English

Characteristics of Literature

Chinese Literature

Types of Chinese Literature:

Shih (rigid type of Chinese poem)

Drama

Free Verse

Novel

Folklore

Chinese Folktales

Short and simple plots

Show Chinese values and morals

Triumph of justice over injustice

Emphasis on wisdom and not strength

Japanese Literature

Eras of Japanese Literature

Ancient Literature

Nara Period

Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) – oldest existing chronicle [myths about Japan’s origin]

Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan) [Japanese history]

Beginning of Japanese poetry, known as waka

Chinese characters (man’yogana) were used to express the sounds of the Japanese

Tanka

-composed of 31 syllables in a 5-7-5-7-7 pattern that talked about nature

Heian Period

·court ladies played a central role in literature

·Lady MurasakiShikibu

- “Tale of Genji” – a political novel

Medieval Literature

Kamakura-Muromachi Period

Noh Theater

-national theater of Japan

Tale of the Heike

-Japanese epic

Modern Literature

Edo Period

·Renga

-successive linked verses by several people forming a long poem

·Joruri (Puppet Play)

-done with beautifully made life-size puppets

·Kabuki Theater

-play with all male actors which focuses on the lives of the common people and is marked by sensitivity and melodrama

·Haiku

·Matsuo Basho

·greatest Japanese haiku poet

·elevated the haiku to a serious poetic form

·YosaBuson

·second greatest Japanese haiku poet

·represents a romantic view of the Japanese landscape

·Kobayashi Issa

·generally ranked with Basho and Buson

·lived in poverty and such background was reflected in his haikus

Meiji Period

·period of rapid industrialization

·free verse was brought into the poetic repertoire

Post-War Literature

influenced by Japan’s defeat in WWII

stories were mostly about loss of purpose, disaffection and coping with defeat

Contemporary Literature

era when Manga became highly popular

Banana Yoshimoto

·best-selling contemporary author

Haruki Murakami

·one of the most popular and controversial of today’s Japanese authors (international author)

Indian Literature

One of the world’s oldest and richest

Oral traditions – storytellers present traditional Indian text

Literature is influenced by:

  1. A religious doctrine karma – the chain of good and bad action and their inevitable consequences, which result to the repeated birth and death of the soul.
  2. Mythology of the dominant Hindu deities

Literature

Sanskrit literature has its origins in an oral tradition that produced the Vedic holy texts (Indian bible)

Main focus was on religion (piety)

Two great books of Hindu tradition, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana

Puranas and the Panchatantra

·Rabindranath Tagore

·Asia’s first Nobel Laureate for literature in 1913

·The God of Small Things - written by Arundhati Roy a literary figure in the late 1990s

·Train to Pakistan – Khushwant Singh

·Dalit (Opressed) Writing - a literary movement where men and women of marginalized and low-caste communities write poetry and fiction about their own lives and communities

African Literature

Africa’s literary contributions include oral traditions in prose and poetry in their native language and were later translated to English and French. It consists of:

Proverbs

Myths

Songs

Tales

animals play a dominant role in African myths and folk stories

There are 700 African languages but only 49 have been used for literary expression and from those 18 are South African

Three important areas in African literature:

[written] indigenous literature

African writings in English

The Nigerian novel

WWII saw the rise of African intellectuals who were educated in France, England the US who wrote in English or French

Types of African poetry:

narrative epic

occupational verse

ritual verse

praise poems (told by griotsor praise singers)

Songs: love songs, work songs, children’s songs, epigrams and riddles

Philippine Literature

Can generally be divided into three periods:

The Legendary and Epic age (pre-Spanish)

-Oral literature

-Magical incantations, myths, legends and folktales

-Worship of the sun and moon and nature

-Stories on the origin of the universe and the human race

-Examples:

Biagni Lam-ang

Hudhud and Alim

Bidasari

Indarapatra and Sulayman

Period of Spanish occupation

-Literature that was religious in nature

-The Pasyon

-Moro-moro(drama)

-Awitand Corido(poetry)

-Nationalistic poetry

-Propaganda literature

-Examples:

Florante at Laura

Noli Me Tangere

El Filibusterismo

Period of the American occupation

-Literature in English

-Short stories

-Writing as a form of artistic expression

Southeast Asian Literature: Indonesia

Early literature had religious functions

Songs and exorcisms (like psalms)

No strict formal pattern

Songs were improvised

National language: Bahasa Indonesia

Simple poems

Oral literature

Myths

Animal stories

“beast fables”

Fairytales

Legends

Puzzles and riddles

Anecdotes

Adventure stories

Examples:

The Ever Lighted Lamp (TakdirAlisjohbana)

Unruffled Sails

Malay Literature in Indonesia

Novels and poetry

Moral intents

Pantum(1st and 3rd lines rhyme and 2nd and 4th lines rhyme)

Thai Literature

Prominent literature is poetry

light, romantic and musical

klon’s pet ton – musical love songs (8 lines)

Ramakien–epic in lyrical verse (sung)

Writing

Mythical

Quasi-historical

Religious

Legal and religious literature

Ex. Inao(the Thai Ramayana)

Modern: the realistic novel

Short stories

Thai Classics (ex. PattmaSompothtyan)

Subject-Verb Agreement

Check your NAT reviewers

Connotation & Denotation

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word

The dictionary meaning of a word

The word is described in a neutral tone

Connotation

Emotional/cultural meaning or exposure attached to the word

Implies a particular point of view in a positive or negative tone

Value-laden (or lack of)

Local Color

Or regional literature focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography and other features particular to a specific region

The use of slang, colloquialism or foreign words

Title / Place of Origin / Local Color Used
Dahong Palay / Philippines / Names:Sebio; Binay; pacio
Local terms: Tia; suman; pasmado; bibingka; nanay
The Gold Harvest / Thailand / Names: Nai Hah Tong; Nang Song Sal
Local terms: chai; mai pen rai; namprick; mai pen rat; maichai
Traditions: gods; dining practices; family ties
The Story of Ruth / Israel / Names: Naomi (pleasant); Mara (bitter); Boaz; Elimelech; Orpah
Traditions: widows marry the closest single male relative; giving of a dowry
The Wonder Tree / Saudi Arabia / Names: Zuleika; Ali Ben Ahmed; Ben Nedi
Local terms: sheik; salaam
Traditions: gift-giving; hospitality

Folk Tales

Title / Place of Origin / Important Stuff
Guno and Koyo / Indonesia / Characters: Guno (helpful); Koyo (rich)
What happened: they went to rob the house of an old hadji but ended up doing foolish things, causing them to get chased and jumping into a dry riverbed—making fools out of themselves
Don’t go swimming in a dry riverbed
The Four Puppets / Myanmar (Burma) / Characters: Aung; Mala; the four puppets (the King of the Gods [Thagyarmin]; the Ogre [Yaksha]; the Sorcerer [Zawgyi] and the Hermit)
King (wisdom)
Ogre (strength)
Sorcerer (knowledge)
Hermit (goodness)
Theme: Goodness
Strength and knowledge must always serve wisdom and goodness

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