21 Century Literature

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from the Philippines

and the World
      

Lesson     

10 Asian Literature: Japanese

 

  
Japanese literature has been
influenced heavily by the Chinese
literature from the ancient period all
the way to the Edo Period (1603-1868)
which corresponds to the early modern
Japanese literature. Japanese literary
works also reveal elements of Indian
and later of Western elements but
above all, they reveal a distinct style
which has also greatly influenced both
Eastern and Western literatures.
Japanese literature can be divided
into four periods: the ancient,
classical, medieval, and modern.
 
Ancient literature in Japan deals
primarily with myths and legends. Tales
like the creation of Japan, wherein the
islands came from the gemstones
imbued in the swords of gods are very
prominent during this period. The
celebrated writers during this period are
Ono Yasumaro, Nihon Shoki, and
Man’yoshu who wrote based on real
events in the country.
The classical literature in Japan
occurred during the golden age, the
Heian period. During this period,
Murasaki Shikibu, one of the greatest
Japanese writers, wrote the seminal
text, Tale of Genji. Tale of Genji,
considered the world’s first novel, is a
very charming and accurate depiction of
the Japanese court during the Heian
period under the reign of Empress
Akiko.
History and literature were
intertwined during the Medieval
period due to the influence of the
civil wars and the emergence of the
warrior class. Thus, war tales are
very prominent during this period.
Besides war stories and tales, the
popular form of Japanese poetry,
the renga, saw its rise.
Modern literature can be further divided
into early modern, which happened
during the Edo period, and modern, which
started during the Meiji period, when
Japan opened its doors to the West. The
early modern gave way to the rise of new
genres like the Japanese drama, kabuki,
the poetry form known for its simplicity
and subtlety, haiku, and the yomihon, a
type of Japanese book which put little
emphasis on illustration.
The modern period also marked the
emergence of new styles of writing. Japanese
writers started to romanticize and tried
experimenting with different genres and
subject matters. The Second World War
heavily affected Japanese literature but
soon, the distinct Japanese style of writing
manage to regain its popularity. Some of the
prominent modern Japanese writers are
Yasunari Kawabata, Kobi Abe, Takiji
Kobayashi, and Haruki Murakami to mention a
few.
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