Our Written Histories
The Asian American Experience Through Literature By Loryn Smith
T
he influence of Asian lives of people in eras long gone, central to the experiences of literature is prolific, letting us perceive them “as Asian Americans themselves. infiltrating all corners of humans who really lived rather Narratives grew more fluid as American culture as something than broad statements in a they adapted to the sudden both wildly compelling and history textbook.” influx of ethnicities, religions, fascinatingly foreign. Though languages, political views, and these stories might once have Though Asian literature is life experiences of their writers. been valued simply for their characterized by its continually Long gone are the days where “exotic” nature, Christopher changing themes and subject the term “Asian” can be used Smith, a professor of Japanese matters, the content of these to suggest singularity. Instead, literature and language at the stories has been constant in its there’s a movement to portray University of Florida, explained ability to reflect the experiences Asian Americans in ways that that Asian literature has an of its readers. This adaptability highlight the plurality of their undeniable appeal because of and genuinity has promoted the identities and the multitudes how deeply readers can resonate introduction of more modern that define their existence. In with its stories. narratives that speak to the effect, literature has become experiences of Asians within the an instrument in which Asian “Literature from pre-modern United States. Americans have used their periods isn’t going to speak experiences to assert their exactly to our current cultural position in society rather than be concerns, but there are a lot of alienated from it. Major themes of ways that … literature can talk about things very familiar to us,” The onset of the 21st century he commented. “People were still represented more than simply falling in love and getting angry the digitalization of literature. It and all the things that we do would also become recognized as today. Their emotions are familiar the moment that Asian literature to us. Their drives are familiar to in America evolved to become its us.” own independent category: Asian their stories include the vestigial American literature. Though still effects of war and imperialism, He referred to Japanese literature considered an ambiguous genre, the development of identity, and in particular when explaining that the works of these authors, poets, conflict between assimilation it has — along with those stories and storytellers have come to and tradition. from other Asian countries — create a contemporary anthology provided us a “window” to the that emphasizes modern issues Katie Zhao, an alumni of the
The Asian American Experience
“We are here. We belong.”
22 | FALL 2021
