Social Criticism in Asian Literature - Essay Example

Social Criticism in Asian Literature Name Institution Introduction Social criticism is a concept that involves using different avenues to address specific political, social, cultural, economic and religious issues in society (State University of New York, 2005). Social criticism has for a long time been expressed through literature and has taken various forms depending on how acceptable it was to criticize the reality in the society or the state of the world at a certain time. Literature as a form of art is a source of debate, dialogue and exchange of ideas that are reflected in these works. Works of literature have been used to share human experiences that paint or present the existing social realities. This makes literature more than art due to the great role it plays in the society (Ogundokun, 2013). Works of literature that have elements of social criticism have close links to the period in which they were written such that the criticisms in such works reflect the state of the society or political environment at the time. This means that one may need to study the time in which literary works were written to understand the arguments in such works. Authors of works of literature have in the past used their positions to articulate the issues affecting the society at different times such as during wars (Ogundokun, 2013). Such works have also been used to call for certain social and political changes such as the involvement of women in societal issues. Based on this background, this essay focuses on the content and themes of modern Asian literature with emphasis on how social criticism has been expressed in such works of literature. The essay specifically focuses on modern literature in China and Japan. Defining Modern Asian Literature Modern Asian literature is in various forms such as novels, poems, performed literature among others. Modernism in literature does not refer to time but rather a body of literature that was different and had certain characteristics. The Japan modern literature, for example, covers the period between 1868 and 1945 (Zhang, 2016). Modern Asian literature covers the works of literature written in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In the Chinese context, Modern literature refers to New Literature that arose after the New Cultural Movement (Zhang, 2016). The twentieth century was one of the most tumultuous periods marked by social change in China. This period marks the rise of the Chinese Communists and the emergence of the new China under a stable government. The change experienced in China during the twentieth century has contributed to the great economic growth experienced today (Wong, 1996). The revolution that led to this change had something to do with works of literature during this period. Japanese literature, on the other hand, was adopted from Chinese literature writing system. The early literary works of the Japanese were heavily influenced by their contact with the Chinese especially during the war or their invasions into China. Literature Genres The major genres of modern Asian literature include poetry, drama, fiction, and prose. There are also different types of literature such as translated literature, popular literature and women’s literature. These types are particularly common in Chinese literature. Translated literature refers to that literature written in Chinese of Japanese languages, for example, and then translated to English (Zhang, 2016). This also covers the translations of Western literature to Japanese or Chinese languages. Such translations are common as a way to understand the different linguistic techniques employed by the authors in different types. They are also used for comparison. Popular literature refers to literature influenced by Western popular culture. The era of globalization has led to the spread and adoption of western popular culture in different aspects of works of art all over the world. This is what is referred to as Americanization. One of the greatest aspects of the classical literature in Asia was the fact that it adopted the realistic style and social criticism. This means that the different works of literature were used to critic or criticize certain social and political aspects to foster change. In China, for example, the Chinese Communist Movement would make use of these works of literature to push for a new China (Wong, 1996). This is not different from the Japanese literature where social criticism and political ideas were incorporated in literary forms after the Meiji Restoration. The proletarian movement also made use of works of literature by using literary works in order to try to induce reform in response to social inequalities. Key Themes The key themes that are used in modern Asian literature include acceptance or rejection of Westernization, women’s roles, Japanese and Chinese identity, coping with occupation and patriotism (Zhang, 2016). Modern literature in Asia was and continues to show concern for the spread of Westernization which has also affected the literary styles used by Asian authors. Such influence can be seen with the introduction and spread of the popular culture which has also been reflected in literary works such as in animations and fictions (Chen & Zheng, 2013). Themes of rejection of westernization are common in modern literature in Asian countries. One of the distinct features of Asian countries is their rich culture and the desire to maintain their traditions and culture. This shows why the rejection of Westernization features as a theme especially during a time when most Asian countries had revolutions and wars. There was also acceptance of Westernization and literary skills introduced by Europeans and Americans. The Meiji era in Japan was a period when Japan was re-opened to the West as the country experienced rapid industrialization. The re-opening of Japan to the West also led to the introduction of European and American literature which introduced new themes and concepts. Novelists and other literary artists embraced these concepts and themes into their works. In China, the modern literature, especially in the twentieth century, focused on social reform. These reforms suggested by Chinese literary works were in response to the invasion of the Western powers and literary authors. Lu Xun, for example, in his works he embraced romanticism with the intent being to criticize the old fashioned traditions and social ailments in Chinese society at the time. This reflects the use of social criticism and was all geared towards promoting social development (Mayer, 2011). It is during this period that the Chinese vernacular language movement was forced to change from Romanticism to realism. Realism pushed for the use of real