Arabian Literature ago.
However, the harsh climate historically prevented
Saudi Arabia
● The flag of Saudi Arabia has a green field with
large white Arabic writing above a white
horizontal sword (the tip of the sword points to
the hoist side of the flag). The Arabic writing is
the Islamic statement of faith, "There is no God
but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet."
Green is the traditional color of Islam.
● Saudi Arabia is a desert country encompassing
most of the Arabian Peninsula, with Red Sea
and Persian (Arabian) Gulf coastlines.
● Known as the birthplace of Islam.
● It’s home to the religion’s 2 most sacred
mosques: Masjid al-Haram in Mecca,
destination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, and
Medina’s Masjid an-Nabawi, burial site of the
prophet Muhammad.
● Riyadh: The capital is a skyscraper-filled
metropolis.
● Currency: Riyal
● King: Salman of Saudi Arabia
● Language: Arabic
Political Boundaries
The peninsula's constituent countries are (clockwise
north to south) Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) on the east, Oman on the
southeast, Yemen on the south and Saudi Arabia at the
center. The island nation of Bahrain lies off the east
coast of the peninsula.
Six Countries
1. Saudi Arabia
2. Kuwait
3. Bahrain
4. Qatar
5. United Arab Emirates
6. Oman (form the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC))
Population
Though historically lightly populated, political Arabia is
noted for a high population growth rate - as the result of
both very strong inflows of migrant labor as well as
sustained high birth rates.
History Pre-Islamic Arabia
There is evidence that human habitation in the Arabian
Peninsula dates back to about 106,000 to 130,000 years
much settlement in pre-Islamic Saudi Arabia, apart from
a small number of urban trading settlements, such as
Mecca and Medina, located in the Hejaz in the west of
the peninsula.
The Rise of Islam
● The seventh century saw the introduction of
Islam to the ArabianPeninsula.
● The Islamic Prophet Muhammad was born in
Mecca in about 570 and first began preaching in
the city in 610 but migrated to Medina in 622.
● Muhammad began preaching Islam at Mecca
before migrating to Medina from where he
united the tribes of Arabia into a singular Arab
Muslim religious polity.
● Muhammad's death in 632 AD, disagreement
broke out over who would succeed him as leader
of the Muslim community.
● Abu Bakr became leader of the Muslims as the
first Caliph.
The Middle Ages
● In political terms Arabia soon became a
peripheral region of the Islamic world in which
the most important medieval Islamic states were
based at various times in such far away cities as
Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo.
● However, from the 10th century (and, in fact,
until the 20th century) the Hashemite Sharifs of
Mecca maintained a state in the most developed
part of the region, the Hejaz. Their domain
originally comprised only the holy cities of
Mecca and Medina but in the 13th century it was
extended to include the rest of the Hejaz.
Although, the Sharifs exercised at most times
independent authority in the Hejaz, they were
usually subject to the suzerainty of one ofthe
major Islamic empires of the time. In the Middle
Ages, these included the Abbasids of Baghdad,
and the Fatimids, Ayyubids and Mamluks of
Egypt.
Modern History
● The Provincial Ottoman Army for Arabia
(Arabistan Ordusu) was headquartered in Syria
which included Palestine, the Transjordan region
in addition to Lebanon (Mount Lebanon was
however a semi-autonomous mutasarrifate).
● The Ottomans never had any control over central
Arabia, also known as the Najd Region.
● In the modern era, the term Bilad al-Yaman
came to refer specifically to the southwestern
parts of the peninsula. Arab geographers started
to refer to the whole peninsula as 'jazirat al-
Arab' or the peninsula of the Arabs.
Late Ottoman rule and the Hejaz Railway
● In the beginning of the 20th century, the
Ottomans embarked on an ambitious project: the
construction of a railway connecting Istanbul,
the capital of the Ottoman Empire and the seat
of the Islamic Caliphate, and Hejaz with its
holiest shrines of Islam which are the yearly
pilgrimage destination of the Hajj. goal was to
improve the economic and political integration
of the distant Arabian provinces into the
Ottoman state, and to facilitate the transportation
of military troops in case of need. The railway
was started in 1900 at the behest of the Ottoman
Sultan Abdul Hamid II and was built largely by
the Turks, with German advice and support.
