Product Description

The literary canon is one of the most lively areas of debate in contemporary literary studies. This set of essays is both timely and original in its focus on the canon in South-East Asian literatures, covering Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. They vary in focus, from the broad panoramic survey of trends in a national literature to very specific discussions of the role of individuals in shaping a canon or the place of a particular text within a tradition, and from contemporary to traditional literature. They include discussions of the development of prose fiction, censorship and artistic freedom, the role of westerners in codifying indigenous literatures, the writing of literary history, the development of literary criticism and indigenous aesthetics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1982302 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 273 pages

Review
'We are fortunate in having this opportunity to compare and contrast the differing perceptions of national literary masterpieces in Southeast Asia. These sixteen papers are a very useful and welcome addition to our knowledge.' - Asian Affairs

'A fine collection of well-presented, wonderfully researched papers that embraces a variety of different perspectives about the Southeast Asian literary world.' - The Journal of Asian Studies

From the Publisher
Timely and original volume on the literary canon
The literary canon is one of the most lively areas of debate in contemporary literary studies. This set of essays is both timely and original in its focus on the canon in South- East Asian literatures. A traditional view sees it as a chronological arrangement of famous authors and major works which are linked over the centuries by aesthetic merit and a perceived cultural unity which has enabled them to ‘stand the test of time'. Increasingly, however, literary scholars have begun to question such perceptions and to examine the way in which the literary canon is constructed and how it evolves. A major aim of this work is to look at such ideas in the context of the literary canons of South East Asia.

The papers included in the book cover the literatures of Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. They vary in focus from the braod panoramic survey of trends in a national literature to very specific discussions on the role of individuals in shaping a canon or the place of a particular text within a tradition, and from contemporary to traditional literature. They include discussions of the development of prose fiction, censorship and artistic freedom, the role of westerners in codifying indigenous literatures, the writing of literary history, the development of literary criticism and indigenous aesthetics.