life experiences in literary works to portray the state of the Chinese society (Mayer, 2011). Women’s role also emerges as a key theme in the modern Asian literature. This is because since the classical period the role of women was ignored and masculinity was embraced (Klemm, 2010). Women’s role in the society was used as a theme and as a way of social criticism to the stereotypical perception of women. Ogai Mori’s The Wild Geese is one of the Japanese novels that was employed the concept of social criticism particularly on the role of women in the society (Klemm, 2010). The novel narrates a story that focuses on the Japanese society at the time showing the emotionally cold and turbulent times the Japanese people were going through. The story also shows the way the Japanese society was going through rapid changes in attitudes and moral values after the end of the Edo and Meiji periods. It showed the end of the turmoil in Japan and a new era marking the beginning of a modern Japan. It also incorporated the Japanese identity theme by speaking of the state of the society and the need for a new Japan and a new identity that excludes oppression. The novel also highlights women’s lack of power to decide their destiny and the stereotypical view of women at the time. Ogai uses the novel to push for social change through the recognition of the role of women in the society (Klemm, 2010). The Chinese identity theme has also been used in several modern literary works. These works also adopt social criticism in a bid to push for a better China. The May Fourth Movement in China had a group of intellectuals that wrote in vernacular pushing for the destruction of the old ways and the rise of a new, clean and healthy China (State University of New York, 2005). These ideas were represented in literary works as a way to demand change. One of the notable novelists who helped push for the May Fourth Movement agenda is Lu Xun who used his satirical works such as A Madman Diary and The True Story of Ah Q to show disdain for the Chinese society at the time and to demand change. Another modern literature novelist that who employed the concept of social criticism in his work was Lao She. Through his works such as Richshaw Boy, he created a humorous and satirical view of the modern Chinese society which showed his push for change or something better for the Chinese people. There was also the revolutionary literature that replaced literary revolution. Revolutionary literature used themes such as ethnic outrage, national identity and anger or annoyance towards Japanese invasions. Some of the notable works where social criticism was used include Diary of Miss Sophie by Ding Ling which pushed for the formation of a new Chinese identity and a new China free from oppression. Other key themes common in Asian literary works include relationships and ethics. Chinese literature, for example, is fond of incorporating the idea of family and the functionality of human relationships (Lee et al., 2014). These literary works contain many characters who are joined by family ties such as in The Dream of the Red Chamber where there are 983 characters who are connected by one family. The importance of ethics is also intertwined in the literary works in Asia. Both Chinese and Japanese cultures value ethics and this is one of the reasons why they oppose westernization as a way to protect such traditions and culture from being eroded by western influence (Lee et al., 2014). In Japan, ethics is reflected in the latter works of two of the most famous modern Japan novelists, Akutagwa Ryunosuke and Mori Ogai. Although these novelists argued against any ethical imperatives in their novels, their novels took an ethical dimension. The works of these authors pushed for the ethics of self-consciousness for every individual to push for change in the Japanese society. Ogai was also influential due to his works of translating German and European literature which contained literature criticisms (Weinberger, 2009). Conclusion Modern Asian literature was developed as part of the efforts to ensure social and political changes in Asian societies. In China and Japan, the rise of modern Asian literature came as an attempt by different movements to push for change in the societies at the time. The modern literary genres include poetry, fiction and drama. These were the avenues that were used to express the different ideas during the modern literature period which was characterized by the need for social reforms and development. There were also three different types of literature that emerged during this period which include popular literature, translated literature and women’s literature. Common themes used included the role of women, national identity, annoyance ethics among others. In both the Chinese and Japanese modern literary works, social criticism was employed as a way to ensure changes to the social infrastructure. The modern literature in Japan started after the end of the Meiji period which marked the end of oppression and the win by the proletariat. In China, modern literature began through the efforts of the Communist movement and the May Fourth Movement whose aim was to use literature to criticize some social systems. Modern literature was also instrumental to resisting Western influence, especially in literary works by ensuring that the local traditions were observed and that the outdated literary skills were replaced. The use of the social criticism concept is one of the common aspects of modern literature in both Japan and China. Modern literature embraced new literary styles and with it came the need to critic the social fabric and push for change through literary works. References Chen, X. & Sheng,, A. (2013). A survey of twentieth-century literary theory and criticism in Chinese. Comparative Literature and Culture, 15(6), 1-9. Klemm, A. (2010). Social criticism in Japanese literature: Reading between the lines of Ogai Mori’s The Wild Geese. Asian Journal of Literature, Culture and Society, 4(1), 145-150. Lee, J., Frank, R., Wang, Y., Lyu, H. & Po, L. (2014). Reflections on literature: East and West. Global Asia Journal. Mayer, I. (2011). Dreaming in isolation: Magical realism in modern Japanese literature. Carnegie Mellon University. Ogundokun, S. (2013). Literature and society: A new reading of Sembene Ousmane’s Le Mandat. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 5(1), 120-134. State University of New York (2005). Poetry as political and social criticism. State University of New York Press, Albany. Wong, W. (1996). Chinese literature, the creative imagination and globalization. Macalester International 3(8), 37-60. Zhang, Y. (2016). A companion to modern Chinese literature. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. Read More

