J314	Japanese Literature in Translation	Spring 2009
R. Loftus		Walton Hall 144
email rloftus		x6275

Course Objectives:
To introduce students to some of the major questions and issues in modern Japanese literature. Classical poetry and narrative prose, along with theatre will be considered at the outset, but the emphasis will be on shôsetsu, Japan's version of the modern novel. This is a Writing Centered course which means that we must pay attention to the process of writing: drafting, editing, peer-review, and revising. No one writes an excellent paper in one sitting. Overall, then, our aim in this course will be to examine how the acts of reading and writing have occurred in the context of modern Japanese culture. To this end, six modern Japanese novels have been selected, four from contemporary authors and two from writers active earlier in the modern period. Several of these novels evoke older literary and cultural practices by referring to or actually quoting lines from classical texts. Encountering such "intertextual" references will provide us with the opportunity to consider how classical Japanese poetry, prose and theatre have left their imprint on modern Japanese literature. Emphasis in this course will be on in-class discussion (there will be little, if any, formal lecturing) and "writing-to-learn exercises," something rooted in the notion that we write in order to figure out what we think and what we believe. Writing is and should be a process of discovery. We will work on writing in various ways including:
	short responses to readings and specific questions as posted on WISE under "Forums." Hopefully, these will aid students in framing the questions and identifying the topics that they will subsequently address in their formal papers; these comments can be written in an informal, expressive style
	preparation and sharing with peer-reviewers of portions of your essays in draft forms focusing often on the Introduction where a specific "claim" or thesis is introduced.
	conferences with the instructor or a Wrtiing Center consultant to evaluate drafts of works in progress
	"freewrites"as a post-writing exercise to be done immediately after formal papers are collected

Course Requirements:

1. Regular attendance--no more than 3 unexcused absences--or your grade will be lowered

2. Preparation of reading assignments as indicated on the syllabus

3. Participation in online and in-class discussions

4. Participation in at least one Individual Conference with your professor to discuss a draft of your paper and at least one visit for a consultation at the Writing Center

5. Completion of three formal papers and various in-class writing assignments designed to develop ideas for these papers as well as submitting to and providing Peer Review.

Due dates for three formal papers: Feb. 24, April 2, and May 8 Students may exercise a 24 hour "grace" option for one of their three papers--that is, be allowed an extra 24 hours to turn their paper in without penalty. However, you may only do this once during the semester.

Remember:

"There is no perfect teacher...The point is to make a sincere effort to become a perfect student of an imperfect teacher."

Fujita Issho, Zen Teacher

Major Texts:

MASKS	by ENCHI Fumiko
KOKORO	by Natsume SOSEKI
SPUTNIK SWEETHEART	by MURAKAMI Haruki
A PERSONAL MATTER	by OE Kenzaburo
KAFKA ON THE SHORE	by MURAKAMI Haruki
KITCHEN	by Yoshimoto Banana

NOTE: Some of these texts have explicit language, graphic scenes and "adult" themes or situations. If you are not comfortable reading this kind of material, you should consider taking another course.

Weekly Reading and Discussion Schedule

January 20	Introductions and Course Overview What is literature?
22	Read PDF from Resources section on WISE: Burch.pdf See also: Noel Burch, TO THE DISTANT OBSERVER, Ch. 2,3 On Reading and Interpreting Japanese Literature: Where do we find Meaning?
27	Introduction to Japanese Poetry and Poetics Read four PDFs from Resources section on WISE: Manyoshu.pdf Poetry.pdf Ki-Poetics.pdf Genji-Fiction.pdf Overview of Japanese History of Japanese Literature Additional Useful Materials On the Manyoshu andthe Kokinshu "Aware" and Heian Politics Site; Some more on poetry On Kokinshu and Tosa Diary author Ki no Tsurayuki On the Kokinshu, Tosa Nikki, The Tale of Genji
29	From Poetry to Prose: The Genji monogatari
	Read two PDFs from Resources section on WISE: 1. Genji-Yugao.pdf 2. Genji-Aoi.pdf   Useful Links   Brief summary of the YUGAO (Evening Faces) chapter Another Yugao site Brief summary of the AOI (Heartvine) chapter   Genji website See more websites on the Genji
Feb. 3	And back again: Noh: DEFINITIONS, VIDEO, TEXTS; Excellent Noh Website with Play and Mask databases, etc. More on Noh Overview of Medieval Culture Begin reading MASKS Read a Noh Play: Aoi no Uye PDF Version of Aoi no Uye is also available on WISE   See websites on Noh and its Masks
	More on Noh Masks Noh and Illusion

