Learning Guide 5

Lesson 10: Asian Literature

I. West Asian Literature (Arabic Literature)

==Most of the works of literature== here are ==produced by writers in the Arabic language.== The Arabic word used for literature is ^^"Adab"^^ is derived from ==a meaning of etiquette==, which implies politeness, culture, and enrichment. And this literature covers Arabic literature, Persian literature, and Turkish literature, in which the literary tradition began within the context of a tribal, and nomadic culture.

Literary works:

a. ^^The Epistle of Forgiveness by Abu Al Alaa Al Maarri^^ - ==one of the most unusual books in classical Arabic literature==, and it's the ==reply of the writer to a letter written by an obscure grammarian,==

^^Ibn al-Qarih. Imrul Qays^^ - considered the ==most brilliant example of the vibrant oral poetry== of the desert Arabs – the Arabic was unadulterated by outside influence. (For comparison, consider the English of Beowulf).

*Imrul Qays is a master of description, who creates beautiful, precise accounts of the wildlife, mountains, clouds, and dark starry nights.

c. ^^The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran^^ - a ==collection of poetic essays that are philosophical==, spiritual, and, above all, inspirational.

d. ^^Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim^^ - a novel that ==tells the story of the life of an Egyptian woman==, the eponymous Zaat, during the regimes of three Egyptian presidents: Abdel Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak.

e. ^^The Chronicles of Majnun Layla by Qassim Haddad^^ - ==about Majnun Layla==, a legendary figure in Arabic literature, and one who is also celebrated in the literature of Persia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Moreover, the name means =='the man who has gone mad because he loves Layla so much'.==

II. East Asian Literature

The language in this literature was ==largely monolingual in classical times== (Chinese (including in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam)), for the ==Confucian schools of thought left a lasting impact on the development of China’s neighbors.== It (Confucian schools of thought) became ==“the repository of a cultural grammar==” which “constituted the interpretive community of those with an orthodox education in East Asia” (Lee, 2003).

Literary Works:

a. ^^Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood (Japanese), & Hwang Sok-Yong’s Shadow of Arms (Korean)**^^, which are both ==made up of a body of writing that is historical== while ==exploring the psychological effects of economic progress, social upheaval, and war.==

b. ^^Water Margin____, Journey to the West____, Romance of the Three Kingdoms____, and Dream of the Red Chamber:^^ the four novels, which are ==considered as the bedrock of Chinese literary culture,== and their influence has spread across Asia to inform elements of Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian mythology.

III. Central and South Asian Literature

^^Central Asian Literature^^ remains ==exotic== because the ==languages are less familiar and in a different alphabet== (according to Shelley Fairweather-Vega, a famous translator of Uzbek and Kazakh in an interview last September 2019). It ==covers the Kazakh, Uzbek, and Tajik literature==, which generally included works in Persian and the Chaghatai Turkic of the Mongols.

Important writers:

- %%Abu Abdulrh Rudaki%%: a ==19th-century Samanid court poet== regarded as the ==father of Persian literature==

- %%Omar Khayyan%%: the composer of rubiayyat poetry;

- %%Soviet-era Kyrgyz writer%%: Chinghiz Aitmatov (1928-2008).

While Central Asian Literature is scarcely known,

South Asian Literature has this literature that's ==based on longevity and influence, played an important role==.

^^South Asian Literature^^ covers the ==works of literature from the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora,== which includes ==India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.==

^^Indian Literature^^

one of the noted classifications of literature in Asia in terms of mass, longevity, and influence
took the form of the canonical Hindu sacred writings,
which known as the Veda (written in Sanskrit)
Production of Sanskrit literature
Buddhism and Jainism adopted other literary languages (Pali and Ardhamagadhi, respectively);

^^Sanskrit Literature (India)^^

extended from about 1500 BCE to about 1000 CE
reached its height of development in the 1st to 7th centuries CE.
Identified with the Brahminical religion of the Vedas

^^Tamil (India)^^

==language== that is ==spoken mainly in southeastern India.==
A large section of Indian Literature
a Moreover, since ==Sanskrit was identified with the Brahminical religion of the Vedas==, and from these, other related languages emerged the modern languages of northern India.

Some of the noted literary works are:

a. @@Poet@@ -

%%Rabindranath Tagore%% is a Nobel Laureate for Literature (1913) as well as one of India's greatest poets and the composer of independent India's national anthem, as well as that of Bangladesh

And some of his works are the following:

^^Song VII^^ - a ==poem translated from Bengali into English== ==by== the ==author himself in 1912==; and he ==aspires for his verse to be a worthy vessel for truth.== \n
^^Sanskrit, The Ramayana^^ - attributed to the ==Hindu sage Valmiki.==

b. @@Novels@@

^^In Custody by Anita Desai^^ - a ==novel written in the year 1984== about ==searching for self-dentity== and meaning in life. \n
^^Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie^^ - ==portrays India's transition== from British colonialism to independence and the partition of India. \n
^^Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya^^ - is a very ==moving story of a woman in India== whose whole life was gallant, and shows her persistent battle to care for those she loved. \n
^^The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy^^ - a ==story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins== whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how.
\n

IV. Southeast Asian Literature

According to an article posted on www.asean-life.com about the Literature in South East Asian, ==almost all countries in Southeast Asia were ruled by foreigners==, which ==greatly impacted their cultural heritage==. The ==exception to this was Thailand==, although it was still touched by external influences. (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were all ruled by the French at one time, and the Malay states were ruled by the Portuguese and British. ==Burma was the only country ruled by the British that retained its own language as the administrative language under foreign rule==.) And this lead to making the Literature in Southeast Asia almost a mixture of traditional culture, religion, and other beliefs; and as most people couldn’t read, legends and folklore were passed on by word of mouth, dance, and writing.