Culture of Saudi Arabia
● The cultural setting of Saudi Arabia is Arab and
Islam, and society itself is in general deeply
religious, conservative, traditional, and family
oriented.
● The Wahhabi Islamic movement, which arose in
the 18th century and is sometimes described as
austerely puritanical, now predominates in the
country. Following the principle of "enjoining
good and forbidding wrong", there are many
limitations on behaviour and dress are strictly
enforced both legally and socially, often more so
than in other Muslim countries. Alcoholic
beverages are prohibited, for example, and there
is no theatre or public exhibition of films.
● Religious holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-
Adha.
The Qur'an
● Qur'an means 'recitation' and in early times
the text was transmitted orally.
● The Qur'an had a significant influence on the
Arab language. The language used in it is called
classical Arabic, and while modern Arabic is
very similar, the classical has social prestige.
● With its 114 suras (chapters) which contain
6,236 ayat (verses).
● It contains injunctions, narratives, homilies,
parables, direct addresses from God, instructions
and even comments on itself on how it will be
received and understood. It is also,
paradoxically, admired for its layers of metaphor
as well as its clarity, a feature it mentions itself
in sura 16:103.
● The Qur'an widely regarded by people as the
finest piece of literature in the Arabic
language, would have the greatest lasting effect
on Arabic culture and its literature. Arabic
literature flourished during the Islamic Golden
Age but has remained vibrant to the present day
with poets and prose-writers across the Arab
world achieving increasing success.
Two Cathegories of Muslims
1) Secularist - do not have knowlwdge of the
contents of the Quran and only know a verse or
two to justify njoying their life such as: “Wealth
and children are the adorment of the life of this
world” (Surat Al-Kahf 18:46)
2) Fundamentalist - who wants to apply the more
extreme verses of the Quran to the letter. These
verses came to Muhammad after he was a strong
military and after he realize that the Christianand
Jews were not becoming followers of hisnew
religion.
Eight Fundamental Beliefs of Muslims
1. The Prophet Muhammad urges Muslims to fight
in the cause of Allah.
2. The Quran commands Muslims not to be friend
Jews and Christian.
3. The Quran commands Muslims to fight Jews
and Christian.
4. The Quran commands Muslim to fight non-
Muslims until they exterminate all other
religions and Islam woulb be the only religion in
the world.
5. The Quran commandMuslim to terrorize and
torture and kill anyone who disobey Allah and
the prophet Muhammad.
6. The Quran declares that Allah loves those who
fight in his cause.
7. The Quran commands Muslims to convert non-
Muslims to Islam by force.
8. The Quran declares that Muslims who fight and
die in the battle are promised forgiveness and a
sexual luxurious life in Paradise.
Men and Women Dress
Women - Saudi Arabia's human rights record especially
with regards to protecting women has often been called
into question. Although women's rights have been
incrementally extended in recent years – they were ● Diaries
allowed to vote in municipal elections for the first time ● Literary Theory and Criticism
last year - their actions are still severely restricted Sep ● Maqama
27, 2016.
Fiction Literature
While all versions of Islam suggest a woman should
● Epic Literature
dress modestly, often covering her hair and body, Saudi
● Romantic Literature
Arabia is one of the only Muslim-majority countries that
● Murder Mystery
legally imposes a dress code (Iran is another). Women,
● Satire and Comedy
foreign and local, must wear an abaya (a few get away
● Theatre
with long coats) in public places.
● Philosophical Novels
● Women - Abaya ● Science Fiction
Men - a thawb or thobe, or jalabiyyah in Libya, is an Poetry
ankle-length Arab garment, usually with long sleeves,
● A large proportion of Arabic literature before the
similar to a robe. It is commonly worn in the Arabian
20th century is in the form of poetry and even
Peninsula, Iraq and neighbouring Arab countries.
prose from this period is either filled with
Arabic Literature snippets of poetry or is in the form of saj or
rhymed prose.
