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Area: ENGLISH
INDIA
1. Literary Periods. The Indus Valley civilization flourished in northern India between
2500 and 1500 B.C. The Aryans, a group of nomadic warriors and herders, were the
earliest known migrants into India. They brought with them a well-developed
language and literature and a set of religious beliefs.
a) Vedic Period (1500 B.C. –500 B.C.). This period is named for the Vedas, a set
of hymns that formed the cornerstone of Aryan culture. Hindus consider the
Vedas, which were transmitted orally by priests, to be the most sacred of all
literature for they believe these to have been revealed to humans directly by the
gods.
Death was not then nor was there aught immortal: no sign was there, the
day’s
and night’s divider.
That one thing, breathless, breathed by its own nature: apart from it was
nothing
whatsoever.
Darkness there was: at first concealed in darkness, this All was
indiscriminated
chaos.
All that existed then was void and formless: by the great power of warmth
was
born that unit.
b) Epic and Buddhist Age (500 B.C. – A.D.). The period of composition of the two
great epics, Mahabharata and the Ramayana. This time was also the growth of
later Vedic literature, new Sanskrit literature, and Buddhist literature in Pali. The
Dhammapada was also probably composed during this period. The Maurya
Empire (322-230 B.C.) ruled by Ashoka promoted Buddhism and preached
goodness, nonviolence, and ‘righteousness’ although this period was known for
warfare and iron-fisted rule. The Gupta Dynasty (320-467 B.C.) was the next
great political power. During this time, Hinduism reached a full flowering and
was evident in culture and the arts.
The Bhagavad Gita (The Blessed Lord’s Song) is one of the greatest and
most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures. It is regarded by the Hindus in
somewhat the same way as the Gospels are by Christians. It forms part of
Book IV and is written in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince
Arjuna and his friend and charioteer, Krishna, who is also an earthly
incarnation of the god Vishnu.
The Ramayana was composed in Sanskrit, probably not before 300 BC, by
the poet Valmiki and consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven
books. It reflects the Hindu values and forms of social organization, the
theory of karma, the ideals of wifehood, and feelings about caste, honor and
promises.
The poem describes the royal birth of Rama, his tutelage under the sage
Visvamitra, and his success in bending Siva’s mighty bow, thus winning Sita,
the daughter of King Janaka, for his wife. After Rama is banished from his
position as heir by an intrigue, he retreats to the forest with his wife and his
half brother, Laksmana. There Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka, carries off
Sita, who resolutely rejects his attentions. After numerous adventures Rama
slays Ravana and rescues Sita. When they return to his kingdom, however,
Rama learns that the people question the queen’s chastity, and he banishes her
to the forest where she gives birth to Rama’s two sons. The family is reunited
when the sons come of age, but Sita, after again protesting her innocence, asks
to be received by the earth, which swallows her up.
c) Classical Period (A.D. – 1000 A.D.). The main literary language of northern
India during this period was Sanskrit, in contrast with the Dravidian languages of
southern India. Sanskrit, which means ‘perfect speech’ is considered a sacred
language, the language spoken by the gods and goddesses. As such, Sanskrit was
seen as the only appropriate language for the noblest literary works. Poetry and
drama peaked during this period. Beast fables such as the Panchatantra were
popular and often used by religious teachers to illustrate moral points.
Moment’s Indulgence
I ask for a moment's indulgence to sit by thy side.
The works that I have in hand I will finish afterwards.
Away from the sight of thy face my heart knows no rest nor respite,
and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil.
Because Mother had to fight against the old standards, and because she was
brought up to believe in them, she has an emotional understanding of them
which my sister I will never have. Brought up in Europe and educated in
preparatory and public schools in England, we felt that the conventions were
not only retrogressive and socially crippling to the country but also a little
ridiculous.
b) Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century B.C. This religion is based on
the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, called Buddha, or the ‘Enlightened
One.’ Much of Buddha’s teaching is focused on self-awareness and self-
development in order to attain nirvana or enlightenment.
According to Buddhist beliefs, human beings are bound to the wheel of
life which is a continual cycle of birth, death, and suffering. This cycle is an
effect of karma in which a person’s present life and experiences are the result of
past thoughts and actions, and these present thoughts and actions likewise create
those of the future. The Buddhist scriptures uphold the Four Noble Truths and the
Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are: 1) life is suffering; 2) the
cause of suffering is desire; 3) the removal of desire is the removal of suffering;
and 4) the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the end of suffering. The Noble
Eightfold Path consists of: 1) right understanding; 2) right thought; 3) right
speech; 4) right action; 5) right means of livelihood; 6) right effort; 7) right
concentration; and 8) right meditation. The Buddhist truth states that bad actions
and bad feelings such as selfishness, greed, hostility, hate are evil not because
they harm others but because of their negative influence on the mental state of the
doer. It is in this sense that evil returns to punish the doer
3. Major Writers.
a) Kalidasa a Sanskrit poet and dramatist is probably the greatest Indian writer of
all time. As with most classical Indian authors, little is known about Kalidasa’s
person or his historical relationships. His poems suggest that he was a Brahman
(priest). Many works are traditionally ascribed to the poet, but scholars have
identified only six as genuine.
b) Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). The son of a Great Sage, Tagore is a
Bengali poet and mystic who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Tagore
managed his father's estates and lived in close contact with the villagers. His
sympathy for their poverty and backwardness was later reflected in his works.
The death of his wife and two children brought him years of sadness but this also
inspired some of his best poety. Tagore is also a gifted composer and a painter.
c) Prem Chand pseudonym of Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (1880-1936). Indian
author of numerous novels and short stories in Hindi and Urdu who pioneered in
adapting Indian themes to Western literary styles. He worked as a teacher before
joining Mahatma Gandhi’s anticolonial Noncooperation Movement.