Translated literature refers to that literature written in Chinese of Japanese languages, for example, and then translated to English (Zhang, 2016). This also covers the translations of Western literature to Japanese or Chinese languages. Such translations are common as a way to understand the different linguistic techniques employed by the authors in different types. They are also used for comparison. Popular literature refers to literature influenced by Western popular culture. The era of globalization has led to the spread and adoption of western popular culture in different aspects of works of art all over the world.

This is what is referred to as Americanization. One of the greatest aspects of the classical literature in Asia was the fact that it adopted the realistic style and social criticism. This means that the different works of literature were used to critic or criticize certain social and political aspects to foster change. In China, for example, the Chinese Communist Movement would make use of these works of literature to push for a new China (Wong, 1996). This is not different from the Japanese literature where social criticism and political ideas were incorporated in literary forms after the Meiji Restoration.

The proletarian movement also made use of works of literature by using literary works in order to try to induce reform in response to social inequalities. Key Themes The key themes that are used in modern Asian literature include acceptance or rejection of Westernization, women’s roles, Japanese and Chinese identity, coping with occupation and patriotism (Zhang, 2016). Modern literature in Asia was and continues to show concern for the spread of Westernization which has also affected the literary styles used by Asian authors.

Such influence can be seen with the introduction and spread of the popular culture which has also been reflected in literary works such as in animations and fictions (Chen & Zheng, 2013). Themes of rejection of westernization are common in modern literature in Asian countries. One of the distinct features of Asian countries is their rich culture and the desire to maintain their traditions and culture. This shows why the rejection of Westernization features as a theme especially during a time when most Asian countries had revolutions and wars.

There was also acceptance of Westernization and literary skills introduced by Europeans and Americans. The Meiji era in Japan was a period when Japan was re-opened to the West as the country experienced rapid industrialization. The re-opening of Japan to the West also led to the introduction of European and American literature which introduced new themes and concepts. Novelists and other literary artists embraced these concepts and themes into their works. In China, the modern literature, especially in the twentieth century, focused on social reform.

These reforms suggested by Chinese literary works were in response to the invasion of the Western powers and literary authors. Lu Xun, for example, in his works he embraced romanticism with the intent being to criticize the old fashioned traditions and social ailments in Chinese society at the time. This reflects the use of social criticism and was all geared towards promoting social development (Mayer, 2011). It is during this period that the Chinese vernacular language movement was forced to change from Romanticism to realism.

Realism pushed for the use of real life experiences in literary works to portray the state of the Chinese society (Mayer, 2011). Women’s role also emerges as a key theme in the modern Asian literature. This is because since the classical period the role of women was ignored and masculinity was embraced (Klemm, 2010). Women’s role in the society was used as a theme and as a way of social criticism to the stereotypical perception of women. Ogai Mori’s The Wild Geese is one of the Japanese novels that was employed the concept of social criticism particularly on the role of women in the society (Klemm, 2010).

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