INS3210

Literature and society in Indonesia

Proposed to be offered next in 2000

Barbara Hatley

8 points - 3 hours per week - Second semester - Clayton

Objectives Students successfully completing this subject should have gained an understanding of the relationship between the growth of modern literature in Indonesia and contemporaneous social and political developments. Through reading and analysing selected texts (in Indonesian language, or in translation for non-language students), they should have developed an appreciation of the qualities and strategies of the works as literary texts, and of the way these features connect with the social environment in which the writings were produced.

Synopsis This subject reviews the development of modern literature in Indonesia, in the context of twentieth century Indonesian social and political life. It examines social factors contributing to the 'birth' of Indonesian literature, its connection with the nationalist movement and its reflection on key ideological and cultural issues since independence. Works of prose, poetry and drama from successive periods are read in conjunction with discussion of social conditions of the time.

Assessment Essay (3500 words): 50% - Seminar presentation and paper (2000 words): 40% - Seminar participation: 10%

Recommended texts

Eagleton T Literary theory, an introduction Blackwell, 1988
Foulcher K Pudjangga Baru Flinders U, 1980
Foulcher K Social commitment in literature and the arts Monash CSEAS, 1986
Pane A Shackles Ohio U P
Dian P TBelenggu Rakyat
Pramudya Ananta Toer Girl from the coast Select Books, 1991
Gadis Pantai Hasta Mitra, 1987
Teeuw A Modern Indonesian literature vols 1 and 2, Nijhoff

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