Sevasadana (House of Service). His first major novel deals with the problems
of prostitution and moral corruption among the Indian middle class.
Manasarovar (The Holy Lake). A collection of 250 or so short stories which
contains most of Prem Chand’s best works.
Godan (The Gift of a Cow). This last novel was Prem Chand’s masterpiece
and it deals with his favorite theme – the hard and unrewarding life of the
village peasant.
d) Kamala Markandaya (1924). Her works concern the struggles of contemporary
Indians with conflicting Eastern and Western values. A Brahman, she studied at
Madras University then settled in England and married an Englishman. In her
fiction, Western values typically are viewed as modern and materialistic, and
Indian values as spiritual and traditional.
Nectar in a Sieve. Her first novel and most popular work is about an Indian
peasant’s narrative of her difficult life.
e) R. K. Narayan (1906). One of the finest Indian authors of his generation writing
in English. He briefly worked as a teacher before deciding to devote himself
full-time to writing. All of Narayan’s works are set in the fictitious South Indian
town of Malgudi. They typically portray the peculiarities of human relationships
and the ironies of Indian daily life, in which modern urban existence clashes with
ancient tradition. His style is graceful, marked by genial humor, elegance, and
simplicity.
Swami and Friends. His first novel is an episodic narrative recounting the
adventures of a group of schoolboys.
Novels: The English Teacher (1945), Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), The
Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of Sweets
(1967), A Tiger for Malgudi (1983), and The World of Nagaraj (1990).
Collection of Short Stories: Lawley Road (1956), A Horse and Two Goats
and Other Stories (1970), Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories (1985),
and Grandmother’s Tale (1992).
f) Anita Desai (1937). An English-language Indian novelist and author of
children’s books, she is considered India’s premier imagist writer. She excelled
in evoking character and mood through visual images. Most of her works reflect
Desei’s tragic view of life.
Cry, the Peacock. Her first novel addresses the theme of the suppression and
oppression of Indian women.
Clear Light of Day. Considered the author’s most successful work, this is a
highly evocative portrait of two sisters caught in the lassitude of Indian life.
This was shortlisted for the 1980 Booker Prize.
Fire on the Mountain. This work was criticized as relying too heavily on
imagery at the expense of plot and characterization, but it was praised for its
poetic symbolism and use of sounds. This won for her the Royal Society of
Literature’s Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize.
g) Vir Singh (1872-1957). A Sikh writer and theologian, he wrote at a time when
Sikh religion and politics and the Punjabi language were under heavy attack by
the English and Hindus. He extolled Sikh courage, philosophy, and ideals,
earning respect for the Punjabi language as a literary vehicle.
Kalghi Dhar Chamatkar. This novel is about the life of the 17th century guru
Gobind Singh.
Other novels on Sikh philosophy and martial excellence include Sundri
(1898) and Bijai Singh (1899).
h) Arundhati Roy. A young female writer whose first book The God of Small
Things won for her a Booker Prize.
A. CHINA
1. Historical Background. Chinese literature reflects the political and social history
of China and the impact of powerful religions that came from within and outside the
country. Its tradition goes back thousand of years and has often been inspired by
philosophical questions about the meaning of life, how to live ethically in society,
and how to live in spiritual harmony with the natural order of the universe.
a) Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.). During this time, the people practiced a religion
based on the belief that nature was inhabited by many powerful gods and spirits.
Among the significant advances of this period were bronze working, decimal
system, a twelve-month calendar and a system of writing consisting of 3,000
characters.
b) Chou Dynasty (1100 B.C. – 221 B.C.). This was the longest of all the dynasties
and throughout most of this period China suffered from severe political disunity
and upheaval. This era was also known as the Hundred Schools period because
of the many competing philosophers and teachers who emerged the most
influential among them being Lao Tzu, the proponent of Taoism, and Confucius,
the founder of Confucianism. Lao Tzu stressed freedom, simplicity, and the
mystical contemplation of nature whereas Confucius emphasized a code of social
conduct and stressed the importance of discipline, morality, and knowledge.
The Book of Songs, (Shih Ching) first compiled in the 6th century B.C., is the
oldest collection of Chinese poetry and is considered a model of poetic
expression and moral insight. The poems include court songs that entertained the
aristocracy, story songs that recounted Chou dynasty legends, hymns that were
sung in the temples accompanied by dance and brief folk songs and ballads.
Although these poems were originally meant to be sung, their melodies have
long been lost.
The Parables of the Ancient Philosophers illustrate the Taoist belief and the
humanism of the Chinese thought. In them can be seen the relativity of all things
as they pass through man’s judgment, the virtues of flexibility, and the
drawbacks of material progress.
c) Ch’in Dynasty (221 B.C. – 207 B.C.). This period saw the unification of China
and the strengthening of central government. Roads connecting all parts of the
empire were built and the existing walls on the northern borders were connected
to form the Great Wall of China.
d) Han Dynasty (207 B.C. – A.D. 220). This period was one of the most glorious
eras of Chinese history and was marked by the introduction of Buddhism from
India.
e) T’ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-960). Fine arts and literature flourished during this
era which is viewed as the Golden Age of Chinese civilization. Among the
technological advances of this time were the invention of gunpowder and the
block printing.
The T’ang Poets. Chinese lyrical poetry reached its height during the T’ang
Dynasty. Inspired by scenes of natural beauty, T’ang poets wrote about the
fragile blossoms in spring, the falling of leaves in autumn, or the changing shape
of the moon.
A Meeting by Tu Fu
We were often separated How long does youth last?
