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Asian Literature Study Guide
Disclaimer: This study guide covers most, but not all, information on the test.
Japan
We studied the time period in Japan's history known as the "Heian Period." This time period lasted from 700-1100 AD, during which time the Yamato clan took control of all Japan and created one unified country instead of several small clans. The Yamato clan claimed to be descended from the sun goddess Amaratsu, making the emperors "living gods," much like the pharaohs of Egypt. After the Yamato clan took control of early Japan, a courtly life with a religious monarchy gained control of the island. The beginning of the Heian period is marked by high courtly life, where everything (including when you could cut your toenails) was controlled by the court. The emperor ruled the court. Because the first clan, the Yamatos, had as their symbol the sun (which represented the sun god), Japan's symbol became the rising sun. It is still known by this symbol today.
Because Japan is an island, it was isolated and developed a unique culture. The biggest influence on Japan was China, but as Japan closed its borders to outside influences for some time, it developed its very own strong individual culture.
Important people:
∑ Murasaki Shibkibu: author of the first novel in the world
∑ Sei Shonagon: author of the "Pillow Book"
∑ Ryunske Akutagawa: author of "In a Grove," one of the greatest short story writers of modern Japan
Important works of literature:
∑ Tale of Genji, first novel in the world. The section "All About Women" came from this novel. "All About Women," although written by a woman, tells the attitudes of Heian men towards women. You should be able to see the stereotypes of the men, and the attitudes of the uselessness of women.
∑ Tale of the Bamboo Cutter or Taketori Monogatari, written by an anonymous author just before the Heian period, this legend is one of the oldest stories of Japan. It tells the story of Kaguya-hime, the Shining Princess of the Young Bamboo, and how she defied the traditional role of Japanese women. Questions from the past quiz will be on this exam, and there will be at least one essay question on this story.
∑ The Pillow Book, a nonfiction diary that tells about daily courtly life in Heian Japan. Shows the shallowness and the deep contemplation of the people of court.
∑ Tanka poetry: very structured, stylized poetry. Very condensed; the point is to pack in as much meaning in as little possible space. The rules are: five lines, with a syllabic structure of three lines of 5 and two lines of 7 (for a total of 31 syllables). Common themes are: nature, the impermanence of life, love, solitude. In Heian Japan, people's reputations could be based on how well they wrote poetry.
∑ "In a Grove," a short story mystery that gives us the testimonies of people in the case of the death of a samurai. This story symbolizes the death of the whole samurai age in that the samurai dies without honor, dies alone, and has been dead a long time before anyone finds him. Because there is murder and rape and dishonor, Akutagawa shows that the world has become corrupt with the loss of the samurai in Japan. It is also a Zen Buddhist story in that nothing is certain; there is always a layer of doubt as to what really happened.
Definitions
∑ feminist literature: literature that shows women in power or in a good light
∑ origami: the art of folding paper (like the cranes!)
∑ kanji: the Japanese style of writing, descended from the Chinese system. A symbolic, not phonetic, alphabet (meaning it's pictograms, not phonograms)
∑ samurai: a Japanese knight; served the shogun absolutely
∑ shogun: a Japanese war lord or general; at the end of the Heian period, the shoguns took control of individual areas as the emperor lost control
∑ bushido: the way of the warrior; the code of honor among samurais
∑ seppuku: a part of bushido; the ritualistic suicide of a samurai to regain honor
China
We primarily focused on the T'ang Dynasty of China, from the years 600-900AD. This time period is marked with the rise of two great forms of Chinese literature: lyric poetry and philosophy. You should know these well: I may have you analyze specific poems we read in class, and identify specific literary devices in verses from the Tao te Ching.
Definitions:
∑ Lyric poetry: a short poem that expresses emotions through lyric rhythm
∑ parallelsim: repetition in literature
∑ paradox: something that sounds impossible, but is really true
∑ yin-yang: [ a Taoist symbol. It is circular, representing eternity and the need to be complete and come full circle. It also shows how there is a little bit of light in everything dark and a little bit of dark in everything light, which reflects balance.
∑ Taoism: a religion and a philosophy. Rather than focusing on a specific god to believe in, Taoism preaches that you should just believe, and find your place in the universe. The three tenants of Taoism are:
o Balance (usually found through nature)
o Transformation (like with Chaung-Tzu's butterfly dream)
o Transcendence (either physically, like Heaven, or metaphysically, like a state of peace)
∑ Tao: "way," as in the proper path for a person to follow
∑ Foot binding: For over a thousand years, women of ancient China practiced foot binding in an effort to achieve "lily-like" feet and beauty. While foot binding was considered beautiful, it was very dangerous, painful, and crippled the women who practiced it.
People:
∑ Li Po: the greatest Chinese lyric poet of all time, wrote "The River Merchant's Wife, a Letter"
∑ Chaung-Tzu: a Taoist philosopher who came up with the idea of transformation in Taoism through his idea of the reality of dreams
∑ Lao-Tzu: author of Tao te Ching, a philosophical work and the foundation of Taoism.
∑ Mulan: possibly a real person, and the basis for the poem "Ode of Mulan." You should know the poem well, especially how it is both feminist and Taoist.
You should also know about the story we are reading in class today, "Love Must Not be Forgotten."
NOTE: Some questions on the Asian Test will be review questions from the Mythology and African Unit Test and Greek quizzes. One of these questions will be about the Rosetta Stone.