● Arabic literature is the writing both prose and
● The themes of the poetry range from high-flown
poetry produced by writers in the Arabic
hymns of praise to bitter personal attacks and
language. The Arabic word used for literature
from religious and mystical ideas to poems on
is "Adab", which is derived from a meaning of
women and wine.
etiquette, and which implies politeness, culture
● The poetry and much of the prose was written
and enrichment.
with the design that it would be spoken aloud
● Arabic literature emerged in the 5th century with
and great care was taken to make all writing as
only fragments of the written language
mellifluous as possible.
appearing before then.
Modern Poetry
Maqama
● During the 19th century, a revival took place in
● Maqama not only straddles the divide between
Arabic literature, along with much of Arabic
prose and poetry being instead a form of rhymed
culture, and is referred to in Arabic as "al-
prose it is also part way between fiction and
Nahda", which means "the Renaissance". This
non-fiction.
resurgence of writing in Arabic was confined
● Over a series of short narratives, which are
mainly to Syria, Egypt and Lebanon until the
fictionalised versions of real life situations
20th century when it spread to other countries in
different ideas are contemplated.
the region.
● Maqama also makes use of the doctrine of badi
● Throughout the 20th century, Arabic writers in
or deliberately adding complexity to display the
both poetry and prose have reflected the
writer's dexterity with language. Al-Hamadhani
changing political and social climate of the Arab
is regarded as the originator of the maqama and
world in their work. Anti-colonial themes were
his work was taken up by Abu
prominent early in the 20th century, with writers
● Muhammad al-Qasim al-Hariri with one of al-
continuing to explore the region's relationship
Hariri's maqama a study of al-Hamadhani own
with the West until the present day.
work.
● Poetry retains a very important status in the
● Maqama was an incredibly popular form of
Arab world. Mahmoud Darwish was regarded as
Arabic literature, being one of the few forms
the Palestinian national poet, and his funeral was
which continued to be written during the decline
attended by thousands of mourners. Syrian poet
of Arabic in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Nizar Qabbani addressed less political themes,
Non-fiction Literature but was regarded as a cultural icon, and his
poems provide the lyrics for many popular songs
● Biography, History, and Geography
 Modern Novels
● Neo-classical movement - which sought to
rediscover the literary traditions of the past, and
was influenced by traditional literary genres—
such as the maqama—and works like One
Thousand and One Nights. In contrast, a
modernist movement began by translating
Western modernist works—primarily novels—
into Arabic.
● Modern Arabic novel - the study of family life
with obvious resonances of the wider family of
the Arabic world.[according to whom? Many of
the novels have been unable to avoid the politics
and conflicts of the region with war often acting
as background to intimate family dramas.
The Arabian Knights
● The Arabian Nights is a collection of tales
from the Islamic Golden Age compiled by
various authors over many hundreds of years.
● Each collection features different stories.
● One Thousand and One Nights is a collection
of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and
folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic
Golden Age.
● "The Frame Story" he rules over the kingdom
of India and begins the practice of marrying
wives and killing them the next morning until
Scheherazade begins to tell him stories every
night.
● Characters:
○ Shahzaman
○ Scheherazade
○ Dinarzad
○ Aladdin
○ Sultan
○ The beautiful princess
○ The magician.
The Prophet
● A book of 26 prose poetry fables written in
English by the Lebanese- American artist,
philosopher and writer Kahlil Gibran.
● It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred
A. Knopf.
● It is Gibran's best known work.
● The Prophet has been translated into over 40
different languages and has never been out of
print.
The Lady and Her Five Suitors
● A lady’s lover is put into jail. To get him out she
invites all the important people of state to her
house. The Kazi, Wali, Wazir and King are
tricked into her home as they all desire her. She
gets the Wali write a release note for her lover.
They are put into a cabinet because they each
time fear the next one to be the lady’s husband.