Like the Dipper and the morning star. Now we are all gray-haired.
What night is tonight? Half of our friends are dead,
We are together in the candlelight. And both of us were surprised when
we met.
f) Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960 – 1279). This period was characterized by delicacy
and refinement although inferior in terms of literary arts but great in learning.
Professional poets were replaced by amateur writers. The practice of Neo-
Confucianism grew
g) Later Dynasties (A.D. 1260-1912). During the late 12th and early 13th centuries,
northern China was overrun by Mongol invaders led by Genghis Khan whose
grandson Kublai Khan completed the Mongol conquest of China and established
the Yuan dynasty, the first foreign dynasty in China’s history. It was during this
time that Marco Polo visited China. Chinese rule was reestablished after the
Mongols were driven out of China and the Ming dynasty was established. There
was a growth of drama in colloquial language and a decline of the language of
learning. A second foreign dynasty, the Ch’ing was established and China
prospered as its population rapidly increased causing major problems for its
government.
h) Traditional Chinese Government. The imperial rule lasted in China for over
2,000 years leading to a pyramid-shaped hierarchy in the government. The
emperor, known as the Son of Heaven, was a hereditary ruler and beneath him
were bureaucratic officials. An official government career was considered
prestigious and the selection was by means of government examinations. The
civil service examinations tested on the major Chinese works of philosophy and
poetry requiring the composition for verse. Most government officials were
well-versed in literature and philosophy and many famous Chinese poets also
served in the government.
2. Philosophy and Religion. Chinese literature and all of Chinese culture has been
profoundly influenced by three great schools of thought: Confucianism, Taoism, and
Buddhism. Unlike Western religions, Chinese religions are based on the perception
of life as a process of continual change in which opposing forces, such as heaven and
earth or light and dark, balance one another. These opposites are symbolized by the
Yin and Yang. Yin, the passive and feminine force, counterbalances yang, the active
and masculine force, each contains a ‘seed’ of the other, as represented in the
traditional yin-yang symbol.
a) Confucianism provides the Chinese with both a moral order and an order for the
universe. It is not a religion but it makes individuals aware of their place in the
world and the behavior appropriate to it. It also provides a political and social
philosophy.
Confucius was China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist,
whose ideas have influenced all civilizations of East Asia. According to tradition,
Confucius came from an impoverished family of the lower nobility. He became a
minor government bureaucrat but was never give a position of high office. He
criticized government policies and spent the greater part of his life educating a
group of disciples. Confucius was not a religious leader in the ordinary sense, for
his teaching was essentially a social ethic. Confucian politics is hierarchical but
not absolute and the political system is described by analogy with the family.
There are five key Confucian relationships: emperor and subject, father and son,
husband and wife, older brother and younger brother, friend and friend.
The Analects (Lun Yu) is one of the four Confucian texts. The sayings range
from brief statements to more extended dialogues between Confucius and his
students. Confucius believes that people should cultivate the inherent goodness
within themselves –unselfishness, courage, and honor – as an ideal of universal
moral and social harmony. The Analects instructs on moderation in all things
through moral education, the building of a harmonious family life, and the
development of virtues such as loyalty, obedience, and a sense of justice. It also
emphasizes filial piety and concern with social and religious rituals. To
Confucius, a person’s inner virtues can be fully realized only through concrete
acts of ‘ritual propriety’ or proper behavior toward other human beings.
From The Analects (II.1)
The Master said, “He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be
compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn
towards it.”
b) Taoism, was expounded by Lao Tzu during the Chou Dynasty. Taoist beliefs and
influences are an important part of classical Chinese culture. “The Tao” or “The
Way” means the natural course that the world follows. To follow the tao of to
“go with the flow” is both wisdom and happiness. For the Taoist, unhappiness
comes from parting from the tao or from trying to flout it.
The Taoist political ideas are very passive: the good king does nothing, and by
this everything is done naturally. This idea presents an interesting foil to
Confucian theories of state, although the Taoists never represented any political
threat to the Confucianists. Whereas Confucianism stressed conformity and
reason in solving human problems, Taoism stressed the individual and the need
for human beings to conform to nature rather than to society.
The Tao-Te Ching (Classic of the Way of Power) is believed to have been
written between the 8th and 3rd centuries B.C. The basic concept of the dao is wu-
wei or “non-action” which means no unnatural action, rather than complete
passivity. It implies spontaneity, non-interference, letting things take their natural
course i.e., “Do nothing and everything else is done.” Chaos ceases, quarrels end,
and self-righteous feuding disappears because the dao is allowed to flow
unchallenged.
c) Buddhism was imported from India during the Han dynasty. Buddhist thought
stresses the importance of ridding oneself of earthly desires and of seeking
ultimate peace and enlightenment through detachment. With its stress on living
ethically and its de-emphasis on material concerns, Buddhism appealed to both
Confucians and Taoists.
