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Chlouvānem/Literature: Difference between revisions
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==The Classical Era== | ==The Classical Era== | ||
'''Classical Era''' (in Chlouvānem ''lallapårṣire avyāṣa'') is the name given to the period of time, roughly lasting from 4750 to 5000 (i.e. 1670 to 1420 years ago), characterized historically by a level of very high relative prosperity and consolidation and expansion of the Chlouvānem lands (in the Near East, up to the western borders of the Plain, and across the Southern rainforests). Literature of the Classical Era was linguistically characterized by the use of a uniform koiné language across the whole Yunyalīlti religious world: Classical Chlouvānem, mostly based on the earlier major works such as the Lileṃsasarum and most of the Holy Books. The importance of using a common language was greater than ever, as the vernaculars of the various areas had started to diverge, and some Yunyalīlti areas didn't even speak a Chlouvānem language at all.<br/>The only major difference between pre-Classical and Classical Chlouvānem is in the lexicon, as Classical Chlouvānem includes a far greater share of Lällshag loanwords than earlier forms of the languages do. | '''Classical Era''' (in Chlouvānem ''lallapårṣire avyāṣa'') is the name given to the period of time, roughly lasting from 4750 to 5000 (i.e. 1670 to 1420 years ago), characterized historically by a level of very high relative prosperity and consolidation and expansion of the Chlouvānem lands (in the Near East, up to the western borders of the Plain, and across the Southern rainforests). During the Classical Era, the Lällshag civilization ultimately vanished and was absorbed by the Chlouvānem, and the focus of power became a number of independent realms (''sūmārghuṭai''), mostly in the Plain. These realms originally had a Chlouvānemized élite ruling over a mostly non-Chlouvānem population; during the Classical Era, the intermixing of ethnicities that formed the Chlouvānem one expanded to include most of these populations, however their languages became important substrata for the future local vernaculars, and most notably their cultures left marks on regional identities that still characterize those areas today.<br/>The Inquisition during this era deeply influenced the religious matters of the Yunyalīlti world and was therefore an important body, but its sovereignty as a temporal power was only established halfway through the era, in 4826, with the foundation of the city of [[Verse:Chlouvānem_Inquisition/Līlasuṃghāṇa|Līlasuṃghāṇa]] on the shores of Lake Lūlunīkam, meant to be the political seat of the Inquisition. | ||
Literature of the Classical Era was linguistically characterized by the use of a uniform koiné language across the whole Yunyalīlti religious world: Classical Chlouvānem, mostly based on the earlier major works such as the Lileṃsasarum and most of the Holy Books. The importance of using a common language was greater than ever, as the vernaculars of the various areas had started to diverge, and some Yunyalīlti areas didn't even speak a Chlouvānem language at all. Some of the Classical era realms in the Plain occasionally wrote literature in their local languages (none of them related to Chlouvānem), such as Barṇāṣumi, Namaikehi ( bothfrom the upper course of the Lāmberah), and Vādhugarṣi (from an area along the middle Nīmbaṇḍhāra, more or less on the border between present-day Vādhātāraṣa and Raharjaiṭa. However, the vast majority of literature was written in Chlouvānem.<br/>The only major difference between pre-Classical and Classical Chlouvānem is in the lexicon, as Classical Chlouvānem includes a far greater share of Lällshag loanwords than earlier forms of the languages do; Lällshag remained influential also after the fall of its civilization, occupying a middle ground between Chlouvānem and the local languages of the various realms. | |||
Classical literature shows the development of Chlouvānem poetry from a spoken to a written genre, perhaps exactly because of the drift of the local varieties; while attested poetry from earlier times is sparse and often less precise, during the Classical Era various poems were written, helping codify the earliest Chlouvānem metres.<br/>Classical poems are often very long works, written in a mix of poetry and prose, with half-mythical and half-devotional subjects. Mythical subjects are sometimes taken from the Lileṃsasarum, but most commonly they are new in attested history and their use in these poems formed a new corpus of legends that survives in traditional culture up to the present day. Most likely, these subjects weren't just adopted by legends of the people in newly-Chlouvānemized areas, but were written in those exact cultural areas: it is widely accepted, for example, that the ''Yūrdhanehas'' (the Story of Yūrdham) was written by a certain Uruṣāvam, an ethnic Namaikehi, that is, from the central-northern part of the Plain, the mid- and upper Lāmberah valley, an area that was barely even known by the pre-Classical Chlouvānem but was rapidly Chlouvānemized in the space of a few centuries. | Classical literature shows the development of Chlouvānem poetry from a spoken to a written genre, perhaps exactly because of the drift of the local varieties; while attested poetry from earlier times is sparse and often less precise, during the Classical Era various poems were written, helping codify the earliest Chlouvānem metres.