Heroes Heroines In Asia

AY2022/2023 Semester 1

Heroes and Heroines in Asia utilizes an approach of comparing historical and literary human archetypes to describe and discuss human perceptions of the ideal being, the heroic female and male. Comparison of different character types and human beings' divergent perceptions of heroes and heroines shaped the histories we write of the roles of individuals and communities in the world. This course focuses on the examples found in premodern Asia. This course analyzes the myths and legends associated with heroes and heroines, and examines archaeological remains, such as statues, paintings, and temples linked to such individuals in conjunction with historical records. For the prehistoric period, archaeological remains provide important artifacts which can be used to hypothesize the importance and role of heroic beings, who would have been ancestor figures. As we get into the historical period, kings, queens, and other figures assumed important positions as heroic figures of authority who possessed spiritual powers. With the advent of world religions, for example, new archetypes were created, and new traits were qualities which members aim to emulate. This course examines the evolution of the ideal individual (hero and heroine) in premodern Asia. It considers whether continuity or change was more characteristic of the direction in which the heroic figure developed across time and region.