3. Genres in Chinese Poetry has always been highly valued in Chinese culture and was
considered superior to prose. Chief among its characteristics are lucidity, brevity,
subtlety, suggestiveness or understatement, and its three-fold appeal to intellect,
emotion, and calligraphy. There are five principle genres in Chinese poetry:
b) shih was the dominant Chinese poetic form from the 2nd through the 12th century
characterized by: i) an even number of lines; ii) the same number of words in each
line, in most cases five or seven; and iii) the occurrence of rhymes at the end s of
the even-numbered lines. Shih poems often involve the use of parallelism, or
couplets that are similar in structure or meaning.
c) sao was inspired by li sao or ‘encountering sorrow’, a poem of lamentation and
protest authored by China’s first known great poet, Chu Yuan (332-295 B.C.). It
was an unusually long poem consisting of two parts: i) an autobiographical account
that is Confucian in overtones; and ii) a narration of an imaginary journey
undertaken by the persona. The sao enables the poets to display their creativity of
describing China’s flora and fauna, both real and imaginary. It is also filled with
melancholia for unrewarded virtue
d) fu was a poem partially expository and partly descriptive involving a single thought
or sentiment usually expressed in a reflective manner. Language ranges from the
simple to the rhetorical.
e) lu-shih or ‘regulation poetry’ was developed during the Tang dynasty but has
remained popular even in the present times. It is an octave consisting of five or
seven syllabic verses with a definite rhyming scheme with all even lines rhyming
together and the presence of the caesura in every line. The first four lines of this
poem is the ching (scene) while the remaining four lines describe the ch’ing
(emotion). Thus, emotion evolves from the setting or atmosphere and the two
becomes fused resulting in a highly focused reflection of the persona’s loneliness
but with determination to struggle.
f) chueh-chu or truncated poetry is a shorter version of the lu-shih and was also
popular during the Tang dynasty. It contains only four lines but within its twenty or
twenty-eight syllables or characters were vivid pictures of natural beauty.
g) tzu was identified with the Sung dynasty. It is not governed by a fixed number of
verses nor a fixed number of characters per verse. The tzu lyrics were sung to the
tunes of popular melodies.
4. Conventions of Chinese Theater. Chinese drama may be traced to the song and
dances of the chi (wizards) and the wu (witches) whom the people consulted to
exercise evil spirits, to bring rain, to insure bountiful harvest, etc., an origin in worship
or in some sacred ritual.
a) There are four principal roles: sheng, tau, ching, and chao.
The sheng is the prerogative of the leading actor, usually a male character, a
scholar, a statesman, a warrior patriot and the like.
The tau plays all the women’s roles. At least six principal characters are
played by the female impersonator who has taken over the role after women
were banned from the Chinese stage as they were looked down upon as
courtesen.
The ching roles usually assigned the roles of brave warriors, bandits, crafty and
evil ministers, upright judges, loyal statesmen, at times god-like and
supernatural beings. Conventionally, the ching must have broad faces and
forehead suitable for the make-up patters suggestive of his behavior.
The chau is the clown or jester who is not necessarily a fool and may also do
serious or evil character. He is easily recognized for the white patch around his
eyes and nose, his use of colloquial language and adeptness in combining
mimicry and acrobatics.
b) Unlike Greek plays, classical Chinese plays do not follow the unities of time,
place, and action. The plot may be set in two or more places, the time element
sometimes taking years to develop or end, and action containing many other sub-
plots.
c) Chinese drama conveys an ethical lesson in the guise of art in order to impress a
moral truth or a Confucian tenet. Dramas uphold virtue, condemn vice, praise
fidelity, and filial piety. Vice is represented on the stage not for its own sake but
as contrast to virtue.
d) There are two types of speeches – the dialogue, usually in prose, and the
monologues. While the dialogue carries forward the action of the day, the
monologue is the means for each character to introduce him/herself at the
beginning of the first scene of every scene as well as to outline the plot.
e) Chinese plays are long – six or seven hours if performed completely. The
average length is about four acts with a prologue and an epilogue. The Chinese
play is a total theater. There is singing, recitation of verses, acrobats, dancing,
and playing of traditional musical instruments.
f) Music is an integral part of the classical drama. It has recitatives, arias, and
musical accompaniment. Chinese music is based on movement and rhythm that
harmonized perfectly with the sentiments being conveyed by a character.
g) The poetic dialogue, hsieh tzu (wedge), is placed at the beginning or in between
acts and is an integral part of the play.
The stage is bare of props except a table and a pair of chairs may be converted to
a battlefield or a court scene, a bedroom, even a prison through vivid acting and
poetry.
Property conventions are rich in symbolism table with a chair at the side, both
placed at
the side of the stage, represents a hill or a high wall.
h) Dramatic conventions that serve to identify the nature and function of each
character.
Make-up identifies the characters and personalities. Costumes help reveal types
and
different colors signify ranks and status.
i) Action reflects highly stylized movements. Hand movements may indicate
embarrassment or helplessness or anguish or anger.
B. JAPAN
1. Historical Background. Early Japan borrowed much from Chinese culture but
evolved its own character over time. Early Japan’s political structure was based on
clan, or family. Each clan developed a hierarchy of classes with aristocrats, warriors,
and priests at the top and peasants and workers at the bottom. During the 4th century
A.D. the Yamato grew to be most powerful and imposed the Chinese imperial system
on Japan creating an emperor, an imperial bureaucracy, and a grand capital city.
a) The Heian Age was the period of peace and prosperity, of aesthetic refinement and
artificial manners. The emperor began to diminish in power but continued to be a
respected figure. Since the Japanese court had few official responsibilities, they
were able to turn their attention to art, music, and literature.
The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, represents a unique form of the diary genre. It
contains vivid sketches of people and place, shy anecdotes and witticisms, snatches
of poetry, and 164 lists on court life during the Heian period. Primarily intended to
be a private journal, it was discovered and eventually printed. Shōnagon served as a
lady-in-waiting to the Empress Sadako in the late 10th century.
b) The Feudal Era was dominated by the samurai class which included the
militaristic lords, the daimyo and the band of warriors, the samurai who adhered to
a strict code of conduct the emphasized bravery, loyalty, and honor. In 1192
Yorimoto became the shogun or chief general one of a series of shoguns who ruled
Japan for over 500 years.
c) The Tokugawa Shogonate in the late 1500s crushed the warring feudal lords and
controlled all of Japan from a new capital at Edo, now Tokyo. By 1630 and for two
centuries, Japan was a closed society: all foreigners were expelled, Japanese
Christians were persecuted, and foreign travel was forbidden under penalty of
death. The shogonate was ended in 1868 when Japan began to trade with the
Western powers. Under a more powerful emperor, Japan rapidly acquired the latest
technological knowledge, introduced universal education, and created an impressive
industrial economy.
