Synopses & Reviews
"A primary source reader featuring 24 selections from a variety of genres and designed as a resource for teaching Southeast Asian civilization courses, whether their emphasis be historical, literary, philosophical, or broadly cultural, and as a means of integrating Southeast Asian civilization into broader world history coverage ... Selections range from the Cambodian medieval version of the Ramayana to the 16th century Javanese tales to modern Thai short stories. The region is represented both temporally and geographically with selections from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, and Burma. These readings represent a fair selection of Southeast Asia's ancient and modern classics of thought and expression. This volume constitutes a unique combination of poetry, novels, short stories, drama, and political and philosophical treatises. Although not every selection is a complete work, the material presented is both substantial and representative"--
Synopsis
Spanning more than a millennium, this anthology gathers literary sources from across the entire region of Southeast Asia. Its 24 selections derive from a variety of genres and reflect the diverse range of cultural influences the region has experienced. The literary excerpts illustrate the impact of religious and ideological currents from early Buddhism to Islam and Roman Catholicism. The selections reveal how cultural influences from South Asia, China, the Arabic world, and Europe arrived in Southeast Asia and left their marks in the realms of literature, society, and culture. The readings include religious works, folklore, epic poems, short stories, and the modern novel. They range from the Cambodian medieval version of the Ramayana to the 16th century Javanese tales to modern Thai short stories and include selections from Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, and Burma.