Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers is a 1974 anthology by Frank Chin, Jeffery Paul Chan, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Shawn Wong, members of the Combined Asian American Resources Project (C.A.R.P.). It helped establish East Asian American literature as a field by recovering and collecting representative selections from Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino Americans from the past fifty years—many of whom had been mostly forgotten.[1] This anthology included selections from Carlos Bulosan, Diana Chang, Louis Chu, Momoko Iko, Wallace Lin, Toshio Mori, John Okada, Oscar Peñaranda, Sam Tagatac, Hisaye Yamamoto, Wakako Yamauchi, many of whom are now staples in East Asian American literature courses. Because of this anthology and the work of C.A.R.P., many of these authors have been republished. At that time, however, they received little attention from publishers and critics because they did not subscribe to popular stereotypes but depicted what Elaine H. Kim calls the "unstereotyped aspects of Asian American experience".[2] The "aiiieeeee!" of the title comes from a stereotypical expression used by East Asian characters in old movies, radio and television shows, comic books, etc.[3] These same stereotypes affected the anthology itself: when the editors tried to find a publisher, they had to turn to a historically African-American press because, as Chin states:
The blacks were the first to take us seriously and sustained the spirit of many Asian American writers.... [I]t wasn't surprising to us that Howard University Press understood us and set out to publish our book with their first list. They liked our English we spoke [sic] and didn't accuse us of unwholesome literary devices.[2]
The anthology is also notable for its opening essay, "Fifty Years of Our Whole Voice", which laid out a list of concerns facing East Asian American writers—orientalism, monolingualism, ghettoed communities, class issues etc.—that have become important for East Asian American scholarship.[4] The essay also lays out the editors' understanding of what constitutes "a true Asian American sensibility": namely, that it is "non-Christian, nonfeminine, and nonimmigrant".[5] These stances have been controversial, especially after the rise of East Asian American women's literature (Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan et al.) and the change in East Asian American demographics in the 1980s, when more Asian American writers were immigrants and/or from other Asian cultures (e.g. Korean, Indian, Vietnamese).
An expanded edition, The Big Aiiieeeee! was published in 1991 and added such authors as Sui Sin Far, Monica Sone, Milton Murayama, Joy Kogawa and others. It was even less representative of the variety of East Asian cultures now active in the United States (it no longer contained any Filipino works), and it remained firm in its insistence on certain qualities as essential for determining "true" East Asian American identity.[5] These ideas are forcefully presented in Chin's introductory essay, "Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake", in which he argues that Kingston, Tan, David Henry Hwang, and other popular Chinese American writers are not authentically East Asian American, but rather follow the tradition of such mid-century Chinese American authors as Yung Wing and Jade Snow Wong, who wrote autobiographies (which Chin claims is "an exclusively Christian" genre) that accept "the Christian stereotype of Asia being as opposite morally from the West as it is geographically."[6]
David Leiwei Li devotes an entire chapter to Aiiieeeee! in his book Imagining the Nation: Asian American Literature and Cultural Consent. Stanford UP. 1998. pp. 1–43. ISBN0-8047-3400-3.
Partridge, Jeffrey F. L. and Shawn Wong. "Aiiieeeee! And the Asian American Literary Movement: A Conversation with Shawn Wong." MELUS 29.3/4 (2004): 91-102, accessed 14 August 2010.
Referencesedit
^Lee, A. Robert (2003). "Chapter Six: Eat a Bowl of Tea: Fictions of America's Asia, Fictions of Asia's America". Multicultural American Literature: Comparative Black, Native, Latino/a and Asian American Fictions. UP of Mississippi. p. 142. ISBN1-57806-645-X.
^ abKim, Elaine H. (1982). "Chinatown Cowboys and Warrior Women: Searching for a New Self-Image". Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context. Philadelphia: Temple UP. pp. 174–175. ISBN0-87722-260-6.
^Chin, Frank; Chan, Jeffery Paul; Inada, Lawson Fusao; Wong, Shawn (1975). "Preface". In Chin; Chan; Inada; Wong (eds.). Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers. Garden City, NY: Anchor-Doubleday. p. ix. ISBN0-385-01243-8. ...the pushers of white American culture that pictured the yellow man as something that when wounded, sad, or angry, or swearing, or wondering whined, shouted, or screamed 'aiiieeeee!'
^Wong, Sau-ling Cynthia (2001). "Navigating Asian American Panethnic Literary Anthologies". In Wong, Sau-ling Cynthia; Sumida, Stephen H (eds.). A Resource Guide to Asian American Literature. New York: MLA. p. 238. ISBN0-87352-271-0.
^ abWong, Sau-ling Cynthia (1993). "Introduction: Constructing an Asian American Textual Coalition". Reading Asian American Literature: From Necessity to Extravagance. Princeton: Princeton UP. p. 8. ISBN0-691-01541-4.
^Chin, Frank (1991). "Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake". In Chan, Jeffery Paul; Chin, Frank; Inada, Lawson Fusao; Wong, Shawn (eds.). The Big Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Chinese American and Japanese American Literature. Meridian. p. 8. ISBN0-452-01076-4.
