Study.com English 301 : Non-Western Literature

Wondering what you are going to encounter in the classroom in English 301: Non-Western Literature? Well, fasten your seat belt because, in this course, you will have a chance to discover a great number of literary works and marvelous ideas that will further make you interested in the course all along the credit!

1. Diverse Literary Traditions: In this class, you will learn various literary traditions that exist across the different cultures in the world. Be prepared to get into reading the most ancient works within Islamic literature like the Qur’an and to consider how these works formed and are formed by the civilizations. You will also study African writings which include reading works such as Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe and looking at the role of the oral tradition. Myths and historical writings of China will, of course, join the line-up, as will Confucian texts, so you’ll be rapidly learning about the aesthetics and moralities that are present in each text and how they were shaped in Chinese society.
2. Literary Techniques and Devices: Essentially, the knowledge of how various cultures employ specific literary devices is vital. You will explore how the elements of metaphor, symbolism, and other elements of rhetoric are used in texts such as Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner and David Diop’s poem “Africa”. The course will also help to explain the application of such concepts as folktales and myths, which can be observed in Things Fall Apart in terms of the transmission of cultural knowledge and the definition of cultural norms. It is not just a process of rational understanding of texts, turning texts into meaningful objects, but comprehension of how writers write to convey certain messages.
3. Critical Perspectives: It will also use such critical approaches as post-colonialism and feminism among others in order to conduct critical thinking. Literary pieces such as “Asmar” by Safia Elhillo will compel you to ponder over the issues of identity and conflict in cultures while pieces such as “In Camera.” You will also learn about critical race theory through other works such as Salman Rushdie’s, The Perforated Sheet, the relationship between race and religion in literature.
4. Comparative Analysis: A significant part of the course involves comparing and contrasting literary forms and devices. For example, you’ll analyze how Chinese myths differ from Western legends or how African folktales compare with Islamic storytelling traditions. This comparative approach will help you understand the universality and uniqueness of different literary practices.
5. Real-World Applications: Last of all, the goal of this particular course is to enrich your knowledge of literature and at the same time use it. Regardless of whether you are to examine the roles of these texts in historical settings or assess their applicability for today’s discourse, you’ll be amply prepared for critical analysis of literature from a global perspective.

Thus, brace yourself for a tour through some of the most colorful pages of world literature. This class will not only enrich your knowledge of the literature produced in other parts of the world but also provide you with techniques that will enable you to understand and evaluate global literature. So, let’s remain curious, and we will go through this journey of reading together!