Asian literature development, Lecture notes of Literature

Download Asian literature development and more Lecture notes Literature in PDF only on Docsity! 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. Ancient Asian Literature Ancient history is usually defined as the time period up to 500 CE. That means that ancient literature would be literature that was written during this time period up to 500 CE. This lesson focuses on ancient literature written in Asia. Some of the most prominent countries in ancient Asia were China and India and so the literature of these two nations will be the focus of this lesson. Ancient literature is often closely related to religion and this is true of Ancient Asian literature as well. The ancient literature of India is primarily related to Hinduism while the ancient literature of China is mainly related to Daoism and Confucianism. Ancient Indian Literature Let's start with the ancient texts found in India. The Vedas are the oldest of Sanskrit literature and Hindu scripture. Sanskrit is the ancient language of India and Hinduism is an umbrella term describing many polytheistic religious traditions that originated in India. There are four parts to the Vedas: Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. The Samhitas are