Feb. 5	MASKS by ENCHI Fumiko	First part. pp. 3-59
10	MASKS--Part Two, pp. 61-112 See reference to KKS poem	Characters
12	MASKS--Finish	See Nonomiya or The Shrine of the Fields

Question for Paper #1 on Masks Due Feb. 24

Some Notes on the text Masks

 

Feb. 17 KOKORO by Natsume Soseki; See another brief Bio of Soseki--pp. 1-62

Language in Kokoro I

 

19	In-class review of Introductions for Paper #1
24	KOKORO--pp. 62-124	See notes on Kokoro PAPER #1 DUE
26	KOKORO--pp. 125-187	Kokoro Review
March 3	KOKORO--pp.187-End	See photos of gingko trees
	Zoshigaya Cemetary	See Picture of Soseki in Middle-School

Soseki's likeness on the 1,000-yen note:

March 5	SPUTNIK SWEETHEART, pp. 1-53	by Murakami Haruki
10	SPUTNIK SWEETHEART, pp.54-96	I WILL BE AWAY FROM CAMPUS ON THIS DAY; LOOK FOR A QUESTION ON WISE IN THE FORUM SECTION AND POST A RESPONSE

Links to Postmodernism; see a definition here and another link here

12	SPUTNIK SWEETHEART, pp. 97-210
17	Discuss

Question for Paper #2, Due APRIL 2

March 18, Student Conferences for Paper #2

31	A PERSONAL MATTER Chs. 1-4	by OE Kenzaburo
April 2	A PERSONAL MATTER Chs. 5-10	Brief review
7	A PERSONAL MATTER Chs 11-13 Discussion of A PERSONAL MATTER	"Oe and the Sublime" Oe Notes
	See a biopage/Nobel Prize	See 1994 Interview with Oe at U.C. Berkeley
9	"Moonlight Shadow" pp. 109-152	by YOSHIMOTO Banana

14	KITCHEN pp. 3-56	YOSHIMOTO Banana
16	KITCHEN pp. 57-105 (finish) YOSHIMOTO Banana	YOSHIMOTO Banana; More on Yoshimoto Banana
21	Begin KAFKA ON THE SHORE pp, 3-104	Murakami Haruki I WILL BE AWAY; NO CLASS

23	KAFKA ON THE SHORE pp. 105-320	I WILL STILL BE AWAY, SO NO CLASS AGAIN
28	Discuss Kafka up to p. 320	NYT Review; John Updike Review; Other Reviews
30	Finish KAFKA ON THE SHORE pp. 321-467 Discuss Kafka and Kitchen	Discuss Topics for Final Paper

May 5

Final Discussion, Develop Introductory Theses

 

 

Question for Final Paper

May 6-7, Student Conferences on Drafts

FINAL PAPER DUE Friday May 8, 3:00 pm

J314 Students Writing their Papers!

The following are useful sources which can be found in the Reference section of the library. You will be able to find background information on the authors and some analysis of their writings.

Ref. DS 805 .K633	KODANSHA ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAPAN 8 vols.
Ref. C.52 and C.53	CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS (100+ Volumes)
Ref. PL 717. R55 1	A READER'S GUIDE TO JAPANESE LITERATURE	by Thomas Rimer
Ref PL 747.55. L48	MODERN JAPANESE NOVELISTS: A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY	by John Lewell
Ref. PN 771 .C59	CONTEMPORARY LITERARY CRITICISM
Ref. PN 771 .55	ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD LITERATURE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY	1981

Brief article : "Trends in Present Day Japanese Literature"

See "Japanorama" Commercial site for Japanese Literature	http://www.japanorama.com/fiction.html
For a site with MP3 files of Japanese Literary Texts click here

 

Print by Clifton Karhu 

See also the following books on Reserve:
1. Doris Bargen	A Woman's Weapon:Spirit Possession in the Tale of Genji
2. Kojin Karatani	The Origins of Modern Japanese Literature
3. Arthur Kimball	Crisis and Identity in Contemporary Japanese Novels
4. Noriko Lippit	Reality and Fiction in Modern Japanese Literature
5. Masao Miyoshi	Accomplices of Silence
6. Irena Powell	Writers and Society in Modern Japan
7. Thomas Rimer	Modern Japanese Fiction and its Traditions
8. Makoto Ueda	Modern Japanese Writers and the Nature of Literature
9. Michiko Wilson	The Marginal World of Oe Kenzaburo
10. H. Yamanouchi	The Search for Authenticity in Modern Japanese Literature
11. Sachiko Schierbeck	Japanese Women Novelists in the 20th Century 104 Biographies 1900-1993
12. Rebecca Copelanad	Lost Leaves: Women Writers of Meiji Japan
13. Chieko Mulhern, ed.	Japanese Women Writers: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook

See a photo of Nishi Honganji Temple.