21st

• HARUKI MURAKAMI


  Japanese writer, his books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country, his work has received numerous awards
• Works by HARUKI MURAKAMI

  • Norweigian Wood (1987)
  • Men Without Women (2014)
  • Kafka on the Shore (2002)
• YOUNG-HA KIM


  Born in Hwacheon, moved from place to place as a child since his father was in the military, suffered from gas poisoning from coal gas and lost memory before ten, educated at Yonsei University in Seoul, majoring business administration but didn't show much interest, began his career as a professional writer in 1995 right after discharge from military service
• Works by YOUNG-HA KIM


  • Diary of A Murderer: And Other Stories (2013)
  • Your Republic is Calling You (2006)
  • Black Flower (2016)
• Asian Literature


  • China
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • India
  • Philippines
  • Southeast Asian nations
• CATHERINE LIM


  Singaporean fiction author known for writing about Singapore society and of themes of traditional Chinese culture, hailed as the "doyenne of Singapore writers", has published nine collections of short stories, five novels, two poetry collections, and numerous political commentaries
• Common themes in Asian Literature


  • Family and community - interpersonal relationships; family dynamics
  • Moral dilemmas and human nature - issues related to societal expectations, ethical choices, and personal growth
  • Identity - identity, belonging, and self-discovery
  • Love and loss – romance and heartbreak
  • War and conflict - tales of war, colonialism, rebellion, and political turmoil
• Works by CATHERINE LIM

  • A Leap of Love: A Novella (2003)
  • The Song of Silver Frond (2003)
  • Miss Seetoh in the World (2010)
• Literary Criticism


  The study, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of imaginative literature. The application of literary theories - ways of reading, interpreting, and analyzing literature.
• Kim Eun-sook


  A South Korean screenwriter who graduated from the department of creative writing of Seoul Institute of Arts with a professional bachelor's degree
• MING DI


  Chinese poet and translator, author of six collections of poetry published in China, went to Boston for graduate studies and currently lives in California, has translated four books of poetry from English to Chinese
• Traditional Critical Approaches


  • Historical-Biographical
  • Moral-Philosophical
  • Formalistic Criticism
• Famous works of Kim Eun-sook


  • Descendants of the Sun (2016) - A love story between a special force and a surgeon during a time of war
  • The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) - A modern-day Korean emperor passes through a portal into a parallel world and meets a police detective
  • The Heirs (2013) - Two teens from different social backgrounds reunite at an exclusive high school attended by Korea's super rich
  • The Glory (2022) - A former victim of school violence becomes the homeroom teacher of her perpetrator's child and seeks revenge
• Works by MING DI

  • River Merchant's Wife (2012)
  • New Cathay: Contemporary Chinese Poetry
  • Empty Chairs: Poems by Liu Xia
  • The Book of Cranes
  • New Poetry from China 1917–2017
• Historical-Biographical Approach


  Sees a literary work as a reflection of the author's life and times. Deems it necessary to know about the author's political, economical, and sociological context of his times in order to truly understand the works.
• Makoto Shinkai


  A Japanese filmmaker and novelist known for directing, writing, and storyboarding his anime features, and sometimes performing as a voice actor on his earliest shorts
• ARTHUR WALEY


  English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry, received the CBE in 1952, the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1953, and was invested as a Companion of Honour in 1956
• Moral-Philosophical Approach


  Takes the position that the larger function of literature is to teach morality and probe philosophical issues, such as ethics, religion or the nature of humanity.
• Works by ARTHUR WALEY


  • A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems (1918)
  • The Nō Plays Of Japan (1921)
  • The real Tripitaka (1952)
• Formalistic Criticism


  Also called the "New Criticism". Involves close reading of the text. Formalistic critics believe that all information essential to the interpretation of a work must be found within the work itself. It searches for the structure, patterns, imagery and motifs, and figurative language along with the juxtaposition of scenes, tone and other literary techniques in order to come to conclusions about the meaning of the work.
• Famous works of Makoto Shinkai

  • Weathering With You (2019) - A high-school boy runs away to Tokyo and befriends an orphan girl who can manipulate the weather
  • Suzume (2022) - A 17-year-old girl helps a mysterious young man close doors that are releasing disasters all over Japan
  • Your Name (2016) - Two teenagers discover they are swapping bodies and decide to meet in person
• GOVIND VINAYAK KARANDIKAR (Vinda Karandikar)


  Well-known Marathi writer, presented with the Jnanpith Award in 2003 which is India's one of the most prestigious literary awards, also received Keshavasut Prize, Soviet Land Nehru Literary Award, Kabir Samman, and India's highest literary award, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1996
• New Approaches to Literary Criticism

  • Psychological Criticism
  • Feminist/Gender Criticism
  • Marxist Criticism
• Works by GOVIND VINAYAK KARANDIKAR (Vinda Karandikar)

  • Dhrupad (1959)
  • Virupika (1980)
  • Jatak (1968)
• Psychological Criticism


  An expression- in fictional form- of the author's personality, mindset, feelings and desires.
• Feminist/Gender Criticism


  Concerned to the impact of gender on writing and reading. Feminists often argue that gender determines everything, or just the opposite: that all gender differences are imposed by society, and gender determines nothing.
• Marxist Criticism


  Literary works are viewed as the product of work and whose practitioners emphasize the role of class and ideology as they reflect, propagate, and even challenge the prevailing social order. Literary works are viewed as a material product to be understood in broadly historical terms.
• The essay is a reflection on the conflict between Palestine and Israel
• The author stands with Palestine and the right of the Palestinian people to resist their oppressors
• The author acknowledges the pain and suffering experienced by Israeli civilians, but argues that the power imbalance and historical oppression of Palestine must be recognized
• The author criticizes the racism and dehumanization at the core of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory
• The author argues that criticism of Israel or Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism, and that the Palestinian cause is not inherently tied to Islamic ideology
• The author expresses the ethical duty to seek out and feel the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people, while also acknowledging the pain and fear of Israelis