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21G.041

Foundations of East Asian Literature and Culture: From Confucius to the Beats

3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-H · Undergraduate

See description under subject 21L.040[J] .

Fall 2004 · Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture

This subject aims to provide an overview of contemporary texts in regional languages in South Asian Literature and Cinema. We will cover major authors and film makers, writing from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Within India, we will look at authors and directors working in different regional languages and as we examine their different socio-cultural, political and historical contexts we will attempt to understand what it means to study them under the all-unifying category of "South Asian Literature and Culture". Some of the major issues we shall explore include caste, gender, globalization and social change. We will end with exploring some of the newer, younger writers and directors and try to analyze some of the thematic and formal shifts in their work. Authors include Ashapurna Devi, Manto, Vijayan, Premchand, Mohanty, and Nasreen and film makers will include Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen and Rituporno Ghosh.

Readings

  • Lec #: 1 · TOPICS: Introduction: Why South Asia? · Readings: Film: Nishant (Night’s End) by Shyam Benegal (Hindi, India).
    Reading assignment
  • Lec #: 2 · TOPICS: Stories from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan · Readings: Readings: Spent by Selina Hossain (Bangladesh), The Festival by Akhtaruzzaman Elias (Bangladesh), Hands by Sharad Chhetri (Nepal), Cracks in the Heart by Farkhana Lodhi (Pakistan), and The Bird by Amar Jalil (Pakistan).
    Reading assignment
  • Lec #: 3 · TOPICS: Stories from Sri Lanka · Readings: Readings: Desert Nymph by Arupa Patangia Kalita (Assam), Mehndi Bazaar by Dalbir Chetan (Punjab), Bhuvna and Planet Guru by R Chudamani (Tamil), The Wild Buffalo (Sinhala) by Piyaseeli Wijemanne, and The Homecoming by M. A. Al Asumath (Tamil, Sri Lanka).
    Reading assignment
  • Lec #: 4 · TOPICS: Stories from Pakistan · Readings: Selections from Black Margins by Saadat Hasan Manto (Pakistan).
    Reading assignment
  • Film: The Terrorist by Santosh Sivan (India).
    Listed reading
  • Selection from The Age of Kali by William Dalrymple: “On the Indian Ocean”.
    Listed reading
  • Lec #: 6 · TOPICS: Stories from Sri Lanka (cont.) · Readings: Reading: In the Garden Secretly by Jean Arasanayagam (Sri Lanka).
    Reading assignment
  • Film: Mr. and Mrs. Iyer by Aparna Sen (English, India).
    Listed reading
  • Film: Dui Kanya (Two Daughters) by Satyajit Ray (Bengali, India).
    Listed reading
  • Reading: Selected Short Stories from The Matchbox by Ashapurna Devi (Bengali, India).
    Listed reading
  • Lec #: 9 · TOPICS: Stories from India (cont.) · Readings: Reading: Selected Stories from Balika Badhu (The Child-Wife) , an anthology of Bengali Short stories (India).
    Reading assignment
  • Lec #: 10 · TOPICS: Stories from Bangladesh · Readings: AmarMeyebela (My Girlhood) by Tasleema Nasreen (Bangladesh).
    Reading assignment
  • Film: Mandi (The Market) by Shyam Benegal (Hindi, India).
    Listed reading
  • Film: Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players) by Satyajit Ray (Bengali, India).
    Listed reading
  • Readings: Brief selections from Picador Book of Modern Indian Literature (emphasis on Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Sindhi and Telugu writing).
    Listed reading
  • Film: Mukhamukham (Face to Face) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan (Malalayam, India).
    Listed reading
  • Readings: Selections from Mottled Dawn by Saadat Hasan Manto (Pakistan).
    Listed reading
  • Film: Utsab (The Festival) by Rituporno Ghosh (Bengali, India).
    Listed reading
  • Readings: Brief selections from Penguin Book of Indian Literature (emphasis on Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Urdu writing).
    Listed reading

Prerequisites & course information

Same subject as 21L.040[J] Subject meets with 21G.141 , 21G.541 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-H

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