Orientations: representations of Asia
R Gerster
8 points * 2 hours per week * First semester * Clayton
This subject studies perceptions of `East' and `West' in a range of twentieth-century texts set in Asian societies. The subject examines the ideological positions and imaginative meanings indicated by the literary conventions used by Western writers to construct `the East'. Two representative literary encounters will be examined: (1) the British imperial presence in India; and (2) the contemporary Australian cultural `discovery' of Asia, especially South-East Asia. The middle part of this three-part subject focuses on the `inside' views of Asian writers writing in English, observing in particular their representation of the dynamics of Asian societies in the post-colonial era. Specific foci include India, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Assessment
Written (3000 words): 50% * Test (1 hour): 25% * Seminar participation/seminar paper (1500 words): 25%
Prescribed texts
d'Alpuget B Turtle beach Penguin
Desai A Baumgartner's Bombay Penguin
Drewe R A cry in the jungle bar Picador
Forster E A passage to India Penguin
Ishiguro K An artist of the floating world Faber
Kipling R Kim Penguin
Koch C The year of living dangerously Grafton
Mo T The monkey king Abacus
Romeril J The floating world Currency
Rushdie S Midnight's children Picador
Recommended texts
Said Orientalism Penguin