21ST FINALS

• Literary adaptation


  The process of converting a literary work, such as a novel, into a film or other medium
• Types or levels of adaptation

  • The "Museum" adaptation
  • The Artful adaptation
  • The Loose Adaptation
  • The Transformative Adaptation
• The "Museum" adaptation


  • Concerned with preserving every possible detail of the book exactly how it exists in the book, just transferred to the film as a medium
• The Artful adaptation

  • Concerned with finding balance between being true to its own as a work of art
  • It is like a conversation between the book and audience
  • Rather than preserving every detail like a museum, an Artful Adaptation finds the essential elements of the book and interprets them in ways that meaningful for the audience
• The Loose Adaptation


  • Concerned about keeping a few elements or some semblance of the premise of the book it's based on, but then more or less does its own thing with them
  • Often discussed in negative terms, as if its lack of exact similarity to its source material is somehow a failure
• The Transformative Adaptation


  • Seeks to highlight the timelessness and universality of their source works' messages and themes
• Asia is the largest continent in the world and it is further subdivided into East, Central, West, and South East regions
• Each region of Asia has its prevailing beliefs, traditions, and feelings which make Asian literature rich in thousands of stories and poetry about its heritage
• The most influential set of literary traditions in Asia

  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Indian
• Chinese literature


  • Puts a spotlight on the meander, simple everyday issues of the people in society
  • Philosophical books explicate the expected "duties, behavior, and actions a person must do in order to belong harmoniously to his society"
• Types of Chinese literary works

  • Fiction
  • Philosophical and religious works
  • Poetry
  • Scientific writings
• The eras of each dynasty shaped the literary traditions of China
• Four Great Classic Novels of China

  • The Novel of the Three Kingdoms
  • Journey to the West
  • Dream of the Red Chamber
  • Water Margin
• The Novel of the Three Kingdoms


  • Luo Guanzhong's novel recounts the real events that occurred during the period when China was composed of three kingdoms: Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Wu
  • While children read this book like a fairytale or as a bedtime story, politicians consider this as a handguide for strategies
• Journey to the West


  • Wu Cheng'en's novel is also known as "Monkey" since it features, Sun Wukong, a monkey who set out on a journey with his companions to search for Chinese people's sacred scroll
  • Has influenced many adventure stories and dramas, as well as the famous Son Goku in Dragon Ball series
• Dream of the Red Chamber


  • Cao Xuequin's novel is a lovestory "celebrated for its realism, psychological depth and the richness of the plot"
• Water Margin


  • Shi Nai'an's novel narrates plight of 108 brigands from Mount Liang who challenged the emperor
  • The story was set during the Song dynasty
• Types of Chinese poetry

  • Shi (couplets)
  • Ci (song-like)
  • Ge (song)
  • Qu (freer poetic form, used in theater plays)
  • Fu (descriptive poems composed of both prose and couplets)
• Dufu


  • Followed a structured form of poetry and observed realistic poems whose themes include difficulties living in a war, poverty, and rural life
• Li Bai


  • A romantic poet who wrote poetry as he traveled widely across the provinces of China
  • Used free form poetry
• Su Tungpo (Su Shi)


  • A prolific poet of the northern Song era who has produced over 2000 poems
  • Wrote a poem about being banished to live on a farm because of political problems
• Japanese literature finds its appeal in the use of great variety of words to convey feelings and emotions
• Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji


  • Retells the life of prince Hikaru Genji, his romances and aristocratic society
  • Murasaki lived during the Heian Period, an era of remarkable growth of poetry, diaries, and fiction produced by court ladies
• Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book


  • A genre-bending miscellany of short, largely unrelated pieces which can be classified as narratives, thoughts and opinions and famous lists
  • Sei Shonagon was a contemporary and rival of Lady Murasaki
• Matsuo Basho


  • The supreme Japanese haiku poet
  • Although haiku existed before him, he made this poetic form an accepted artistic expression throughout the world
• "I" novel


  • A colloquial fiction where the author describes the world from his perspective and also reveals his own mental states
• Yasunari Kawabata


  • Japan's first recipient of Nobel Prize for Literature
  • Known as the master of psychological fiction
  • Famous works include Snow Country (a novel) and The Izu Dancer (a short story)
• Majority of Indian literature are written in Sanskrit
• Classic Indian literature

  • Revolves around its predominant faith - Hinduism
• Modern Indian literature


  • Focuses on issues of their nation
• Three distinct characteristics of Indian literature


  • Based on piety, a deep religious spirit
  • Written in epic form
  • Designed to advance some unorthodox regional beliefs
• Major works of Indian literature

  • Panchatantra
  • Bhagavad Gita
  • Mahabharata
  • Ramayana
• Panchatantra

  • A compilation of tales in prose and poetry, featuring five books of fables and magical tales
• Bhagavad Gita


  • An ancient text that became an important work of Hindu tradition in terms of both literature and philosophy
• Mahabharata


  • The longest epic in the world
  • Recounts the dynastic struggle and civil wars between the Pandavas and Kauravas in the kingdom of Kuruksheta about the 9th century BC
• Ramayana


  • The second longest epic in the world
  • Had a great impact in shaping the nature of Indian civilization
  • The story tells of how Rama went on a journey to find and save his wife Sita, and along the way, he learns Hindu life lessons
• Types or levels of adaptation

  • The "Museum" adaptation
  • The Artful adaptation
  • The Loose Adaptation
  • The Transformative Adaptation
• The "Museum" adaptation


  Concerned with preserving every possible detail of the book exactly how it exists in the book, just transferred to the film as a medium
• The Artful adaptation


  Concerned with finding balance between being true to its own as a work of art. It is like a conversation between the book and audience, interpreting the essential elements of the book in meaningful ways for the audience
• The Loose Adaptation


  Concerned about keeping a few elements or some semblance of the premise of the book it's based on, but then more or less does its own thing with them