The carpenter is locked up because he has a
dispute with the lady over the size of the cabinet.
The lady leaves the city with her lover. The five
suitors are released by the neighbours after
urinating on each other.
● The story of a young woman who fell in love
with her brother
The Lady and Her Five Suitors by: Arabian Night
The wife of a merchant loves a man when her husband is
away. One day this man is cast into prison because of a
quarrel he had. The woman clads herself in the most
beautiful CLOTHES and goes to magistrate. She brings
a paper to testify against the imprisonment of her
‘brother’. The magistrate immediately falls in love with
her. He will let him go if she comes to his house, but she
invites the Wali to hers. He accepts. Then she goes to the
Kazi telling of a Wali who has imprisoned her brother.
The Kazi falls in love with her and promises her to let
him go. She also invites him to her house. Then she goes
to the Wazir asking for the release of her brother. The
Wazir want to have his will on her and he is also invited
to her home. Finally she goes to the King of the city.
After telling her story he is pierced with the arrows of
love. He invites her to his palace, but she says he would
do much more honour entering her home. The lady goes
to a carpenter to ask him to make a cabinet with five
compartments, each with a DOOR for locking up. Next
she lets four gowns be dyed and prepares food and drink.
The Kazi comes first to her home and he is put on one of
the gowns. After a while there is a tapping on the DOOR
and the lady says it is her husband and takes the Kazi to
the lowest compartment to hide him. When she opens
the doors there is the Wali. She asks him to write a letter
to free her ‘brother’ from the gaol which he does. He is
asked to put on the second gown. Then there is another
tapping on the door and again she says it is her husband.
The Wali is put into the second compartment. When she
opens the door it is the Wazir, they play a bit with each
other and he is given the third gown. Then there is
another knock on the door. She puts the Wazir in the
third compartment and opens the door. The King has
arrived and after some talk desires her. His rich robes are
exchanged for the fourth gown. But another knocking is
at the door. She again says it is her husband and locks
the King up in the fourth compartment. The carpenter
enters her house. She tells him the top compartment is
too strait.
The carpenter disagrees and to prove himself goes into
the fifth compartment, upon which she closes it. Then
the lady goes to the treasurer with the letter the Wali
wrote to release her lover. They both leave the city
Meanwhile the five in the cabinet stayed within for three
days wthout food or drink. They cannot hold their water
and urinate over each other. When they complain they
know who the others are in the cabinet, except for the
King, because he remains silent. Then the neighbours
break into the house to see what is going on in the house.
When they see the cabinet with the voices coming out
they fear there is are Jinni inside it and want to set the
thing on fire. But the Kazi screams not to. They are
released and shown in the attires the lady prepared for
them.
The Lady and Her Five Suitors Characters:
● Lady’s husband
● The lady
● Kazi
● Wali
● Wazir
● King
● Carpenter
Chinese Literature
 Chinese Civilization – one of the few ancient
civilizations to have its individual writing
concept.
● The Chinese language has over 20,000
characters the average Chinese only learns
about 5,000 of these in his lifetime.
● Flag of China was originally adopted on October
1, 1949
● The red of the Chinese flag symbolizes the
Communist Revolution and also the tradition
color of the people.
● The large gold star represent Communism
and Communism means a way of organizing a
society in which a government own.
● The four smaller stars represent the social
classes of the people.
● The Republic of China has an area of 9, 597
million sq. km. and the capital city of China is
Beijing.
● The famous landmark in China is the Great
Wall of China (also known as the “Ten
Thousand Li Wall”. One Li is equals to 500
meters, the walls is over 1,500 miles in length.
● The administration of China has 23 provinces,
5 autonomous region, 4 municipalities and 2
special administrative regions.
● The religions and beliefs of Chinese people are
Islam over 22 million, Catholicism is 4 million
and Protestant over 10 million.
● There are also Atheist who doesn’t believe in
God.
● Confucianism - an ethical teaching founded by
Confucius.
● Confucius - is a Chinese Teacher, editor,
politician and philosopher of the spring and
autumn period of Chinese history.