January 01, 1970
aiiieeeee, anthology, asian, american, writers, 1974, anthology, frank, chin, jeffery, paul, chan, lawson, fusao, inada, shawn, wong, members, combined, asian, american, resources, project, helped, establish, east, asian, american, literature, field, recoverin. Aiiieeeee An Anthology of Asian American Writers is a 1974 anthology by Frank Chin Jeffery Paul Chan Lawson Fusao Inada and Shawn Wong members of the Combined Asian American Resources Project C A R P It helped establish East Asian American literature as a field by recovering and collecting representative selections from Chinese Japanese and Filipino Americans from the past fifty years many of whom had been mostly forgotten 1 This anthology included selections from Carlos Bulosan Diana Chang Louis Chu Momoko Iko Wallace Lin Toshio Mori John Okada Oscar Penaranda Sam Tagatac Hisaye Yamamoto Wakako Yamauchi many of whom are now staples in East Asian American literature courses Because of this anthology and the work of C A R P many of these authors have been republished At that time however they received little attention from publishers and critics because they did not subscribe to popular stereotypes but depicted what Elaine H Kim calls the unstereotyped aspects of Asian American experience 2 The aiiieeeee of the title comes from a stereotypical expression used by East Asian characters in old movies radio and television shows comic books etc 3 These same stereotypes affected the anthology itself when the editors tried to find a publisher they had to turn to a historically African American press because as Chin states Aiiieeeee An Anthology of Asian American WritersAuthorFrank Chin Jeffery Paul Chan Lawson Fusao Inada Shawn WongCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreanthology Asian AmericanPublisherHoward University PressPublication date1974Pages200Followed byThe Big Aiiieeeee The blacks were the first to take us seriously and sustained the spirit of many Asian American writers I t wasn t surprising to us that Howard University Press understood us and set out to publish our book with their first list They liked our English we spoke sic and didn t accuse us of unwholesome literary devices 2 The anthology is also notable for its opening essay Fifty Years of Our Whole Voice which laid out a list of concerns facing East Asian American writers orientalism monolingualism ghettoed communities class issues etc that have become important for East Asian American scholarship 4 The essay also lays out the editors understanding of what constitutes a true Asian American sensibility namely that it is non Christian nonfeminine and nonimmigrant 5 These stances have been controversial especially after the rise of East Asian American women s literature Maxine Hong Kingston Amy Tan et al and the change in East Asian American demographics in the 1980s when more Asian American writers were immigrants and or from other Asian cultures e g Korean Indian Vietnamese Contents 1 The Big Aiiieeeee 2 See also 3 Additional sources 4 ReferencesThe Big Aiiieeeee editAn expanded edition The Big Aiiieeeee was published in 1991 and added such authors as Sui Sin Far Monica Sone Milton Murayama Joy Kogawa and others It was even less representative of the variety of East Asian cultures now active in the United States it no longer contained any Filipino works and it remained firm in its insistence on certain qualities as essential for determining true East Asian American identity 5 These ideas are forcefully presented in Chin s introductory essay Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake in which he argues that Kingston Tan David Henry Hwang and other popular Chinese American writers are not authentically East Asian American but rather follow the tradition of such mid century Chinese American authors as Yung Wing and Jade Snow Wong who wrote autobiographies which Chin claims is an exclusively Christian genre that accept the Christian stereotype of Asia being as opposite morally from the West as it is geographically 6 nbsp 3rd Edition of Aiiieeeee 2019 See also editAsian American literature Chinese American literature List of Asian American writers List of American writers of Korean descentAdditional sources editDavid Leiwei Li devotes an entire chapter to Aiiieeeee in his book Imagining the Nation Asian American Literature and Cultural Consent Stanford UP 1998 pp 1 43 ISBN 0 8047 3400 3 Partridge Jeffrey F L and Shawn Wong Aiiieeeee And the Asian American Literary Movement A Conversation with Shawn Wong MELUS 29 3 4 2004 91 102 accessed 14 August 2010 References edit Lee A Robert 2003 Chapter Six Eat a Bowl of Tea Fictions of America s Asia Fictions of Asia s America Multicultural American Literature Comparative Black Native Latino a and Asian American Fictions UP of Mississippi p 142 ISBN 1 57806 645 X a b Kim Elaine H 1982 Chinatown Cowboys and Warrior Women Searching for a New Self Image Asian American Literature An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context Philadelphia Temple UP pp 174 175 ISBN 0 87722 260 6 Chin Frank Chan Jeffery Paul Inada Lawson Fusao Wong Shawn 1975 Preface In Chin Chan Inada Wong eds Aiiieeeee An Anthology of Asian American Writers Garden City NY Anchor Doubleday p ix ISBN 0 385 01243 8 the pushers of white American culture that pictured the yellow man as something that when wounded sad or angry or swearing or wondering whined shouted or screamed aiiieeeee Wong Sau ling Cynthia 2001 Navigating Asian American Panethnic Literary Anthologies In Wong Sau ling Cynthia Sumida Stephen H eds A Resource Guide to Asian American Literature New York MLA p 238 ISBN 0 87352 271 0 a b Wong Sau ling Cynthia 1993 Introduction Constructing an Asian American Textual Coalition Reading Asian American Literature From Necessity to Extravagance Princeton Princeton UP p 8 ISBN 0 691 01541 4 Chin Frank 1991 Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake In Chan Jeffery Paul Chin Frank Inada Lawson Fusao Wong Shawn eds The Big Aiiieeeee An Anthology of Chinese American and Japanese American Literature Meridian p 8 ISBN 0 452 01076 4 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aiiieeeee An Anthology of Asian American Writers amp oldid 1192442732, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
