A thesis on the pecularities of Asian literature

Development of Asian Literature
In the general sense of literature, the oldest known written piece is the Epic of Gilgamesh. This in fact originated in Asia, particularly in ancient Mesopotamia, which is now found in the Western region of the continent. The Kesh Temple Hymn and the Instructions of Shuruppak are two other examples of the earliest written literature that came from Mesopotamia, brought about by their development of writing at around 3400 BC.

From these earliest writings, we can already see Asian literature taking shape. Its defining traits have been present as early as in the first recorded literary pieces. For instance, the Epic of Gilgamesh embodies the narrative feature of Asian literature; it is a tale that explores the notions of life and death, love and loss, all of which are prevalent themes in Asian literature. The Kesh Temple Hymn is an ancient manifestation of the Asian literature’s lyrical nature, as it is an ode to the deities of Kesh Temple. Even the Instructions of Shuruppak represents Asian literature in its wisdom literature style that contemplates and gives advice.

As civilizations grew and developed—in the whole world and within Asia—, so have literature.

In Asia, the literary pieces developed according to its various regions. And while every country in these regions has their own unique style and story to offer, there are major advancements in Asian literature that represent the continent. Typically, researchers of literature classify Asian literary artworks into only three categories despite the many regions; we have Chinese, Japanese, and Indian literature to characterize the growth of Asian literature because they are the ones with withstanding influence and recognition.

Chinese Literature

In China, the system of writing began at around 1300 BC under the Shang Dynasty. Following suit, Chinese literature was established using their formal language of Classical Chinese. Under another dynasty between 1045 to 225 BC—the Zhou dynasty—, the Chinese writing system blossomed from mere hieroglyphs to bodies of religious texts, marking the beginnings of Chinese literature.

The philosophical texts written in this era comprised the great literary pieces that served as a foundation to Confucianism and Taoism, amongst other budding systems of beliefs, of which little are known due to their lost records caused by the book burning event in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). This then reduced China’s “One Hundred Schools of Thought”, as well as standardized the Chinese writing system. However, despite such literary destruction, political literature did thrive in this time, emphasizing an emperor’s power and thus contributing to their seemingly unending reigns.

During the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), it was the turn of scientific and historic texts to prosper, and in the subsequent dynasties, more forms of literature emerged and became prominent. These were less formal or knowledge-centered pieces that ranged from the Tang Dynasty’s poetry, the Song Dynasty’s travel and neo-Confucianism literature, the Yuan Dynasty’s dramas and fictions, to the Ming and Qing Dynasty’s novels, until it has become the modern Chinese literature that we produce and consume today, though now riddled with Western principles.

Japanese Literature

The Japanese owed the origins of their writing system to China. Some of the oldest known pieces of Japanese literature are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, the former being a collection of myths and legends and the latter being a historical chronicle. A third ancient literary piece is the Man’yoshu, a vast collection of poems. We can see in these examples, however early, the recurring patterns and themes of Asian literature that until today are palpable.

These genres of Japanese literature continued and prospered into their golden era of art, the Heian period (794-1185), in which classical pieces of poetry, fiction, novels, and essays on the topics of life, love, nature, and nobility were evident. Specific examples would be the Genji Monogatari, Kokin Wakashu, and Makura no Soshi.

The Asian literature feat of telling tales of hardships and setting examples of reflection and morality are also based in Japanese literature—especially from the Kamakura-Muromachi Period of 1185-1600—, where we saw epics like the Heike Monogatari, as well as pieces such as the Hojoki and Tsurezuregusa.

The Kabuki drama of the Edo Period (1600-1868), as well as the Haiku and Renga types of poetry continued to shape the bigger picture of not just Japanese but also Asian literature.

However, such developments became intermingled by Western literary ideas at around 1868-1945 during the Meiji Period. Free verse and romanticism started to reign, especially during the war. The literary period that then followed was filled with more stories centered on socio-political awareness. However, later, fiction and non-fiction pieces of every genre—especially in the form of Manga—started to dominate the scene, resulting to the Japanese literary landscape that we know today.

Indian Literature

Yet another epitome of Asian literature is that of India, in which some of the oldest literary masterpieces are religious and reflective in nature, becoming the basis for the major religion of Hinduism. Examples include the Veda hymns and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, all of which inspire morals and philosophy in the form of myths, chants, narratives, and verses.

The rest of Indian literature molded itself over the years after these ancient texts. India’s renowned writer, Rabindranath Tagore, exemplified such styles in his romantic works that spanned spiritual and mystic themes mainly in various forms of prose and poetry.

The Adikal stage of Indian literature was another example of spiritually-inclined poetic pieces, emphasized further by the next stage of Bhakti Kal literature, which personified God. Ritikal Literature centered on notions of love, while Adhunikaal literature has presented itself even until the modern era in the form of more varied texts; novels, short stories, and dramas of every genre has become apparent, especially written in the English language that the British occupation brought.

Other prominent features of Indian literature—and therefore, Asian literature—are its political themes like topics surrounding calls for justice, as well as feminist and pacifist movements.