● The opposite of Confucianism is Taoism and
the most important religion that encompasses a
variety of tradition and beliefs and spiritual
practices largely based on teaching attributed to
the Buddha.
Confucius
● born 28 of September 551 BC, KONG QUI the
1st name and died 479 BC.
● he is the founder of Confucianism Influences
– 1 Ching, Book of Rites
● his philosophy emphasized personal and
governmental morality, correctness of social
relationships, justice and sincerity.
● his followers completed successfully with many
other school during the hundred school of
thoughts era only to be suppressed in favor of
the legalists during the Qin dynasty.
● he also recommend family as a basis for local
government.
● he embrace the well known principle “ Do not
do unto others what you don’t want others to
do unto you” – the Golden Rule.
Culture and Traditions of Chinese
Wedding
● Red is the color of wedding in China because
they believe it signifies love, joy, and prosperity
to seclusion.
● Seclusion means away from other people.
● The wedding day is carefully chosen to
astrological signs.
 Chinese New Year
● The most important event in China is the
Chinese New Year and they are celebrating it on
the 1st day of the year in lunar calendar,
usually between late in January or early
February.
Lantern Festival
● They are celebrating it on the 15th day of the
1st Lunar Calendar and in the 5th of 5th
Lunar Month they are celebrating the
Dragon Boat Festival.
Education in China
● The education in China has always been a highly
valued and the great master Confucius thought
that it is a pleasure to learn something and try it
out at intervals. Similarly, numerous students
have been convinced that reading books excels
all others careers.
The Chinese has 7 dialects and these are:
● Mandarin
● Cantonese
● Hakka
● Wu
● Min
● Xiang
● Gan
Chinese Literature is one of the most major literacy
with an interrupted history and more that 30,000 years,
dating back at least to the 14th century.
4 Classes of Literature
1) Classical Literature (1644-1911) - refers to
the earliest period and covers works from
3,000 yeas ago to the late Qing dynasty and is
virtually unbroken strands enduring dynastic
changes. Written in ancient form of language
that is very different from present day Chinese,
it needs to be carefully studied to be understand.
2) Modern Literature - refers to the period from
the Opium War in 1840 to the may fourth
movement in 1919.
● Opium War - this is the war between
two wars in the mid 19th century
involving Anglo Chinese dispute over
the British.
○ People observed the impact of
Western thought as foreigners
poured China and established
their colonies, novels, poetry
and other works begun to appear
with the theme o patriotism and
revelation of social literature.
3) Contemporary Literature (1919-1949) -
spanned period from 1919 to the foundation
of modern in 1949 and took on a new vigor
despite the fact that Chinese was in the
checkered and complicated times.
4) Present Age Literature 1949-Present) -
evolved since the establishments of the
People’s Republic in 1949 duringthis time.
● There was a Logjam as a consequence
of the cultural resolution that lasted for
near 10 years that era is now long past
and we now have a favorable turn events
and a great number of responsible
written works.
Dynasty in China
1. Shang Dynasty ( 1700-1050 BC) – Development of
Chinese Writing
● 1st Dynasty
● Hieroglyphics writing on bronze wares and
oracle bones
● It evolved into ideographic and partly- phonetic
Chinese characters.
2. Zhou Dynasty ( 1045-225 BC) – Basic Philosophical
and religious Literature
● Oldest dynasty
● Major literary achievements originatedin the late
Spring and Autumn period and Warring State
period.
3. Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) – Literary Disaster and
Legalism
● Mohism – big philosophical and religious
school
● Li Si – Qin emperor who introduced a writing
system and developed into Modern Chinese
writing.
● Legalism – philosophical school.
4. Han Dynasty (206 – 220 BC) – Scientific and
Historical Texts
● Era’s major contributions were historical texts
and scientific works.
● Sima Qian – wrote Historical Records
 ● Historical records – major history concerning
the overall history of China from Shang Dynasty
to Han Dynasty.
● Cai Lun – 1st person in the world to create
writing paper.
