A Malaysian Literary Researcher’s Explorations and Contributions in the

Context of Current Trends in Literary Analysis

Malachi Edwin Vethamani, PhD Professor and Dean

School of Education, Languages & Communication Wawasan Open University

Introduction

• Why carry out research?• What do you want to research on?• Will your research contribute to a body of

knowledge?• Do you or anyone care?• Do you present your research findings at

conferences?• Do you publish your research findings and

papers?

The Beginning …

• Finding a niche area of one’s own• Researching on an area that would of

interest• Researching on an area that has both

academic and personal interest• Sustaining interest in research area• Researching in area that has continued

academic interest

Contemporary literary research concerns:

1. Driven by critical theory reading of texts

2. Various forms of discourse analysis:• Stylistic analysis• Text analysis: Examines texts as

communication systems and uncovering and describing text grammars.

Critical Theories

Reading literary texts using a range of critical/literary theories from Formalist reading to Deconstruction to gender-based, politically-based and post-modernist readings

Discourse Analysis

Stylistic analysis:

A more scientific reading of texts that examines the effects writers affect through the use of words on readers

Textualinguistic Analysis:

Examines texts as communication systems and uncovers and describes text grammars.

My research journey

• Choosing a niche area of research• Bibliographical research• Anthologising creative writing• Discourse analysis: • Stylistic Analysis• Post-colonial theory• Malaysian Literature in English in the

Malaysian school system

Choosing a niche area of research

• Malaysian Writing

• Malaysian Literature in English

Bibliographical research

• Bibliography of Malaysian Literature in English– Long-term project– 7 years of research before publication in

2001– Still on-going

Anthologising creative writing

• Compiling literary texts for publications– 2003 Published anthology of Malaysian

poems– Currently working on a volume of short

stories and second volume of poetry

Discourse analysis

Reading literary texts:

modalitytransitivityconversation analysis

Stylistic Analysis

Reading literary texts:From lexis to syntax to discourse

Cohesion

Graphology

Phonology

Dialect

Register

Period

Post-colonial theory

• Theorising Malaysian literature in English

• Diaspora

• Hegemony

• National and Sectional literature

• Emergency of Malaysian literature in English as a literary tradition

Malaysian Literature in English in the Malaysian school system

• Malaysian Literature in English in language education

• Malaysian Literature in English and current issues

• Malaysian Literature in English for multiculturalism

Conclusion

There is a need to document the development of Malaysian writing in English, especially by Malaysians, when there are misreadings by foreign critics. … These omissions and misreadings of Malaysian Literature in English indicate a need for Malaysian scholarship on one’s own literary tradition.

Vethamani (2005:1)

Thank You

www.edwinvethamani.com