Indian and Japanese Literature

INDIAN LITERATURE
Indian literature is generally believed to be the oldest in the world. With vast cultural diversities,
there are around two dozen officially recognized languages in India. Over thousands of years, huge
literature has been produced in various languages in India. It is to be noted that a large part of Indian
literature revolves around devotion, drama, poetry and songs. Sanskrit language dominated the
early Indian literary scene whereas languages like Prakrit and Pali too had fair share as they were
the languages of the common people. It is interesting to note that the Hindu literary traditions have
dominated a large part of Indian culture.
COMMON THEME IN INDIAN LITERATURE

Mythological - the first to capture and enchant Indian readers, dealing with kings, queens, palaces, demons,
gorgons, vision of heaven or hell, the Almighty, battles and ultimate winning, also including themes like
'never never land' and every sort of non-living thing being animated into a living being. Indeed, these
mythological stories had so very appealed and captivated Indian minds, that none of the succeeding
generations has ever been able to come out of this everlasting 'hypnotic' effect.
Example: The Dedication of Eklavya by Vyasa
Epic - defines and assays to portray the out and out influence and sway that the ancient literatures had on
the subsequent humanity and that which is still going on. The Epic Age can basically be attributed to the
times beginning from 1500 B.C. and culminating in 1200 A.D. Hence, before analysing the influence of epic
themes in Indian literature, it is first necessary to comprehend the times of Epic India and its culture and
customs.
Example: Ramayana by Valmiki, Mahabharata by Vyasa
Romantic - Romance necessarily entailed virtually every aspect of life dealing with war, battles, crusades,
chivalry, gallantry, relationships with heroic adventure and its knights wooing the princess etc and not only a
love affair between a male and a female. As is known from historical annals, literature in India, during its very
initiation, was essentially oral and delivered by the word of mouth.
Example: Beyond Oria Falls by Sheryl Seal, Beloved Savage by Sandra Bishop
https://www.indianetzone.com/39/themes_indian_literature.htm
CONTRIBUTION OF INDIAN LITERATURE TO THE WORLD

As India has grown in prominence on a world stage, so too have its writers. The 1990s and
2000s witnessed a dramatic boom in Indian writers working in English, while the study of India’s
many literary traditions has grown in strength in universities outside of India. Indian literary
studies offer promising angles for world literature. They bring an acute sensitivity to the
material conditions under which literature gains visibility in different parts of the world; an
acknowledgement of the usefulness of translation for legitimate scholarship, as used in literary
histories of India; an awareness of competing ideas of ‘worlding’ in different literary traditions,
as shown by emerging work on Hindi and Tamil; an attentiveness to histories of inequality and
oppression; and an increasing confidence that working within international or intercultural
systems does not necessarily eviscerate local connections.
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/03/17/indian-literature-world-literature/
JAPANESE LITERATURE
spans a period of almost two millennia and comprises one of the major literatures in the world,
comparable to English literature in age and scope. It comprises a number of genres, including
novels, poetry, and drama, travelogues, personal diaries and collections of random thoughts and
impressions. From the early seventh century until the present there has never been a period
when literature was not being produced by Japanese authors. Japan adopted its writing system
from China, often using Chinese characters to represent Japanese words with similar phonetic
sounds. Early works were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese
literature, and was often written in Classical Chinese.
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Japanese_literature
COMMON THEME IN JAPANESE LITERATURE

Patriarchy – it is commonly described as a system of social structures and practices, in which
men govern, oppress and exploit women.
Example: Kaguyahime (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter) and Tsuru no Ongaeshi by Chihiro
Iwasaki
Loyalty - It is not uncommon for characters (whether completely fictional or based upon real
people) to discuss the concepts of loyalty to a master/lord, or to the nation as a whole. Many
today would most likely view loyalty as strong allegiance to (or faith in) a person, group, or idea.
Example: The Tale of the Heike
Obligation – also known as duty, responsibility, or a task or action that someone in required to
perform. It can be an obligation to your partner, family, boss, or friends.
Self-sacrifice - as the act of making human sacrifice, either voluntary or forced, is linked to the ritual
practice of the original mythological conscience, in which a sacrifice is regarded as the possibility of
removing certain peril threatening to endanger the survival of the community
Example: Ukigusa monogatari (A Story of Floating Weeds, 1932) by Yasujiro Ozu, Ugetsu (Tales of
Moonlight and Rain, 1953) by Ueda Akinari
https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat20/sub128/item682.html
CONTRIBUTION OF JAPANESE LITERATURE TO THE WORLD

Japanese literature ranks as one of the major literatures of the world, comparable in
age, richness, and volume to English literature, though its course of development has
been quite dissimilar. The surviving works comprise a literary tradition extending from
the 7th century CE to the present; during all this time there was never a “dark age”
devoid of literary production. Not only do poetry, the novel, and the drama have long
histories in Japan, but some literary genres not so highly esteemed in other countries—
including diaries, travel accounts, and books of random thoughts—are also prominent. A
considerable body of writing by Japanese in the Chinese classical language, of much
greater bulk and importance than comparable Latin writings by Englishmen, testifies to
the Japanese literary indebtedness to China. Even the writings entirely
in Japanese present an extraordinary variety of styles, which cannot be explained
merely in terms of the natural evolution of the language.
https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-literature

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INDIAN LITERATURE

COMMON THEME IN INDIAN LITERATURE

Example: The Dedication of Eklavya by Vyasa

Example: Ramayana by Valmiki, Mahabharata by Vyasa

CONTRIBUTION OF INDIAN LITERATURE TO THE WORLD

COMMON THEME IN JAPANESE LITERATURE

CONTRIBUTION OF JAPANESE LITERATURE TO THE WORLD

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