21ST CENTURY

LITERATURE FROM ASIA

- TEXT AND STRUCTURE

REPOTER ：
HIYAS
November 14 2023
 Asian Literature
Asian literature encompasses the rich and widely diverse cultural and
ethnic heritages found in such countries as China, India, Japan, Vietnam,
and Korea "Asian" is a misnomer...there are many cultures in "Asia"

Asian American literature also shows the impact of immigrating to a

new country, with the Asian characters trying to retain their previous
cultures and adjust to new situations.

Asian literature provides readers with opportunities to explore various

cultures through a wide variety of literary genres.
Asia, the largest continent in the world, has a vast literary
tradition in terms of scope and length of existence.
Literature in the Eastern hemisphere prospered and
mirrored the developments in religion, war, and
politics. It is wise to study the Asian literature by
geographical region.
 East Asia

China , one of the world’s cradles of civilization, has started its

unbroken literary tradition in the 14th century BCE. The preservation
of the Chinese language (both spoken and written), has made the
immeasurable prolonged existence of their literary traditions possible.
 East Asia
Korea’s literary tradition is greatly influenced by China’s cultural
dominance. As early as the 4th century CE, Korean poets wrote literary
pieces in Classical Chinese poetry then transformations happened at the
7th century. Hangul, Korean’s distinct writing system and national
alphabet, is developed in the 15th century that gave new beginnings of
Korean literature. In contemporary times, the Korean War has made a
significant mark on Korean literature.
 East Asia
Japan has a rich and unique literary history even though it has been influenced
by the Chinese language and Chinese literature. It has a world-renowned poetic
genre called haiku ( a short descriptive poem with 17 syllables) and the diverse
forms of theatre Noh (traditional Japanese theatrical form and one of the
oldest extant theatrical forms in the world) and Kabuki (traditional Japanese
popular drama with singing and dancing performed in a highly stylized
manner)

Japan has been recognized as “The Land of the arising Sun” for at least 1400
years.
 What are the early modern literature in Japan?


Haiku
consists of three lines in 5-7-5 metrical pattern.

Matsuo Bashu
most notable man for Haiku.

Kabuki
major theatrical form.
 South and Southeast Asia
India is the cultural giant over South Asia. Hallmark writings such
as Veda, the Brahmanas, and the Upanishads are the roots of Indian
literature. As early as 1500 BCE, the Veda written in the Sanskrit language
introduced the birth of Indian literary works. Around the 16th century,
written literature in India appeared.
 South and Southeast Asia
The literary traditions of Southeast Asia possess the influences of Buddhist,
Thai, and English cultures, especially in Burma literature. Malaysian and
Indonesian literature reflects a large part of the Sanskrit language and Islam
culture.
 Central Asia
Central Asian literature has different literary characteristics
and political in culture. In contemporary times, Russian
influence continues to be present in Central Asia literature.
Some of the Central Asian writers and their literary works pave
their way to be known worldwide.
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