<br/>Classical poems are often very long works, written in a mix of poetry and prose, with half-mythical and half-devotional subjects. Mythical subjects are sometimes taken from the Lileṃsasarum, but most commonly they are new in attested history and their use in these poems formed a new corpus of legends that survives in traditional culture up to the present day. Most likely, these subjects weren't just adopted by legends of the people in newly-Chlouvānemized areas, but were written in those exact cultural areas: it is widely accepted, for example, that the ''Yūrdhanehas'' (the Story of Yūrdham) was written by a certain Uruṣāvam, an ethnic Namaikehi, that is, from the central-northern part of the Plain, the mid- and upper Lāmberah valley, an area that was barely even known by the pre-Classical Chlouvānem but was rapidly Chlouvānemized in the space of a few centuries. | ||
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This novel, however, does show the important Western influence on the genre's development: Hælahaikāvi Saṃhajhaidī ''Lajñē'' had travelled to the West on an expedition and had learnt [[Auralian]], at that time the most important Western trade language; modern critics are unanimous in believing that she based various parts of Nimahullē ga Jahībāšin on an early Western novel, ''itfeɣɣats Akseḥr'' (the Isles of Akseḥr<ref>Akseḥr [akˈsɛχr] is the early modern Auralian name for the area nowadays known as Âkošâkik, a country in far western Márusúturon, just south of Evandor.</ref>), itself one of the earliest novels of Auralian literature. It is not as obvious as, for example, early Chlouvānem theater had adapted Skyrdegan works, but quite a few encounters in the Saṃhajhaidī's book are very similar, both in plot and writing, to the Auralian novel's ones. There are, however, various differences, as the psychological dimension, markedly present in the Chlouvānem novel, is almost completely missing from the Auralian source. | This novel, however, does show the important Western influence on the genre's development: Hælahaikāvi Saṃhajhaidī ''Lajñē'' had travelled to the West on an expedition and had learnt [[Auralian]], at that time the most important Western trade language; modern critics are unanimous in believing that she based various parts of Nimahullē ga Jahībāšin on an early Western novel, ''itfeɣɣats Akseḥr'' (the Isles of Akseḥr<ref>Akseḥr [akˈsɛχr] is the early modern Auralian name for the area nowadays known as Âkošâkik, a country in far western Márusúturon, just south of Evandor.</ref>), itself one of the earliest novels of Auralian literature. It is not as obvious as, for example, early Chlouvānem theater had adapted Skyrdegan works, but quite a few encounters in the Saṃhajhaidī's book are very similar, both in plot and writing, to the Auralian novel's ones. There are, however, various differences, as the psychological dimension, markedly present in the Chlouvānem novel, is almost completely missing from the Auralian source. | ||
Historically, the dawn of Chlouvānem-Western contact coincided with a practical end of Chlouvānem (Yunyalīlti) expansion in Márusúturon. The Chlouvānem had been settling in the Hålvaram plateau and in the Dabuke lands to the west, starting a long Chlouvānemization process, especially in the latter area, but except for marginal settlements in parts of the Northeast (modern-day | Historically, the dawn of Chlouvānem-Western contact coincided with a practical end of Chlouvānem (Yunyalīlti) expansion in Márusúturon. The Chlouvānem had been settling in the Hålvaram plateau and in the Dabuke lands to the west, starting a long Chlouvānemization process, especially in the latter area, but except for marginal settlements in parts of the Northeast (modern-day Līnajaiṭa and Maišikota) the borders of the Chlouvānem world around 5950 would remain substantially stable for the next 300 years. | ||
==Archaist literature== | ==Archaist literature== | ||
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While some exoticist novels, particularly the earliest ones, had their sources in actual peoples with actual traditions, and some writers had been travellers and explorers themselves, or had listened to the narrations of explorers' own memories, most exoticist novels are for the most part a tale of fantasy, often drawing from legendary places and having the plot revolve around these mythical lands. Today, there are two main importances attributed to exoticism: its common nature of speculative fiction that paved the way for the later (Trembling Years-onwards) fantasy novels as opposed to traditional fairytales, and, perhaps most importantly, its use of a simpler linguistic style as a result of the exoticism vs. new archaism debate (see below). | While some exoticist novels, particularly the earliest ones, had their sources in actual peoples with actual traditions, and some writers had been travellers and explorers themselves, or had listened to the narrations of explorers' own memories, most exoticist novels are for the most part a tale of fantasy, often drawing from legendary places and having the plot revolve around these mythical lands. Today, there are two main importances attributed to exoticism: its common nature of speculative fiction that paved the way for the later (Trembling Years-onwards) fantasy novels as opposed to traditional fairytales, and, perhaps most importantly, its use of a simpler linguistic style as a result of the exoticism vs. new archaism debate (see below). | ||