2. Religious Traditions. Two major faiths were essential elements in the cultural
foundations of Japanese society.
a) Shintoism or ‘ the way of the gods,’ is the ancient religion that reveres in dwelling
divine spirits called kami, found in natural places and objects. For this reason
natural scenes, such as waterfall, a gnarled tree, or a full moon, inspired reverence
in the Japanese people.
The Shinto legends have been accepted as historical fact although in postwar times
they were once again regarded as myths. These legends from the Records of
Ancient Matters, or Kokiji, A.D. 712, and the Chronicles of Japan, or Nihongi, A.D.
720 form the earliest writings of ancient Japan. Both collections have been
considerably influenced by Chinese thought.
b) Zen Buddhism emphasized the importance of meditation, concentration, and self-
discipline as the way to enlightenment. Zen rejects the notion that salvation is
attained outside of this life and this world. Instead, Zen disciples believe that one
can attain personal tranquility and insights into the true meaning of life through
rigorous phusical and mental discipline.
4. Poetry is one of the oldest and most popular means of expression and communication
in the Japanese culture. It was an integral part of daily life in ancient Japanese society,
serving as a means through which anyone could chronicle experiences and express
emotions
a) The Manyoshu or ‘Book of Ten Thousand Leaves is an anthology by poets from a
wide range of social classes, including the peasantry, the clergy, and the ruling
class.
b) There are different poems according to set forms or structures:
choka are poems that consist of alternate lines of five and seven syllables with an
additional seven-syllable line at the end. There is no limit to the number of lines
which end with envoys, or pithy summations. These envoys consist of 5-7-5-7-7
syllables that elaborate on or summarize the theme or central idea of the main
poem.
tanka is the most prevalent verse form in traditional Japanese literature. It
consists of five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables including at least one caesura, or
pause. Used as a means of communication in ancient Japanese society, the tanka
often tell a brief story or express a single thought or insight and the common
subjects are love and nature.
renga is a chain of interlocking tanka. Each tanka within a renga was divided
into verses of 17 and 14 syllables composed by different poets as it was
fashionable for groups of poets to work together during the age of Japanese
feudalism.
hokku was the opening verse of a renga which developed into a distinct literary
form known as the haiku. The haiku consist of 3 lines of 5-7-5 syllable
characterized by precision, simplicity, and suggestiveness. Almost all haiku
include a kigo or seasonal words such as snow or cherry blossoms that indicates
the time of year being described.
Buson Sokan
Blossoms on the pear; If to the moon
and a woman in the moonlight one puts a handle – what
reads a letter there… a splendid fan!
Onitsura
Even stones in streams
of mountain water compose
songs to wild cherries.
5. Prose appeared in the early part of the 8th century focusing on Japanese history.
During the Heian Age, the members of the Imperial court, having few administrative
or political duties, kept lengthy diaries and experimented with writing fiction.
The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu, a work of tremendous length
and complexity, is considered to be the world’s first true novel. It traces the
life of a gifted and charming prince. Lady Murasaki was an extraordinary
woman far more educated than most upper-class men of her generation. She
was appointed to serve in the royal court of the emperor.
The Tale of Haike written by an anonymous author during the 13th century
was the most famous early Japanese novel. It presents a striking portrait of
war-torn Japan during the early stages of the age of feudalism.
Essays in Idleness by Yoshida Kenko was written during the age of
feudalism. It is a loosely organized collection of insights, reflections, and
observations, written during the 14th century. Kenko was born into a high-
ranking Shinto family and became a Buddhist priest.
6. Drama.
a) Nō plays emerged during the 14th century as the earliest form of Japanese drama.
The plays are performed on an almost bare stage by a small but elaborately
costumed cast of actors wearing masks. The actors are accompanied by a chorus
and the plays are written either in verse or in highly poetic prose. The dramas
reflect many Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, along with a number of dominant
Japanese artistic preferences. The Nō performers’ subtle expressions of inner
strength, along with the beauty of the costumes, the eloquence of the dancing, the
mesmerizing quality of the singing, and the mystical, almost supernatural,
atmosphere of the performances, has enabled the Nō theater to retain its
popularity.
b) Kabuki involves lively, melodramatic acting and is staged using elaborate and
colorful costumes and sets. It is performed with the accompaniment of an
orchestra and generally focus on the lives of common people rather than
aristocrats.
c) Jorori (now called Bunraku) is staged using puppets and was a great influence
on the development of the Kabuki.
d) Kyogen is a farce traditionally performed between the Nō tragedies.
8. Major Writers.
Seami Motokiyo had acting in his blood for his father Kanami, a priest, was one of
the finest performers of his day. At age 20 not long after his father’s death, he took
over his father’s acting school and began to write plays. Some say he became a Zen
priest late in life; others say he had two sons, both of them actors. According to
legend, he died alone at the age of 81 in a Buddhist temple near Kyoto.
The Haiku Poets
- Matsuo Bashō (1644 – 1694) is regarded as the greatest haiku poet. He was
born into a samurai family and began writing poetry at an early age. After
becoming a Zen Buddhist, he moved into an isolated hut on the outskirts of Edo
(Tokyo) where he lived the life of a hermit, supporting himself by teaching and
judging poetry. Bashō means ‘banana plant,’ a gift given him to which he
became deeply attached. Over time his hut became known as the Bashō Hut
until he assumed the name.
