ABSTRACT
From antiquity, the Confucian tradition has revered the eloquence of its scholar-officials. This chapter surveys the premodern context of these literati-as-critics and their significance in cultures where Confucianism set the model for society and intellectual life, as well as several modern authors who continue this tradition of the literature of exile, both those expelled from their homelands and those who chose to exile themselves as a response to political and cultural repression. This tradition also demonstrates an increasing awareness of intellectual space across the region, as exiles examine injustice and oppression not only within their own nations, but from the vantage of other nations and cultures within the Pacific Basin. With the literati's regard for tradition, countless authors looked back towards Qu Yuan and Jia Yi as reminders of the iniquities of official life, a danger that every Confucian gentleman must endure in his duty to humanity.