Some exoticist writers merged the theme of voyages and discoveries with a theme of glorification of the power of the Chlouvānem states. One of the most interesting writers from this period, Lūṣyāvi Dasukapūri ''Lælicham'', from Ehaliħombu in the Southern Far East, is most remembered for a cycle of three "epic novels" which glorified the power of the city, which had led the explorations to Queáten and Púríton, but had in the meantime lost importance after the governor of Naiṣambella had declared independence from it, taking away most of the metropolitan territory of the realm. Dasukapūri's epic cycle of the Discoveries in the East, formed by the three novels ''Sæsmoe'' (the Mission), ''Jeldoe'' (the Deed), and ''Daṇḍa'' (the Staff)<ref>Staffs (''daṇḍai'') are traditional Chlouvānem symbols of power, akin to crowns.</ref>, aside from the patriotism that is an evident theme in the novels, with multiple attacks and criticism towards the Naiṣambelli, accused of rewriting history, consitutes one of the finest example of use of exoticist themes without resorting to the conservative linguistic stances of new archaism, with a quite modern usage of language despite the epic nature, and markedly Daihāgajñi, with words and word usages taken or influenced by the local vernaculars, especially urban Ehaliħombuyi, and words adapted from the local non-Chlouvānem languages. | |||
===Counter-exoticism and social criticism=== | ===Counter-exoticism and social criticism=== | ||
As a counter-movement to exoticism, some writers, especially from the Near East, held on to archaism creating a current that came to be defined as '''new archaism''' (''lališire sārvanædani'') or '''Illūkahism''' (''illūkąanædani'', from the novel ''Illūkąas'' by Lūṣyāvi Lūtankhāryærās ''Khālbayān'', one of the first examples of new archaism). New archaism is distinguished from earlier archaism first of all by a lesser reliance on ancestral legends and themes, which had been, according to the main new archaist writers, overused, using documented historical events from the ages of Chlouvānem expansion instead, and also by a stricter, more polished writing style than either the historical novels of first-wave archaism or exoticist travel novels. With the dispute between exoticism and new archaism, language first became a serious talking point. While since the introduction of the novel genre to Chlouvānem literature linguistic complexity had been progressively limited in favour of comprehension - with nevertheless interesting attempts at depicting different sociolects, as for example did first-wave archaist writer Lañemulkāvi Bīyalga ''Lūṣya'', especially in her novel ''Vælvapoga'' (Cloudy Village), published in 6047 - new archaists favoured a writing style with Classical vocabulary and less linear syntax. Non-Chlouvānem terms, i.e. those taken from other languages of the Chlouvānem territories, were reduced to the minimum (mostly in character- and place names, all markedly Near Eastern due to the origin of most new archaist writers and the regions they set their stories in). | As a counter-movement to exoticism, some writers, especially from the Near East, held on to archaism creating a current that came to be defined as '''new archaism''' (''lališire sārvanædani'') or '''Illūkahism''' (''illūkąanædani'', from the novel ''Illūkąas'' by Lūṣyāvi Lūtankhāryærās ''Khālbayān'', one of the first examples of new archaism). New archaism is distinguished from earlier archaism first of all by a lesser reliance on ancestral legends and themes, which had been, according to the main new archaist writers, overused, using documented historical events from the ages of Chlouvānem expansion instead, and also by a stricter, more polished writing style than either the historical novels of first-wave archaism or exoticist travel novels. With the dispute between exoticism and new archaism, language first became a serious talking point. While since the introduction of the novel genre to Chlouvānem literature linguistic complexity had been progressively limited in favour of comprehension - with nevertheless interesting attempts at depicting different sociolects, as for example did first-wave archaist writer Lañemulkāvi Bīyalga ''Lūṣya'', especially in her novel ''Vælvapoga'' (Cloudy Village), published in 6047 - new archaists favoured a writing style with Classical vocabulary and less linear syntax. Non-Chlouvānem terms, i.e. those taken from other languages of the Chlouvānem territories, were reduced to the minimum (mostly in character- and place names, all markedly Near Eastern due to the origin of most new archaist writers and the regions they set their stories in). | ||