- Yosa Buson (1716 – 1783) is regarded as the second-greatest haiku poet. He
lived in Kyoto throughout most of his life and was one of the finest painters of
his time. Buson presents a romantic view of the Japanese landscape, vividly
capturing the wonder and mystery of nature.
- Kobayashi Issa (1763 –1827) is ranked with Bashō and Buson although his
talent was not widely recognized until after his death. Issa’s poems capture the
essence of daily life in Japan and convey his compassion for the less fortunate.
Yasunari Kawabata (1899 – 1972) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968.
The sense of loneliness and preoccupation with death that permeates much of his
mature writing possibly derives from the loneliness of his childhood having been
orphaned early. Three of his best novels are: Snow Country, Thousand Cranes,
and Sound of the Mountains. He committed suicide shortly after the suicide of
his friend Mishima.
Junichiro Tanizaki (1886 –1965) is a major novelist whose writing is
characterized by eroticism and ironic wit. His earliest stories were like those of
Edgar Allan Poe’s but he later turned toward the exploration of more traditional
Japanese ideals of beauty. Among his works are Some Prefer Nettles, The
Makioka Sisters, Diary of a Mad Old Man.
Yukio Mishima (1925 – 1970) is the pen name of Kimitake Hiraoka, a prolific
writer who is regarded by many writers as the most important Japanese novelist of
the 20th century. His highly acclaimed first novel, Confessions of a Mask is
partly autobiographical work that describes with stylistic brilliance a homosexual
who must mask his sexual orientation. Many of his novels have main characters
who, for physical or psychological reasons, are unable to find happiness. Deeply
attracted to the austere patriotism and marital spirit of Japan’s past, Mishima was
contemptuous of the materialistic Westernized society of Japan in the postwar era.
Mishima committed seppuku (ritual disembowelment).
Dazai Ozamu (1909 – 1948) just like Mishima, and Kawabata committed suicide,
not unusual, but so traditional among Japanese intellectuals. It is believed that
Ozamu had psychological conflicts arising from his inability to draw a red line
between his Japaneseness clashing with his embracing the Catholic faith, if not
the demands of creativity. The Setting Sun is one of his works.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892 – 1927) is a prolific writer of stories, plays, and
poetry, noted for his stylistic virtuosity. He is one of the most widely translated of
all Japanese writers, and a number of his stories have been made into films. Many
of his short stories are Japanese tales retold in the light of modern psychology in a
highly individual style of feverish intensity that is well-suited to their macabre
themes. Among his works are Rashomon, and Kappa. He also committed
suicide.
Oe Kenzaburo (1935 -) a novelist whose rough prose style, at time nearly
violating the natural rhythms of the Japanese language, epitomizes the rebellion of
the post-WWII generation which he writes. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1994. Among his works are: Lavish are the Dead, The Catch, Our
Generation, A Personal Matter, The Silent Cry, and Awake, New Man!.
C. AFRICA
1. The Rise of Africa’s Great Civilization. Between 751 and 664 B.C. the kingdom
of Kush at the southern end of the Nile River gained strength and prominence
succeeding the New Kingdom of Egyptian civilization. Smaller civilizations around
the edges of the Sahara also existed among them the Fasa of the northern Sudan,
whose deeds are recalled by the Soninka oral epic, The Daust.
Aksum (3rd century A.D.), a rich kingdom in eastern Africa arose in what is now
Ethiopia. It served as the center of a trade route and developed its own writing
system. The Kingdom of Old Ghana (A.D. 300) the first of great civilizations in
western Africa succeeded by the empires of Old Mali and Songhai. The
legendary city of Timbuktu was a center of trade and culture in both the Mali and
Songhai empires. New cultures sprang up throughout the South: Luba and
Malawi empires in central Africa, the two Congo kingdoms, the Swahili culture of
eastern Africa, the kingdom of Old Zimbabwe, and the Zulu nation near the
southern tip of the cotinent.
Africa’s Golden Age (between A.D. 300 and A.D. 1600) marked the time when
sculpture, music, metalwork, textiles, and oral literature flourished.
Foreign influences came in the 4th century. The Roman Empire had proclaimed
Christianity as its state religion and taken control of the entire northern coast of
Africa including Egypt. Around 700 A.D. Islam, the religion of Mohammed,
was introduced into Africa as well as the Arabic writing system. Old Mali,
Somali and other eastern African nations were largely Muslim. Christianity and
colonialism came to sub-Saharan Africa towards the close of Africa’s Golden
Age. European powers created colonized countries in the late 1800s. Social and
political chaos reigned as traditional African nations were either split apart by
European colonizers or joined with incompatible neighbors.
Mid-1900s marked the independence and rebirth of traditional cultures written in
African languages.
2. Literary Forms.
a) Orature is the tradition of African oral literature which includes praise poems,
love poems, tales, ritual dramas, and moral instructions in the form of proverbs
and fables. It also includes epics and poems and narratives.
d) Lyric Poems do not tell a story but instead, like songs, create a vivid, expressive
testament to a speaker’s thoughts or emotional state. Love lyrics were an
influence of the New Kingdom and were written to be sung with the
accompaniment of a harp or a set of reed pipes.
e) Hymns of Praise Songs were offered to the sun god Aten. The Great Hymn to
Aten is the longest of several New Kingdom hymns. This hymn was found on the
wall of a tomb built for a royal scribe named Ay and his wife. In was intended to
assure their safety in the afterlife.
f) African Proverbs are much more than quaint old sayings. Instead, they represent
a poetic form that uses few words but achieves great depth of meaning and they
function as the essence of people’s values and knowledge.
They are used to settle legal disputes, resolve ethical problems, and teach
children the philosophy of their people.
