English Specialization
AFRO-ASIAN LITERATURE
INDIA
LITERARY PIECE TYPE OF LITERARY AUTHOR PEN NAME/ THEME / SUMMARY
PIECE / DESCRIPTION KNOWN
FOR
VEDAS (the Rigveda, the the most ancient
Yajurveda, the Hindu scriptures, written in
Samaveda and the early Sanskrit and
Atharvaveda) containing hymns,
philosophy, and guidance
on ritual for the priests of
Vedic religion
Rigveda “hymns of supreme
sacred knowledge,”
Brahmana Vedic śruti works attached
to the Samhitas of the Rig,
Sama, Yajur, and Atharva
Vedas
Upanishad Indian religious text
Mahabharata Sanskrit epic poems of Maharishi Veda Dynastic war and moral dilemma (Pandavas and
ancient India Vyasa Kauravas)
Bhagavad Gita (The Part of the epic Maharishi Veda “Curving back within myself, I create again and again” -
Blessed Lord’s Song) Mahabharata; one of the Vyasa Samsara
greatest and most
beautiful of the Hindu
scriptures
Ramayana ancient Sanskrit epic Valkimi follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife
Panchatantra Indian fables
Shakuntala Sanskrit drama Kalidasa tells of the love between Sakuntala and King Dushyanta
Gitanjali Song Offerings Rabindranath love and the internal conflict between spiritual longings and
Tagore earthly desires.
The Taj Mahal poem Sahir Ludhianvi about the mausoleum in North India built by the Mogul
emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz-i-Mahal
INDIAN RELIGIONS:
a. HINDUISM – Everything that one does influences ones’ destiny; KARMA
• dharma – virtue, duty, righteousness, moral law;
• artha – wealth; and
• kama – love or pleasure
b. BUDDHISM – Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) ; achieving The Noble Eightfold Path consists of:
Nirvana will end suffering
1) right understanding;
The Four Noble Truths are:
2) right thought;
1) life is suffering;
3) right speech;
2) the cause of suffering is desire;
4) right action;
3) the removal of desire is the removal of
suffering; and 5) right means of livelihood;
4) the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the end of 6) right effort;
suffering. 7) right concentration; and
8) right meditation.
, CHINA
LITERARY PIECE TYPE OF AUTHOR PEN NAME/ THEME/SUMMARY
LITERARY KNOWN FOR
PIECE /
DESCRIPT
ION
Chuang Tzu (4th century B.C.)
Lieh Tzu (4th century B.C.)
collection of essays Lui An (172 – 122 B.C.) (Prince of
on metaphysics, Haui-nan
cosmology, politics,
and conduct.
Records of the Ssu-ma Ch’ien (145 – 90 B.C.) (Grand
Historian Historians)
Li Po (701 –762)
Tu Fu (712 –770)
Wang Wei (796? – 761?)
He wrote many Po Chu-I (772 – 846)
poems speaking
bitterly against the
social and economic
problems that were
plaguing China.
Li Ch’ing-chao (A.D. 1084 – s China’s Ci poetry; mastery of metrical rules; striking diction
1151) greatest
woman poet
Chou-Shu-jen (1881 – 1936) / Father of the
also known as Lu Hsun modern
Chinese short
story
RELIGION:
1. Taoism - expounded by Lao Tzu during the Chou Dynasty; live in harmony with nature
2. Confucianism - not a religion but it makes individuals aware of their place in the world and the behavior appropriate to it
• Analects (Lun Yu) - The sayings range from brief statements to more extended dialogues between Confucius and his
students; FILIAL PIETY
• Book of Changes (I Ching) - change is never-ending, it too proceeds according to certain universal and observable
patterns
3. Buddhism - ridding oneself of earthly desires and of seeking ultimate peace and enlightenment through detachment
a) Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.) - nature was inhabited by many powerful gods and spirits
b) Chou Dynasty (1100 B.C. – 221 B.C.) - longest of all the dynasties
- Lao Tzu, the proponent of Taoism, and Confucius, the founder of Confucianism
- Lao Tzu stressed freedom, simplicity, and the mystical contemplation of nature whereas
Confucius emphasized a code of social conduct and stressed the importance of discipline,
morality, and knowledge.
c) Ch’in Dynasty (221 B.C. – 207 B.C.) - Roads connecting all parts of the empire were built and the existing walls on the northern borders
were connected to form the Great Wall of China.
d) Han Dynasty (207 B.C. – A.D. 220) - most glorious eras of Chinese history and was marked by the introduction of Buddhism from India.
e) T’ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-960) - Fine arts and literature flourished during this era which is viewed as the Golden Age of Chinese
civilization
f) Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960 – 1279) - The practice of Neo-Confucianism grew
g) Later Dynasties (A.D. 1260-1912) - northern China was overrun by Mongol invaders led by Genghis Khan whose grandson Kublai Khan
completed the Mongol conquest of China and established the Yuan dynasty, the first foreign dynasty in China’s history
h) Traditional Chinese Government - The imperial rule lasted in China for over 2,000 years leading to a pyramid-shaped hierarchy in the
government.