New archaism as a whole was not extremely successful, as it was always considered an elitist style, and its mostly conservative linguistic stances did not survive long - later writers, at most, began to experiment with different sociolects in the same story rather than sticking with a formal, polished, but often anachronistic one, as was the new archaist style (which however would become quite popular for novels set in the Classical era). Among the most notable works of new archaism, aside from ''Illūkąas'', worth mentioning are ''Dūryageiras'' (Distant Gate), also by Lūṣyāvi Lūtankhāryærās ''Khālbayān''; ''Āldaryasaṃrasta'' (The War of Āldarya) by Ṣastirāvi Kolakanāri ''Dulmaidana'' (cousin of later Great Inquisitor Dānyāvi Kolakanāri ''Naryejūram'', among the first reformists of the Industrial era); ''Ikla'' by Vælvāvi Bhāramim ''Vælvah''; and ''Subhrūṣaṃšaṇṭrūmi | New archaism as a whole was not extremely successful, as it was always considered an elitist style, and its mostly conservative linguistic stances did not survive long - later writers, at most, began to experiment with different sociolects in the same story rather than sticking with a formal, polished, but often anachronistic one, as was the new archaist style (which however would become quite popular for novels set in the Classical era). Among the most notable works of new archaism, aside from ''Illūkąas'', worth mentioning are ''Dūryageiras'' (Distant Gate), also by Lūṣyāvi Lūtankhāryærās ''Khālbayān''; ''Āldaryasaṃrasta'' (The War of Āldarya) by Ṣastirāvi Kolakanāri ''Dulmaidana'' (cousin of later Great Inquisitor Dānyāvi Kolakanāri ''Naryejūram'', among the first reformists of the Industrial era); ''Ikla'' by Vælvāvi Bhāramim ''Vælvah''; and ''Subhrūṣaṃšaṇṭrūmi vyātai'' (Heroes of the Fields of Subhrūṣama) by Mæmihomāvi Ṣpruttairās ''Dalaigin''. However, a major talking point in contemporary discussion of new archaist novels is their high level of historical attention and plausibility: many new archaist writers were archaeologists or historians themselves, and even while most of those novels are centered on fictional characters, a detailed research on actual historical events that happened in the time and place of the novels' settings is common to the whole current. Some novels, such as the previously mentioned ''Āldaryasaṃrasta'', may even be considered novelized historical chronicles. | ||
(TBC) | (TBC) | ||
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The period of time from about 6225 to 6291 and from then to the Nāɂahilūmi era is known as the Consolidation Era (''nalmālei avyāṣa'') after its most salient historical event: the Consolidation (''nalmālya'') of 6291, that is, the forming of the Inquisition as a single sovereign country from the myriad of independent states in the Chlouvānem world<ref>Some of these states remained independent for some time afterwards. The Kingdom (today diocese) of Hulitilmāka, for example, didn't join the Inquisition until 6312, 21 years after the Consolidation.</ref>. Literature of the period strongly reflects this thinking and is the first to actually proclaim a form of Chlouvānem nationalism. It is difficult to talk about "nationalism" in such a large and culturally complex context, but the definition that arose was the one of the cultural space of Yunyalīlti religion united by the Chlouvānem language as a Dachsprache – excluding therefore the Yunyalīlti but less Chlouvānemized areas of Qualdomailor, Brono, and southern Greater Skyrdagor.<br/>Meanwhile, during this time period, the Chlouvānem world started growing again, as today's Northwest was conquered from the Western powers that had set up colonies therein; by doing so, Chlouvānem countries also established sovereignty over much of the virtually uninhabited desert areas of the Northwest, that would prove, later in history, to be extremely rich minerary lands. A similar faith of Chlouvānem conquest was followed by the Kāyīchah islands off the coast of eastern Védren, that had been settled first (except for the easternmost ones, settled by Chlouvānem from Lūlunimarta) by Cerian settlers, mostly with Védrenian slaves. | The period of time from about 6225 to 6291 and from then to the Nāɂahilūmi era is known as the Consolidation Era (''nalmālei avyāṣa'') after its most salient historical event: the Consolidation (''nalmālya'') of 6291, that is, the forming of the Inquisition as a single sovereign country from the myriad of independent states in the Chlouvānem world<ref>Some of these states remained independent for some time afterwards. The Kingdom (today diocese) of Hulitilmāka, for example, didn't join the Inquisition until 6312, 21 years after the Consolidation.