ReviewsSuch a fascinating insight into Asian storytelling! Thank you, Henry Lien, for writing this book and illuminating other ways to see and create stories., With clear and compelling examples and analysis, Lien demolishes the notion that there is one Western-centric way to tell a satisfying tale. Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird is an insightful and instructive read for anyone who loves stories in all their varied and glorious forms.
Dewey Decimal808.3
SynopsisDiscussions in the West around diversity in the arts often focus on the identities of characters and creators. Speculative fiction author and writing instructor Henry Lien makes the pathbreaking argument that diversity is about more than just plopping different faces into stories that are 100 percent Western in spirit; it can-and should-encompass diverse structures, themes, and values. Using examples ranging from Parasite to The Thousand and One Nights to the Mario video game franchise, Lien shows how storytelling staples in the West, such as the three-act structure and themes of empowerment and change, are far from universal. He introduces the East Asian four-act structure (kishotenketsu), as well as circular and nested structures, and explains how Eastern value systems such as collectivism can dictate form. Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird is essential reading for any writer or reader who wants to broaden their understanding of how to tell a satisfying story., An introduction to Eastern storytelling that opens readers' minds to radically different ways of telling a satisfying story., Discussions in the West around diversity in the arts often focus on the identities of characters and creators. Speculative fiction author and writing instructor Henry Lien makes the pathbreaking argument that diversity is about more than just plopping different faces into stories that are 100 percent Western in spirit; it can--and should--encompass diverse structures, themes, and values. Using examples ranging from Parasite to The Thousand and One Nights to the Mario video game franchise, Lien shows how storytelling staples in the West, such as the three-act structure and themes of empowerment and change, are far from universal. He introduces the East Asian four-act structure (kishotenketsu), as well as circular and nested structures, and explains how Eastern value systems such as collectivism can dictate form. Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird is essential reading for any writer or reader who wants to broaden their understanding of how to tell a satisfying story.