AFRO-ASIAN LITERATURE
INDIA
LITERARY PIECE TYPE OF LITERARY AUTHOR PEN NAME/ THEME / SUMMARY
PIECE / DESCRIPTION KNOWN
FOR
VEDAS (the Rigveda, the the most ancient
Yajurveda, the Hindu scriptures, written in
Samaveda and the early Sanskrit and
Atharvaveda) containing hymns,
philosophy, and guidance
on ritual for the priests of
Vedic religion
Rigveda “hymns of supreme
sacred knowledge,”
Brahmana Vedic śruti works attached
to the Samhitas of the Rig,
Sama, Yajur, and Atharva
Vedas
Upanishad Indian religious text
Mahabharata Sanskrit epic poems of Maharishi Veda Dynastic war and moral dilemma (Pandavas and
ancient India Vyasa Kauravas)
Bhagavad Gita (The Part of the epic Maharishi Veda “Curving back within myself, I create again and again” -
Blessed Lord’s Song) Mahabharata; one of the Vyasa Samsara
greatest and most
beautiful of the Hindu
scriptures
Ramayana ancient Sanskrit epic Valkimi follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife
Panchatantra Indian fables
Shakuntala Sanskrit drama Kalidasa tells of the love between Sakuntala and King Dushyanta
Gitanjali Song Offerings Rabindranath love and the internal conflict between spiritual longings and
Tagore earthly desires.
The Taj Mahal poem Sahir Ludhianvi about the mausoleum in North India built by the Mogul
emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz-i-Mahal
INDIAN RELIGIONS:
a. HINDUISM – Everything that one does influences ones’ destiny; KARMA
• dharma – virtue, duty, righteousness, moral law;
• artha – wealth; and
• kama – love or pleasure
b. BUDDHISM – Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) ; achieving The Noble Eightfold Path consists of:
Nirvana will end suffering
1) right understanding;
The Four Noble Truths are:
2) right thought;
1) life is suffering;
3) right speech;
2) the cause of suffering is desire;
4) right action;
3) the removal of desire is the removal of
suffering; and 5) right means of livelihood;
4) the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the end of 6) right effort;
suffering. 7) right concentration; and
8) right meditation.
, CHINA
LITERARY PIECE TYPE OF AUTHOR PEN NAME/ THEME/SUMMARY
LITERARY KNOWN FOR
PIECE /
DESCRIPT
ION
Chuang Tzu (4th century B.C.)
Lieh Tzu (4th century B.C.)
collection of essays Lui An (172 – 122 B.C.) (Prince of
on metaphysics, Haui-nan
cosmology, politics,
and conduct.
Records of the Ssu-ma Ch’ien (145 – 90 B.C.) (Grand
Historian Historians)
Li Po (701 –762)
Tu Fu (712 –770)
Wang Wei (796? – 761?)
He wrote many Po Chu-I (772 – 846)
poems speaking
bitterly against the
social and economic
problems that were
plaguing China.
Li Ch’ing-chao (A.D. 1084 – s China’s Ci poetry; mastery of metrical rules; striking diction
1151) greatest
woman poet
Chou-Shu-jen (1881 – 1936) / Father of the
also known as Lu Hsun modern
Chinese short
story
RELIGION:
1. Taoism - expounded by Lao Tzu during the Chou Dynasty; live in harmony with nature
2. Confucianism - not a religion but it makes individuals aware of their place in the world and the behavior appropriate to it
• Analects (Lun Yu) - The sayings range from brief statements to more extended dialogues between Confucius and his
students; FILIAL PIETY
• Book of Changes (I Ching) - change is never-ending, it too proceeds according to certain universal and observable
patterns
3. Buddhism - ridding oneself of earthly desires and of seeking ultimate peace and enlightenment through detachment
a) Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.) - nature was inhabited by many powerful gods and spirits
b) Chou Dynasty (1100 B.C. – 221 B.C.) - longest of all the dynasties
- Lao Tzu, the proponent of Taoism, and Confucius, the founder of Confucianism
- Lao Tzu stressed freedom, simplicity, and the mystical contemplation of nature whereas
Confucius emphasized a code of social conduct and stressed the importance of discipline,
morality, and knowledge.
c) Ch’in Dynasty (221 B.C. – 207 B.C.) - Roads connecting all parts of the empire were built and the existing walls on the northern borders
were connected to form the Great Wall of China.
d) Han Dynasty (207 B.C. – A.D. 220) - most glorious eras of Chinese history and was marked by the introduction of Buddhism from India.
e) T’ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-960) - Fine arts and literature flourished during this era which is viewed as the Golden Age of Chinese
civilization
f) Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960 – 1279) - The practice of Neo-Confucianism grew
g) Later Dynasties (A.D. 1260-1912) - northern China was overrun by Mongol invaders led by Genghis Khan whose grandson Kublai Khan
completed the Mongol conquest of China and established the Yuan dynasty, the first foreign dynasty in China’s history
h) Traditional Chinese Government - The imperial rule lasted in China for over 2,000 years leading to a pyramid-shaped hierarchy in the
government.