5. Tang Dynasty (618-907) – Early Woodblock Printing
and Poetry
● Dufu and Li Bai – China’s greatest poets.
● Li Bai – one of the greatest Romantic poets.
● Dufu – one of the greatest Realists poets
6. Song Dynasty (960-1279) – Early Woodblock
Printing. Travel Literature, Poetry, Scientific texts and
the Neo- Confucian Classics
● 5 Classics and 4 Books – written in the classical
language.
● Shen Kuo and Su Song – both work scientific
treatises
● Shen – discovered the concepts of true north and
magnetic declination.
● Su Song – famous for his hydraulic-powered
astronomical clock tower.
7. Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) – Drama and Great
Fictional novels
● Guan Hanquing – one of the best playwrights
of the times.
● Mid Summer Snow – one of the most popular
drama pieces.
● The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and
Water Margin – two of the four greatest novels
in Chinese Literature.
● The Romance of the Western Chamber by
Wang Shifu – one of the best romantic dramas
ever written in China.
8. Ming Dynasty (1368- 1644) – Novels
● Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en – based
on the historical journey of a Buddhist to India
9. Qing Dynasty (1644- 1911) – Novels and Pre –
modern Literature
● Manchus – established the last dynasty.
● The Dream of the Red Chamber – last of
China’s four great classic novels.
Japanese Literature
Facts about Japan
● Nippon - “ Land of the Rising Sun”
● Japan known now as a developed country
which is famous because of its inventions,
companies and arts. Here we are going to reveal
some Japanese cultures, and some of their
heritage that have a great effect on their culture.
● Japan as a country has a past with its styles in its
own tradition in clothing, building and foods.
Clothing: Japanese people used their traditional
clothing in the past, now they wear it just in special
occasions.
● Yukata “for men”
● Kimono “for women”
● Zori “sandals”
JAPANESE STYLES
Buildings & Gardens: In Japan there are many different
buildings and gardens, that are a big part of its culture.
They do not actually come from Japan, their ideas come
from China.
Japanese Literature
● One of the major literatures of the world
comparable to English literature in age and
variety.
● One of the major bodies of Oriental Literature. It
is less voluminous than Chinese Literaturebut
comparable to Arabic, Persian and Indian
Literature. It covers the period from the fifth
century A.D to the present.
● Poems and odes to the Gods were composed in
the early Japanese Language before the art of
writing was known in Japan. Only fragments of
this Literature have survived, but these are
thought to have been extensive. During the first
centuries of writing in Japan, the spoken
language and written language were identical.
The Tale of Genji
Written by Japanese writer Murasaki Shikibu in the
11th century, is generally regarded as the earliest
novel in any culture and as the greatest masterpiece
of Japanese literature. In this scene from the novel,
Prince Genji is visiting with his favorite wife, Murasaki,
while watching his housemaids, whom he has sent
outside to build a snowman. The novel is remarkable for
its detailed depiction of the refined culture of Heian-
period Japan.
 Classical and Heian Period (700-1185)
Man’yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) (ca.
700-750), the oldest collection of Japanese poetry,
was compiled in the 8th century and consists of more
than 4,000 poems, some of which date from as early
as the 5th century. While consisting mainly of 31
syllable poems (tanka, also called waka), it also contains
many examples of long poems (choka). The subject
matter of the poems varies from travel descriptions to
elegies and poems of love and loss. There are also
poems reflecting Chinese and Buddhist influences. The
Man’yoshu poems are direct and accessible to any
audience unfamiliar with Japanese culture and the
conventions of Japanese poetry.
Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Child’s Play (1895-96) by Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896)
Set in the pleasure quarters of the late Meiji era, this
short story focuses on neighborhood adolescents who
experience the beginning of adulthood. A gang of
boys and one girl, once close-knit playmates, drift apart
as they face the inevitabilities of growing up. Two
characters in the story, Nobu, a boy following the path to
priesthood, and Midori, a girl who will eventually
become a prostitute in the licensed brothel quarters, hold
mutual affection for one another but sadly realize that
their paths will never cross as they are about to shoulder
life’s responsibilities.
