Abstract
The introductory essay provides a historical and theoretical overview of “Asian Romanticism”, relating it to critical developments in Romanticism, world literature, and translation theory. We explore a series of interlinked historical movements between around 1820 and 1950, during which British Romanticism was first introduced to India and East Asia in the context of British colonialism and cultural imperialism, translated into national languages, and creatively adapted by Asian authors. Future developments within Romanticism studies are, we suggest, likely to be driven by Asian scholarship and perspectives as well as “Western” ideas, as part of a multilingual and cross-cultural movement that has played a crucial role in the literary history of both continents.
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Watson, A., Williams, L. (2019). British Romanticism in Asia, 1820–1950: Modernity, Tradition, and Transformation in India and East Asia. In: Watson, A., Williams, L. (eds) British Romanticism in Asia. Asia-Pacific and Literature in English. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3001-8_1
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