Local colour in Malayan Chinese fiction : a new approach

Abstract

1. Malayan Chinese Literature :1920-1937 : Definitions and Significance Malayan Chinese literature, that is a literature written in Chinese by Chinese resident of Malaya (including Singapore), is a complex subject, both in itself and in the ways in which it is perceived by different people. Therefore, before entering into any description or discussion, it is necessary to defme both the writers and the geographical limits of Malayan Chinese literature in the period under study. For the purpose of this thesis, Malayan Chinese authors can be classified into two general categories. Firstly, those born either in China or Malaya, who lived for various periods of time in Malaya, and who published literary work ( including poetry, fiction, drama, prose, fables, literary comment, etc) locally between 1920 and 1937. This is regardless of whether they used Nanyang, that is modern Southeast Asia, as the setting of their work. Secondly, there are those who lived in Malaya and wrote about the Nanyang area, but published their work elsewhere, primarily in mainland China.