Often contain puns, rhymes, and clever allusions, they also provide
entertainment.
Mark power and eloquence of speakers in the community who know and use
them. Their ability to apply the proverbs to appropriate situations demonstrates
an understanding of social and political realities.
Kenya. Gutire muthenya ukiaga ta ungi. (No day dawns like another.)
South Africa. Akundlovu yasindwa umboko wayo.
(No elephant ever found its trunk too heavy.)
Kikuyu. Mbaara ti ucuru. (War is not porridge.)
g) Dilemma or Enigma Tale is an important kind of African moral tale intended for
listeners to discuss and debate. It is an open-ended story that concludes with a
question the asks the audience to choose form among several alternatives. By
encouraging animated discussion, a dilemma tale invites its audience to think
about right and wrong behavior and how to best live within society.
h) Ashanti Tale comes from Ashanti, whose traditional homeland is the dense and
hilly forest beyond the city of Kumasi in south-central Ghana which was
colonized by the British in the mid-19th century. But the Ashanti, protected in
their geographical stronghold, were able to maintain their ancient culture. The
tale exemplifies common occupations of the Ashanti such as farming, fishing, and
weaving. It combines such realistic elements with fantasy elements like talking
objects and animals.
i) Folk Tales have been handed down in the oral tradition from ancient times. The
stories represent a wide and colorful variety that embodies the African people’s
most cherished religious and social beliefs. The tales are used to entertain, to
teach, and to explain. Nature and the close bond that Africans share with the
natural world are emphasized. The mystical importance of the forest, sometimes
called the bush, is often featured.
j) Origin stories include creation stories and stories explaining the origin of death.
k) Trickster Tale is an enormously popular type. The best known African trickster
figure is Anansi the Spider, both the hero and villain from the West African origin
to the Caribbean and other parts of the Western Hemisphere as a result of the
slave trade.
“Talk”
The chief listened to them patiently, but he couldn’t refrain from scowling.
“Now, this is really a wild story,” he said at last. “You’d better all go
back to your work before I punish you for disturbing the peace.”
So the men went away, and the chief shook his head and mumbled to
himself, “Nonsense like that upsets the community”
“Fantastic, isn’t it?” his stool said, “Imagine, a talking yam!”
n) Epics of vanished heroes – partly human, partly superhuman, who embody the
highest values of a society – carry with them a culture’s history, values, and
traditions. The African literary traditions boasts of several oral epics.
The Dausi from the Soninke
Monzon and the King of Kore from the Bambara of western Africa
The epic of Askia the Great, medieval ruler of the Songhai empire in western
Africa
The epic of the Zulu Empire of southern Africa
Sundiata from the Mandingo peoples of West Africa is the best-preserved and
the best-known African epic which is a blend of fact and legend. Sundiata
Keita, the story’s hero really existed as a powerful leader who in 1235 defeated
the Sosso nation of western Africa and reestablished the Mandingo Empire of
Old Mali. Supernatural powers are attributed to Sundiata and he is involved in
a mighty conflict between good and evil. It was first recorded in Guinea in the
1950s and was told by the griot Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate.
3. Negritude, which means literally ‘blackness,’ is the literary movement of the 1930s –
1950s that began among French-speaking African and Caribbean writers living in
Paris as a protest against French colonial rule and the policy of assimilation. Its
leading figure was Leopold Sedar Senghor (1st president of the Republic of Senegal in
1960) , who along with Aime Cesaire from Martinique and Leo Damas from French
Guina, began to examine Western values critically and to reassess African culture.
The movement largely faded in the early 1960s when its political and cultural
objectives had been achieved in most African countries. The basic ideas behind
Negritude include:
Africans must look to their own cultural heritage to determine the values and
traditions that are most useful in the modern world.
Committed writers should use African subject matter and poetic traditions and
should excite a desire for political freedom.
Negritude itself encompasses the whole of African cultural, economic, social, and
political values.
The value and dignity of African traditions and peoples must be asserted.
4. African Poetry is more eloquent in its expression of Negritude since it is the poets
who first articulated their thoughts and feelings about the inhumanity suffered by their
own people.
Paris in the Snow swings between assimilation of French, European culture or
negritude, intensified by the poet’s catholic piety.
Totem by Leopold Senghor shows the eternal linkage of the living with the dead.
Letters to Martha by Dennis Brutus is the poet’s most famous collection that
speaks of the humiliation, the despondency, the indignity of prison life.
Africa by David Diop is a poem that achieves its impact by a series of climactic
sentences and rhetorical questions
Africa
Song of Lawino by Okot P’Bitek is a sequence of poems about the clash between
African and Western values and is regarded as the first important poem in “English
to emerge from Eastern Africa. Lawino’s song is a plea for the Ugandans to look
back to traditional village life and recapture African values.
5. Novels.
The Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono points out the disillusionment of Toundi, a
boy who leaves his parents maltreatment to enlist his services as an acolyte to a
foreign missionary. After the priest’s death, he becomes a helper of a white
plantation owner, discovers the liaison of his master’s wife, and gets murdered later
in the woods as they catch up with him. Toundi symbolizes the disenchantment, the
coming of age, and utter despondency of the Camerooninans over the corruption
and immortality of the whites. The novel is developed in the form of a recit, the
French style of a diary-like confessional work.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe depict a vivid picture of Africa before the
colonization by the British. The title is an epigraph from Yeats’ The Second
Coming: ‘things fall apart/ the center cannot hold/ mere anarchy is loosed upon the
world.’ The novel laments over the disintegration of Nigerian society, represented
in the story by Okwonko, once a respected chieftain who looses his leadership and
falls from grace after the coming of the whites. Cultural values are woven around
the plot to mark its authenticity: polygamy since the character is Muslim; tribal law
is held supreme by the gwugwu, respected elders in the community; a man’s social
status is determined by the people’s esteem and by possession of fields of yams and
physical prowess; community life is shown in drinking sprees, funeral wakes, and
sports festivals.
