Western vs Eastern Storytelling (General Overview)

Discussion in 'Author Discussions' started by Dkaepa, Oct 2, 2019.

  1. Dkaepa

    Dkaepa Well-Known Member

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    I found this video and it helped me understand some things and how I want to create my story.
    I hope it helps you too
     
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  2. Alexios Blake

    Alexios Blake Well-Known Member

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    Great video, can’t really add anything.
     
  3. chucke

    chucke Going towards the glorious future

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    Sometimes I feel like eastern novels don't have the idea of the ending until the author's pants are on fire.
     
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  4. Anra7777

    Anra7777 All powerful magic grammar hamster queen pirate.

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    Interesting video. I’m surprised he didn’t mention how Odysseus was best known for and most respected for his intelligence, putting him in the same category as Japanese Light.
     
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  5. Kurotsubaki

    Kurotsubaki Reincarnation of the Seven Deadly Sins

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    That time it's on different subject, it's about nakama. And odysseus aren't exactly modern to be compared to death note
     
  6. Kurotsubaki

    Kurotsubaki Reincarnation of the Seven Deadly Sins

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    Well, that explain why i get confused easily when i try to make a story with that triangle.
    I'm more into eastern type rather than western
     
  7. Galooza

    Galooza The One True Walapalooza

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    I've noticed over time how I've slowly become less and less interested in tv or general media here in the states after having gotten into Japanese and now Chinese media, but never really put in much thought as to why. In one video, I've reached enlightenment.
     
  8. kennykdogg

    kennykdogg Sage of 7 sins

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  9. fuyuuri

    fuyuuri 『 冬瓜 』『 ☀ and ☾ 』『 hibiscus 茶 tea 』

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    Huh, interesting!
     
  10. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    The video is pretty decent but I'd point out that it's a bit overly broad to paint this as strictly Western vs. Eastern storytelling. I don't think that grouping "Western" literature together is all that bad an idea, but "Eastern" literature doesn't really exist; at least not if you want to include Japanese works. If you look at the various Japanese styles, none of them are particularly similar to the Chinese styles.

    Recently, I've been predominantly reading Chinese novels, but that's less because of the stylistic difference, and more because of subject matter. I like historical novels, and Chinese historical novels are simply better than their English-language equivalents. Overall, there still are positive things to say about both approaches to storytelling.
     
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  11. Jojo775

    Jojo775 Honorary Algae Knight

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    I think every 'murican who says nakAma or NarUto should get slapped.
    Oh yeah there was a hollywood Death Note.... oh yeah that's why I haven't watched it. Man look at all those 1 star reviews lol.
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2019
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  12. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    He really did not do a good job of this in the video as for some reason it’s more like he only looked at how school dramas represent it. With jocks and cheerleaders in the west being seen as peak even though they aren’t represented as something that is all that good usually vs the class president in the east who generally is actually shown to be someone who is to be emulated.
    The video is to broad even for Western media not just east it’s probably better to look at it as Hollywood vs Japanese mainstream media in my honest opinion.
     
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  13. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    Sure, but at least the idea that Western literature is fundamentally constructed from the same building blocks like classical Greek mythology is pretty good. In comparison, stories like Journey to the West didn't even enter Japan until long after it had independently established its own storytelling identity. So ultimately, works like the Tale of Genji have nothing to do with anything from China while you'll be able to find at least faint traces of Greek drama in much of European storytelling,
     
  14. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    Yeah... no... there were other stories created by cultures other then the Greeks...Odyssey is just so famous to Europeans cause of Greece and Rome being beloved by people... Also Japan basically copied and stole the Chinese culture like 2-3 times...
     
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  15. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    Japan copied elements of Chinese culture, but literature is not one of these things. My theory is that classical Chinese literature is primarily poetry, and the two languages are different enough that poetry doesn't carry over very well.

    On the other hand, while Greek literature isn't the only thing that European literature is built on, you can still see its traces in an awful lot of European works. The reason for this is that literature is written by the educated class, and by the Renaissance, to be considered educated you would have to learn Greek philosophy and literature. Hell, the very backbone of Classical Education is about learning what the Greeks did.

    I'm not saying that European literature is all the same, or that it's all dependent on Greek works; I'm just pointing out that at least there are commonalities to discuss whereas these commonalities don't exist between Chinese and Japanese literature.
     
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  16. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the separation of Buddhism in Japan. Eventually, Japanese literature developed into a separate style, although the influence of Chinese literature and Classical Chinese remained until the end of the Edo period. Since Japan reopened its ports to Western trading and diplomacy in the 19th century, Western and Eastern literature have strongly affected each other and continue to do so.
     
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  17. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Japanese anime is not mainstream.
    It's a niche. I have watched live action adaptations of wonderful stories that don't fit the manga/anime demographic
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Tomorrow,_Your_Yesterday

    http://asianwiki.com/Forget_Me_Not
    One word to describe such movies is beautiful.

    You also have Many Faces of Itoh and 100 MillIon Yen women as honorable mentions

     
  18. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    good point should be mainstream Japanese media from the view of a noobie Western perspective!
     
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  19. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    5 minutes into speed watching the video and seeing how be is using a Japanese phrase to describe a Chinese folk story was offputting.
    His horrible enunciation of nakama didn't help.
    Anyone can start a YouTube channel or Patreon but this screams of ignorance at least on the Eastern fronts.
    At least compare epics eg Odysseus vs Three Kingdoms
     
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  20. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    Yeah I have to agree that he really didn't look into it enough I feel that he didn't do the topic justice cause of that!
     
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