Asian Literature

Unit Introduction
 Important Terms
• Aphorism • Journal
• Confucianism • Anecdote
• Taoism • Parable
• Zen Buddhism • Paradox
• Tao • Poetry
– Moral force – Narrative
– Natural order – Lyric
– Dramatic
– Shih
 More Terms…
• Meter • Sound Devices
• Iambic Pentameter – Rhyme
• Free Verse – Alliteration
– Assonance
• Rhythm – Consonance
• Stanzas – Onomatopoeia
• Songs/Ballads • Figurative Language
• Refrains – Imagery
• Incremental Variation – Simile
– Metaphor
– Personification
– Oxymoron
 Haiku and Tanka
• Haiku: • Tanka
– Three lines – Five lines
– Kigo – Caesura
– Syllabic structure – Syllabic Structure
• 5 syllables • 5 syllables
• 7 syllables • 7 syllables
• 5 syllables • 5 syllables
• 7 syllables
• 7 syllables