 syllables is made by
author 1, and 1 stanza. 7 syllables by author
2.)
− main weapon of warriors ay sword/katana

d. Modern Period
1. drama
2. kabuki (ka: singing, bu: dancing, ki: skills)
3. haiku
4. yomihon (read by children; inc. illustrations)

• Japanese Writerds
i. Yasunari Kanabata