Literature in the South East Asia: An Overview

Roza Puspita/186332026
Literature in Southeast Asia is combination of traditional culture, religion, and other
beliefs. There are also many kinds in Southeast Asia because of the influence of the
colonization which had a great impact on their cultural heritage.  The exception to
this was Thailand, although it was still touched by external influences.  Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam were all ruled by the French at one time, and the Malay
states were ruled by the Portuguese and British.  Burma was the only country ruled
by the British that retained its own language as the administrative language under
foreign rule.

Beside the influence of the colonization, different ethnic groupings are also the
influences that affect Southeast Asian Literature since as most people couldn’t read;
legends and folklore were passed on by word of mouth, by dance and writing. Their
local language play important role for this.

1. Chinese Influences

There are 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam. All of these groups may speak
different dialects.  Since Vietnam was governed by China for much of its history,
most of their written literatures are written in Classical Chinese.  Modern script is
written in Chu Quoc Ngu, into which many ancient texts have been translated.   This
is a Romanised script developed in the 16th century by French missionaries.

2. Indian Influences

Many of Cambodian folklore were not put into writing until it had been shared
through songs in the 19th century. Indian and Budshist stories had been influenced
much of them. They were frequently long, rhyming verses, telling stories of princes
or some sort of god. They were tales of good triumphing over evil, even though the
“evil” might just have been a dispute between different tribes.

3. Laos

Laos may be the only Southeast Asian country not strongly influenced by India or
China, perhaps because it is a landlocked country. Nevertheless, Buddhism has had
a strong influence on the culture.  Palm leaves, referred to as bai lan, were used to
record Buddhist writings.  In places of worship, they are kept within wooden caskets. 
It is also possible to see folded books, illustrated with water colour pictures.

4. Sanskrit

Many ancient texts were written in Sanskrit. It is influenced Southeast Asian

literature a lot which can be analogous to Latin or Ancient Greek in the West.
Sanskrit literature encompasses poetry and drama, as well as scientific and religious
texts. Classical Sanskrit dates back to the 5th century BC, but it has been found in
the same Indian epics found in Cambodian folklore. Nowadays, Sanskrit is used
mainly as a ceremonial language in Hindu ceremonies, although there are, in some
quarters, attempts to revive the language.