Medieval and Tokugawa Periods (1185-1868
The Tale of the Heike (ca. 1250) The Tale of the Heike
is a warrior epic of the historic battles between the
Genji (Minamoto clan) and the Heike (Taira clan)
between 1169 and 1185. The Tale follows the rise of
the Heike, their arrogance and abuse of power, and their
destruction at the hands of the Genji. Students who are
interested in the transition to and the rise of the warrior
class in Japanese history will find this a content-rich
work.
JAPANESE LITERATURE
● In written form from at least the 8th century
AD to the present.
● One of the oldest and richest national
literatures. Since the late 1800s, Japanese
writings have become increasingly familiar
abroad.
● Genres such as haiku verse, nō drama, and the
Japanese novel have had a substantial impact on
literature in many parts of the world.
Japanese Ancient Literature (Pre-8th Century)
● With the introduction of kanji (漢字, lit.
"Chinese characters") from the Asian mainland,
writing became possible, as there was no native
writing system. Consequently, the only literary
language was classical Chinese to begin with;
later, the characters were adapted to write
Japanese, creating what is known as the
man'yōgana, the earliest form of kana, or
syllabic writing. Japanese Ancient Literature
(pre-8th Century)
● Nara Period include Kojiki (712: a partly
mythological, partly accurate history of Japan)
● Nihonshoki (720: a chronicle with a slightly
more solid foundation in historical records than
the Kojiki), and Man'yōshū (759: a poetry
anthology).
● The language used in the works of this period
differs significantly from later periods in both its
grammar and phonology. Even in this early era,
significant dialectal differences within Japanese
are apparent.
Writers Behind Japanese Literature
Tanizaki Jun’ichirō
● Many of the works of Japanese author focus on
male-female relationships.
● He is best known for Tade kuu mushi (1929;
Some Prefer Nettles, 1955) about a failing
marriage.
Natsume Soseki
● Japanese author
● First gained public attention with his Wagahai
wa neko de aru (1906; I Am a Cat, 1961)
● A generally light-hearted series of observations
that a cat makes about humans. Soseki later
published more serious psychological novels.
Japanese Writings
1. KANJI The Kanji includes about 2000
"characters" derived from Chinese starting more
than 1500 years ago, with more than 5,000 possible
pronounciations [a single character may have from one
to more than six or seven] and covering at least 5000
possible "meanings" or "semantic fields" which form the
heart of the writing system. Most of these would be
recognized by most educated Japanese readers. Several
thousand more Kanji were also adopted for use by the
Japanese (and have "standardized" Japanese
pronounciations)
2. KANA Some time after adopting Chinese characters,
the Japanese developed two syllabaries (KANA),
partially derived from Kanji. Syllabaries are writing
systems in which whole syllables, rather than discrete
sounds (phonemes), are represented by signs which
cannot be broken down into their constituent sound
elements.
● 2A. Hiragana In this syllabary verb endings
and other grammatical elements-not present in
the Chinese character system– and other features
of the Japanese language are reflected in
writing.Hiragana appears to be more cursive
("rounder") than katakana.
● 2B. Katakana This syllabary, which covers
exactly the same syllable sound-system, is
used primarily for writing out the sounds of
borrowed words (especially of non-Asian
origins) and for emphasis. Katakana is written in
a more angular, linear form than is hiragana.
● 2C. Furigana These are smaller than usual
syllable signs (usually hiragana) that are
written alongside or above a Kanji primarily
to indicate its correct pronounciation
(remember that any Kanjimay have several
pronounciations or readings which may or may
not alter its meaning).
Japanes Ceremonies
● The Wedding Ceremony
● The Tea Ceremony
● The Birth Ceremony
● The Death Ceremony
Festivals and Celebrations
Many festivals and celebrations had its own customs:
● Many involved contests that tested athletic,
poetic, or artistic skill.
● For example, in the Festival of the Snake, cups
of wine were floated in a stream. Guests took a
cup and drank from it. Then they had to think up
and recite a poem.