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Oceanian literature

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Oceanian (Australasian, Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian) literature developed in a unique geographical environment that allowed the development of a unique literature to thrive. Oceanian literature was heavily influenced by religion, ritual and colonization. This can be seen by the large amount of religious symbolism and political activism featured in it.

Another major influence in Oceanian society was its intricate oral tradition. For a long time, most Oceanian literature was not written down. As a result, stock formulas and rhyming were used in many works (these traits made it easier to memorize). Gods, creation myths, and spirits are also prominent in Oceanian literature, showcasing again the influence oral tradition had on the literature of Oceania.

Modern Oceanian literature is mainly written in the English language but also feature different languages and speech. The literatures of Oceania, particularly during the return to many island nations’ independence in the 1960s and 1970s, were often strongly political and invested in finding literary expression for new independent, interconnected Pacific lives. Oceanian writers drew on a wide, translational pool of references, with African, American, European and Indian literatures often productively woven into their texts. The ocean carries a lot of symbolism and meaning to the cultures and people that have travelled through, in which largely has impacted the literary cultures and historical narratives in Oceania.

List of countries and territories

Prominent writers by country

Main article: List of Oceanian writers

Australia

Main article: List of Australian novelists

Fiji

French Polynesia

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Micronesia, Federated States of

Nauru

New Zealand

Main article: List of New Zealand writers

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Samoa

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

See also

References

  1. Tusitala Marsh, Selina (2013). "Literature". In Rapaport, Moshe (ed.). The Pacific Islands: Environment and Society, Revised Edition. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3586-6.
  2. Long, Maebh; Hayward, Matthew (2024). The Rise of Pacific Literature: Decolonization, Radical Campuses, and Modernism. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-56173-0.
  3. Finnegan, Orbell. South Pacific Oral Traditions. Indiana University Press. p. 15.

Citations

  • 'Oceanic literature', Guiart, Jean in Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
  • Goetzfridt, Nicholas J. (1995). Indigenous Literature of Oceania: A Survey of Criticism and Interpretation, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
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