Literary works:

a. ^^The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen^^ - (translated and edited by Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit) is ==a classic Thai folk== tale about love, war, and tragedy.

b. ^^The Malay Annals^^ - (c.15th–16th centuries) by Sejarah Melayu is a ==literary work that gives a romanticized history of the origin==, evolution, and ==demise of the great Malay maritime empire,== the ==Malacca Sultanate.==

c. ^^The Tale of Lady Kieu^^ - (early 19th century) by Nguyen Du is ==considered the masterpiece of national literature==, about the tragic life of Thuy Kieu, a girl in dream of many men; was born in a rich family; talented and beautiful; and fell in love with Kim Trong. In the story, she lives peacefully with her family until one day her family fell into a disaster.

d. ^^This Earth of Mankind^^ - (1980) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer is ==the tale of a bittersweet coming of age in Java,== Indonesia's dominant island, almost a century ago.

Here’s the complete list of Literature in Asia:

West Asian literature

o Persian literature

o Arabic literature

o Jewish literature

o Turkish literature

East Asian literature

o Chinese literature \n

o Japanese literature \n

o Korean literature \n

o Mongolian literature

Central Asian literature

o Kazakh literature

o Tajik literature

o Uzbek literature

o Kyrgyz literature

South Asian literature

o Indian literature \n

o Pakistani literature \n

o Bangladeshi folk literature \n

o Sri Lankan literature \n

o Bhutanese literature

Southeast Asian literature

o Thai literature \n

o Philippine literature \n

o Malaysian literature \n

o Indonesian literature \n

o Burmese literature \n

o Vietnamese literature \n

o Cambodian literature \n

o Laosian literature

Lesson 11: North American Literature

The next destination is ^^North America^^ - the ==third largest continent in the world== after Asia and Africa. People think that this is the most powerful continent since the United States of America (USA) is located here; but more than the countries located here is the literature, which influenced the other works of literature.

North American Literature shows the circumstances in which they were living. Although some of the texts produced in North America were related to Romanticism and Realism, works took a different point of view from the original movement.

The first literary writings exalted patriotism and the values of equality, freedom and truth. \n \n
The first works were written in a realistic way, with a bit of suspense and adventure. \n \n
The writers of the United States wanted to create their own epic \n \n
They made use mainly of three important events: the Revolution, the Colonization by the English and territorial expansion.

Moreover, here are the special features in North American Literature: \n \n

The writings establish the popular and the issues on a daily basis. \n \n
==Realism is handled in a direct and crude manner.== Misfortunes through the country (natural disasters, epidemics, and banditry) are reflected. \n \n
Vivid images. \n \n
Abundant imagination. \n \n
The characters have ==strong psychology and very clear reasons to act.== \n \n
In the narrative, the writers ==had a quick and easy way to write.==

\n And here are some of the noted authors with their contributions: \n \n

^^Francis Hopkinson^^ - ==A Pretty Story (1774==) was originally printed in Philadelphia in 1774. The Billins printed an edition that came out in 1856 under the title, "The old farm and the new farm." This a modern reprint of the Billin edition. \n \n
^^Jeremy Belknap^^ - ==History of New Hampshire (1784-1792)== contains various corrections and illustrations of the text, and additional facts and notices of persons and events therein mentioned. \n
^^Susanna Rowson^^ - ==Charlotte Temple (1791)== The theme of seduction and betrayal that dominates Charlotte Temple is easily recognizable to modern students. They may see it as rooted in the traditional view of woman as a helpless victim, who must have the support of either her parents or a lawful husband. \n \n
^^Hugh Henry Brackenridge^^ - The ==Battle of Bunker Hill (1776)== A dramatic piece, of five acts in heroic measure by a gentleman of Maryland. \n
^^Royall Tyler^^ - ==The Contrast (1787)== is an American play in the tradition of the English Restoration comedies of the seventeenth century. The plot focuses on revealing the contrast between Americans and Europeans. \n \n
^^Charles Brockden Brown^^ - ==Wieland (1798)== is the first major work by Charles Brockden Brown, considered the first American Gothic novel. \n \n
^^William Hill Brown^^ - ==The Power of Sympathy (1789)== The Triumph of Nature (1789) is an 18th-century American sentimental novel written in epistolary form by William Hill Brown and is widely considered to be the first American novel. \n \n
^^Edgar Allan Poe^^ - ==Extraordinary Stories (1968)== is a collection of short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe, then translated and collected under this title by Charles Baudelaire in 1856. \n \n
^^Emily Dickinson^^ - ==(Poetry Works)== Unable are the loved to die \n
1. ^^Mark Twain^^ - ==The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)== is a story of a young boy living with his Aunt Polly on the banks of the Mississippi River. He seems to most enjoy getting into trouble. \n
2. ^^Herman Melville^^ - ==18Moby Dick (51)== is a novel by Herman Melville, in which Ishmael narrates the monomaniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler Pequod, for revenge on the albino sperm whale Moby Dick, which on the previous voyage destroyed Ahab's ship and severed his leg at the knee.