</ref>. Literature of the period strongly reflects this thinking and is the first to actually proclaim a form of Chlouvānem nationalism. It is difficult to talk about "nationalism" in such a large and culturally complex context, but the definition that arose was the one of the cultural space of Yunyalīlti religion united by the Chlouvānem language as a Dachsprache – excluding therefore the Yunyalīlti but less Chlouvānemized areas of Qualdomailor, Brono, and southern Greater Skyrdagor.<br/>Meanwhile, during this time period, the Chlouvānem world started growing again, as today's Northwest was conquered from the Western powers that had set up colonies therein; by doing so, Chlouvānem countries also established sovereignty over much of the virtually uninhabited desert areas of the Northwest, that would prove, later in history, to be extremely rich minerary lands. A similar faith of Chlouvānem conquest was followed by the Kāyīchah islands off the coast of eastern Védren, that had been settled first (except for the easternmost ones, settled by Chlouvānem from Lūlunimarta) by Cerian settlers, mostly with Védrenian slaves. | ||
Consolidation Era literature is thought to be of a lesser quality overall when compared to the great novelists of the Trembling Years, but it had, nonetheless, some milestone works. Perhaps the most commonly mentioned is '' | Consolidation Era literature is thought to be of a lesser quality overall when compared to the great novelists of the Trembling Years, but it had, nonetheless, some milestone works. Perhaps the most commonly mentioned is ''Guvęryē væloe'' (the Forbidden Gift) by male writer Hānimausāvi Gajrīn ''Klætspragis'' from Pāriṇavārṭha diocese (Central Plain), mostly a semi-autobiographical personal resistance story, highlighting the ever existant gender discrimination common at the time, which became a banner in the movement for gender equality particularly active the years just preceding and following the Consolidation – while full equality was still far away, there were some huge steps towards gender equality in those years, albeit they'd later be cancelled during the Nāɂahilūmi Era. | ||
Other important works of the era were all less socially critical, talking about Chlouvānem culture instead, with a revival of archaist-era Legendary Books, this time extended to the whole territory of the to-be-Inquisition (something which brought to newer life many themes that were once common in Toyubeshian fairytales), and it was from these collections of legends that took inspiration one of the greatest playwrights of the era, Dalaiganāvi Lækhnitaisa ''Chališiroe''. She was the leading personality of a newer, more hybrid theatrical style, using more Western-style monologues, as well as unconventional uses of music, with real sung arias (an influence of Western opera; this wasn't a complete novelty in Chlouvānem theater, but it had been more of a one-in-a-kind feature) and instrumental drones, as in Chlouvānem classical music, very often accompanying the recited sequences. Musical composers working with her, such as Hælahaikāvi Gudūra ''Daṃdhigulan'', proved to be significant for the later development of ambient music.<br/>Plays by Dalaiganāvi Lækhnitaisa ''Chališiroe'' are very commonly represented today in Chlouvānem-style theaters both in the Inquisition and abroad; some of her most famous works include the "epic comedies" ''Hånya ga prālṣaṃkamikyāyē | Other important works of the era were all less socially critical, talking about Chlouvānem culture instead, with a revival of archaist-era Legendary Books, this time extended to the whole territory of the to-be-Inquisition (something which brought to newer life many themes that were once common in Toyubeshian fairytales), and it was from these collections of legends that took inspiration one of the greatest playwrights of the era, Dalaiganāvi Lækhnitaisa ''Chališiroe''. She was the leading personality of a newer, more hybrid theatrical style, using more Western-style monologues, as well as unconventional uses of music, with real sung arias (an influence of Western opera; this wasn't a complete novelty in Chlouvānem theater, but it had been more of a one-in-a-kind feature) and instrumental drones, as in Chlouvānem classical music, very often accompanying the recited sequences. Musical composers working with her, such as Hælahaikāvi Gudūra ''Daṃdhigulan'', proved to be significant for the later development of ambient music.<br/>Plays by Dalaiganāvi Lækhnitaisa ''Chališiroe'' are very commonly represented today in Chlouvānem-style theaters both in the Inquisition and abroad; some of her most famous works include the "epic comedies" ''Hånya ga prālṣaṃkamikyāyē vyāta'' (Hånya, the Hero Coated in Prālṣam Flowers<ref>The ''prālṣam'' tree is a common tropical tree not unlike the [[w:Ceiba speciosa|silk floss tree]]. The hero's name is furthermore a talking name, as it means "toucan".</ref>) and ''Pądire širēmi'' (the Missing Chair), and the epic tales ''Oyune vyāta'' (Hero in the Mirror), ''Māmei lalāruṇa'' (Twelve Lalāruṇai<ref>A domestic, mountable, giant lizard, having in Chlouvānem society a role much like horses in ours.</ref>), and ''Ṣāṭe vrāṣmas no'' (Swords and Smoke). | ||
==The Nāɂahilūmi Era== | ==The Nāɂahilūmi Era== | ||