No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe is a sequel to Things Fall Apart and the
title of which is alluded to Eliot’s The Journey of the Magi: ‘We returned to our
places, these kingdoms,/ But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation.’ The
returning hero fails to cope with disgrace and social pressure. Okwonko’s son has
to live up to the expectations of the Umuofians, after winning a scholarship in
London, where he reads literature, not law as is expected of him, he has to dress up,
he must have a car, he has to maintain his social standing, and he should not marry
an Ozu, an outcast. In the end, the tragic hero succumgs to temptation, he, too
receives bribes, and therefore is ‘no longer at ease.’
The Poor Christ of Bombay by Mongo Beti begins en medias res and exposes the
inhumanity of colonialism. The novel tells of Fr. Drumont’s disillusionment after
the discovery of the degradation of the native women, betrothed, but forced to work
like slaves in the sixa. The government steps into the picture as syphilis spreads out
in the priest’s compound. It turns out that the native whose weakness is wine,
women, and song has been made overseer of the sixa when the Belgian priest goes
out to attend to his other mission work. Developed through recite or diary entries,
the novel is a satire on the failure of religion to integrate to national psychology
without first understanding the natives’ culture.
The River Between by James Ngugi show the clash of traditional values and
contemporary ethics and mores. The Honia River is symbolically taken as a
metaphor of tribal and Christian unity – the Makuyu tribe conducts Christian rites
while the Kamenos hold circumcision rituals. Muthoni, the heroine, although a
new-born Christian, desires the pagan ritual. She dies in the end but Waiyaki, the
teacher, does not teach vengeance against Joshua, the leader of the Kamenos, but
unity with them. Ngugi poses co-existence of religion with people’s lifestyle at the
same time stressing the influence of education to enlighten people about their socio-
political responsibilities.
6. Major Writers.
Leopold Sedar Senghor (1906) is a poet and statesman who was cofounder of the
Negritude movement in African art and literature. He went to Paris on a scholarship
and later taught in the French school system. During these years Senghor
discovered the unmistakable imprint of African art on modern painting, sculpture,
and music, which confirmed his belief in Africa’s contribution to modern culture.
Drafted during WWII, he was captured and spent two years in Nazi concentration
camp where he wrote some of his finest poems. He became president of Senegal in
1960. His works include: Songs of Shadow, Black Offerings, Major Elegies,
Poetical Work. He became Negritude’s foremost spokesman and edited an
anthology of French-language poetry by black African that became a seminal text of
the Negritude movement.
Okot P’Bitek (1930 – 1982) was born in Uganda during the British domination and
was embodied in a contrast of cultures. He attended English-speaking schools but
never lost touch with traditional African values and used his wide array of talents to
pursue his interests in both African and Western cultures. Among his works are:
Song of Lawino, Song of Ocol, African Religions and Western Scholarship,
Religion of the Central Luo, Horn of My Love.
Wole Soyinka (1934) is a Nigerian playwright, poet, novelis, and critic who was
the first black African to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. He
wrote of modern West Africa in a satirical style and with a tragic sense of the
obstacles to human progress. He taught literature and drama and headed theater
groups at various Nigerian universities. Among his works are: plays – A Dance of
the Forests, The Lion and the Jewel, The Trials of Brother Jero; novels – The
Interpreters, Season of Anomy; poems – Idanre and Other Poems, Poems from
Prison, A Shuttle in the Crypt, Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems.
Chinua Achebe (1930) is a prominent Igbo novelist acclaimed for his
unsentimental depictions of the social and psychological disorientation
accompanying the imposition of Western customs and values upon traditional
African society. His particular concern was with emergent Africa at its moments of
crisis. His works include, Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, No Longer at Ease, A
Man of the People, Anthills of Savanah.
Nadine Gordimer (1923) is a South African novelist and short story writer whose
major theme was exile and alienation. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1991. Gordimer was writing by age 9 and published her first story in a magazine
at 15. Her works exhibit a clear, controlled, and unsentimental technique that
became her hallmark. She examines how public events affect individual lives, how
the dreams of on’s youth are corrupted, and how innocence is lost. Among her
works are: The Soft Voice of the Serpent, Burger’s Daughter, July’s People, A
Sport of Nature, My Son’s Story.
Bessie Head (1937 –1986) described the contradictions and shortcomings of pre-
and postcolonial African society in morally didactic novels and stories. She
suffered rejection and alienation from an early age being born of an illegal union
between her white mother and black father. Among her works are: When Rain
Clouds Gather, A Question of Power, The Collector of Treasures, Serowe.
Barbara Kimenye (1940) wrote twelve books on children’s stories known as the
Moses series which are now a standard reading fare for African school children.
She also worked for many years for His Highness the Kabaka of Uganda, in the
Ministry of Education and later served as Kabaka’s librarian. She was a journalist
of The Uganda Nation and later a columnist for a Nairobi newspaper. Among her
works are: KalasandaRevisited, The Smugglers, The Money Game.
Ousmane Sembene (1923) is a writer and filmmaker from Senegal. His works
reveal an intense commitment to political and social change. In the words of one of
his characters: “You will never be a good writer so long as you don’t defend a
cause.” Sembene tells his stories from out of Africa’s past and relates their
relevance and meaning for contemporary society. His works include, O My
Country, My Beautiful People, God’s Bits of Wood, The Storm.