Asian Literature Flashcards
● One of the world’s cradles of civilization.
● Has had an unbroken literary tradition that started back in the 14th
century BCE.
● The unfathomable longevity was achieved in the large part through the preservation of the Chinese language across 3,000 years.
● Retained the reputation of keeping the fundamentals of its identity
intact.
● The finest Chinese literature was from the Tang dynasty (618-907),
when poets like Tu Fu, Li Po, and Wang Wei created landmark works
unrivaled in the world.
China
China is One of the world’s _____________.
- Has had an unbroken literary tradition that started back in the ___ century BCE.
- The unfathomable longevity was achieved in the large part through the preservation of the Chinese language across _________ years.
- Retained the reputation of keeping the fundamentals of its identity intact.
The finest Chinese literature was from the ______ ,
when poets like Tu Fu, Li Po, and Wang Wei created landmark works unrivaled in the world.
cradles of civilization
14th
Tang dynasty (618-907)
- A close neighbor to China.
- Evidently influenced by the Chinese language and
Chinese literature. - this tradition created its unique legacy.
- This includes the world-renowned poetic genre
known as Haiku and diverse forms of theater such
as the Noh and the Kabuki. - Cultural identity: simple yet complex, imperfect yet
abounding with beauty.
Japan
Japan
* A close neighbor to China.
* Evidently influenced by the ___________ language and
_________ literature.
* Japanese tradition created its unique legacy.
* This includes the world-renowned poetic genre
known as ________ and diverse forms of theater such
as the ___________.
* Cultural identity: simple yet complex, imperfect yet
abounding with beauty.
Chinese
Haiku
Noh and the Kabuki
Korea
* China’s cultural dominance in the region became
even more evident when Korean poets wrote
poetry in _______ as early as the _____ Century CE.
* It was only in the _____ century that Koreans
developed ________, their distinct writing system
that gave birth to a new wave of Korean literature.
Chinese
4th
15th
Hangul
- China’s cultural dominance in the region became
even more evident when Korean poets wrote
poetry in Chinese as early as the 4th Century CE. - It was only in the 15th century that Koreans
developed Hangul, their distinct writing system
that gave birth to a new wave of Korean literature.
Korea
South Asia
* _______ is a clear cultural giant.
* The roots of Indian literature may be traced to the
hallmark of __________ , such as the _____________.
* The Veda was written in the ________ language.
* The British colonization of subsequent centuries
meant that _____________ would emerge as a key
influence – an influence that pervades up to the
present day.
India
Hindu writings
Veda, the Brahmanas, and the Upanishads
Sanskrit
English literature
- Has an altogether different literary flavor.
- Parts of the region include Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Nepal. - Central Asian Literature – this time political in culture –
were the tsarist and Soviet regimes that emanated from
what is now Russia
Central Asia
- India is a clear cultural giant.
- The roots of Indian literature may be traced to the
hallmark of Hindu writings, such as the Veda, the
Brahmanas, and the Upanishads. - The Veda was written in the Sanskrit language.
- The British colonization of subsequent centuries
meant that English literature would emerge as a key
influence – an influence that pervades up to the
present day.
South Asia
Central Asia
* Has an altogether different literary flavor.
* Parts of the region include Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Nepal.
* _______________ – this time political in culture –
were the tsarist and Soviet regimes that emanated from
what is now Russia
Central Asian Literature
- The Arabic literary tradition flourished.
- Islam, a foundation of culture in the new era, was an
essential component. - As literature in the Arabic language grew, it began to
influence cultures that the Araabian people came into
contact with. - These include the Persian, Byzantine, and Andalusian
traditions.
Middle East
Middle East
* _____________ tradition flourished.
* ________, a foundation of culture in the new era, was an
essential component.
* As literature in the ____________ grew, it began to
influence cultures that the Arabian people came into
contact with.
* These include the Persian, Byzantine, and Andalusian
traditions.
The Arabic literary
Islam
Arabic language
This brief survey of Asian literature close to home: the
_______________
* The literary tradition of the Philippines has been explored
extensively in other parts of this book.
* In ________, literature has been heavily influenced by the
Buddhist, Thai, and English cultures.
* Thailand experience two golden eras of literature: the first
during the era of ___________ and the second
during the rule of ___________________.
* Malaysia and Indonesia owe their literary traditions in large
part to the ________ language and the ________ culture.
Southeast Asian region.
Burma
King Narai (1657-1688)
King Rama II (1809-1824)
Sanskrit, Islam
__________
* In Modern times, ___________ have remained prolific.
* Chinese literature tradition is nevertheless _________.
* Notable names include _______, a fictionist who won the
2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
* Remarkable too were the novels of Yu Hua, Wang Shuo,
and Shi Tiesheng; and the stories of Gao Xiaosheng,
Wang Zengqi, and Zhang Chenzhi.
China
Chinese writers
prosperous
Mo Yan
Japan
* Ever since the __________ in the ______ century,
Western influences have permeated Japanese literature.
* Manifestations of this include the pioneering of modern
Japanese novels, translations of poetry from the West,
and reinventions of traditional Japanese poetic forms like
_________
* In the genre of drama, playwrights like ____________ became notable for creating world-
renowned works.
Meiji Restoration
19th
Tanka and the Haiku.
Abe Kobo and
Mishima Yukio
