Southeast Asian Literature

Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia,

Thailand, Burma, Laos,
Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei,
Indonesia, East Timor

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Topics of Discussion
 Role of Literature in the community
that reads them
 Different Genres
 Themes

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 Roles
Literature is Education
Literature is Hope
Literature is a subversive
act

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Literature is Education
 Living History
 Gives a voice to the people
 Conveys quality of life
 Geography - Rural vs. Urban
 Shows people land and relate to it
 Explores relationship between Men
and Women and identifies gender
role
 Political Power and its corruption
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Literature is Hope
 “Even in hopelessness there is
hope” (Prof. Grant Olson)
 Poem (Burma) “Let’s Go to Tahiti”
 Short Story (Vietnamese) To Live
 Novel (Philippines) Noli Me
Tangere
 “Writers hope to bring the spirit of
reform into all spheres of life”

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Literature is a
Subversive Act
 A medium for change
 Writers and Readers alike join in
the act
 Promotes Social Responsibility
and Social Consciousness

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 Genres
 Traditional Oral Literature- Folktales,
Proverbs, Riddles, legends
 Religious Narratives and Literature-
Buddhist Codes and verses, Jataka
Tales
 Narrative Poetry - Epic Stories
 Non-narrative Poetry - songs, love
poems etc.
 Historical Novels
 Contemporary Literature - novels,
short stories, poems
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 Themes
 Animals and Forest
 Supernatural/Mythical Beings and
their journeys
 Gender Roles
 Strong Familial Relationship, loyalty
and Identity, Ethnocentricity
 Prostitution
 Rural vs. Urban

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 Themes
 Poignancy of Love Relationship
 Wheels of Fate
 Importance of Reciprocity
 Struggles between humanity and
poverty
 Strength of Human Character
 Political Corruption
 Nationalism and anti-colonialism

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Other themes
 Fortune Telling
 Karma, Justice, Responsibility and
Retribution
 Nature, Society, and Humanity
uniting together
 Sadness of life
 River is life and society
 The will to love

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