In this course, we are going to examine a variety of representations of Asia in texts ranging from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. We will investigate how these narratives construct subjectivity, identity, either personal, national, or cultural in relation to “Asia”. .... By drawing a comparison between their representations, we will investigate any paradigm shift. We will read these literary texts in the company of visual arts to redefine “text” and “literature” as media of representation.
Texts
Thomas De Quincy. The Confessions of an Opium Eater.
Source: Eearly 19th Century. Procession of the Dutch to Edo. [wood block print]. Retrieved from https://library-artstor-org.proxy.binghamton.edu/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822003055736
