The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature

This extraordinary one-volume guide to the modern literatures of China, Japan, and Korea is the definitive reference work on the subject in the English language. With more than one hundred articles that show how a host of authors and literary movements have contributed to the general literary development of their respective countries, this companion is an essential starting point for the study of East Asian literatures. Comprehensive thematic essays introduce each geographical section with historical overviews and surveys of persistent themes in the literature examined, including nationalism, gender, family relations, and sexuality.

Following the thematic essays are the individual entries: over forty for China, over fifty for Japan, and almost thirty for Korea, featuring everything from detailed analyses of the works of Tanizaki Jun'ichiro and Murakami Haruki, to far-ranging explorations of avant-garde fiction in China and postwar novels in Korea. Arrayed chronologically, each entry is self-contained, though extensive cross-referencing affords readers the opportunity to gain a more synoptic view of the work, author, or movement. The unrivaled opportunities for comparative analysis alone make this unique companion an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the burgeoning field of Asian literature.

Although the literatures of China, Japan, and Korea are each allotted separate sections, the editors constantly kept an eye open to those writers, works, and movements that transcend national boundaries. This includes, for example, Chinese authors who lived and wrote in Japan; Japanese authors who wrote in classical Chinese; and Korean authors who write in Japanese, whether under the colonial occupation or because they are resident in Japan. The waves of modernization can be seen as reaching each of these countries in a staggered fashion, with eddies and back-flows between them then complicating the picture further. This volume provides a vivid sense of this dynamic interplay.

1101965231
The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature

This extraordinary one-volume guide to the modern literatures of China, Japan, and Korea is the definitive reference work on the subject in the English language. With more than one hundred articles that show how a host of authors and literary movements have contributed to the general literary development of their respective countries, this companion is an essential starting point for the study of East Asian literatures. Comprehensive thematic essays introduce each geographical section with historical overviews and surveys of persistent themes in the literature examined, including nationalism, gender, family relations, and sexuality.

Following the thematic essays are the individual entries: over forty for China, over fifty for Japan, and almost thirty for Korea, featuring everything from detailed analyses of the works of Tanizaki Jun'ichiro and Murakami Haruki, to far-ranging explorations of avant-garde fiction in China and postwar novels in Korea. Arrayed chronologically, each entry is self-contained, though extensive cross-referencing affords readers the opportunity to gain a more synoptic view of the work, author, or movement. The unrivaled opportunities for comparative analysis alone make this unique companion an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the burgeoning field of Asian literature.

Although the literatures of China, Japan, and Korea are each allotted separate sections, the editors constantly kept an eye open to those writers, works, and movements that transcend national boundaries. This includes, for example, Chinese authors who lived and wrote in Japan; Japanese authors who wrote in classical Chinese; and Korean authors who write in Japanese, whether under the colonial occupation or because they are resident in Japan. The waves of modernization can be seen as reaching each of these countries in a staggered fashion, with eddies and back-flows between them then complicating the picture further. This volume provides a vivid sense of this dynamic interplay.

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The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature

The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature

The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature

The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature

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Overview

This extraordinary one-volume guide to the modern literatures of China, Japan, and Korea is the definitive reference work on the subject in the English language. With more than one hundred articles that show how a host of authors and literary movements have contributed to the general literary development of their respective countries, this companion is an essential starting point for the study of East Asian literatures. Comprehensive thematic essays introduce each geographical section with historical overviews and surveys of persistent themes in the literature examined, including nationalism, gender, family relations, and sexuality.

Following the thematic essays are the individual entries: over forty for China, over fifty for Japan, and almost thirty for Korea, featuring everything from detailed analyses of the works of Tanizaki Jun'ichiro and Murakami Haruki, to far-ranging explorations of avant-garde fiction in China and postwar novels in Korea. Arrayed chronologically, each entry is self-contained, though extensive cross-referencing affords readers the opportunity to gain a more synoptic view of the work, author, or movement. The unrivaled opportunities for comparative analysis alone make this unique companion an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the burgeoning field of Asian literature.

Although the literatures of China, Japan, and Korea are each allotted separate sections, the editors constantly kept an eye open to those writers, works, and movements that transcend national boundaries. This includes, for example, Chinese authors who lived and wrote in Japan; Japanese authors who wrote in classical Chinese; and Korean authors who write in Japanese, whether under the colonial occupation or because they are resident in Japan. The waves of modernization can be seen as reaching each of these countries in a staggered fashion, with eddies and back-flows between them then complicating the picture further. This volume provides a vivid sense of this dynamic interplay.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780231507363
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication date: 08/21/2012
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 700
File size: 18 MB
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About the Author

Joshua S. Mostow is professor of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He is a contributor to Inventing the Classics: Modernity, National Identity, and Japanese Literature (Columbia, 2000).

Kirk A. Denton, Bruce Fulton, and Sharalyn Orbaugh are associate editors of The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature.


Table of Contents

Part 1: General Introduction by Joshua S. Mostow, General Editor
1. The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature
2. Modern Literature in East Asia: An Overview
Part 2: Japan by Sharalyn Orbaugh, Associate Editor
Thematic Essays
Authors, Works, Schools
Part 3: China by Kirk A. Denton, Associate Editor
Thematic Essays
Authors, Works, Schools
Part 4: Korea by Bruce Fulton, Associate Editor
Thematic Essays
Authors, Works, Schools

Columbia University Press

What People are Saying About This

Tomi Suzuki

A highly informative, stimulating companion to a rich array of modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literary texts from the late nineteenth century to the present. This thoughtfully edited, invaluable guide opens up new critical perspectives and presents individual authors and their works in a larger socio-historical and cross-regional context.

Howard Goldblatt

An essential resource for anyone interested in the literary arts of twentieth-century China, Japan, and Korea. This well conceived and highly readable volume features a wonderful blend of entries by established and younger scholars, and will serve both specialists and general readers alike.

David Der-wei Wang

This is the most comprehensive guide to date on modern East Asian literature. Its panoramic scope, historical concern and critical rigor will carry readers to a full appreciation of the dynamics of modern East Asian literature. All of the thematic essays and entries succeed in being lucid while never losing sight of the rich contexts in which their subjects occur. A splendid sourcebook!

J. Thomas Rimer

A thoughtful guide for those wishing to learn how to begin to grasp the nature of literary accomplishment in China, Korea, and Japan.... This is a remarkable achievement.

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