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F1410 Japan in Translation: a Survey of Japanese Literature

Vardaman James M.

Before Japan became fully accessible to the West, the majority of Western images of Japan were attained through memoirs of actual visitors, particularly Engelbert Kaempfer’s history, and translations of Japanese literature. The influence of translated works was at first limited to a small coterie of intellectuals, but gradually spread to a slightly expanded audience. Western views of Japan depended on which literary works were chosen for translation and publication and when they were chosen. Fortunately, thanks to university presses and academic journals, we now have access to most of the major works of Japanese tradition through English translation.
In this course, we will examine the fundamental works of Japanese literature in the order of their composition and consider their essential qualities. The classic works examined will include Sarashina nikki (The Sarashina Diary), Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji), Hojoki (A Account of My Hut) and Oku no hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North). We will consider the complex relationship between prose, poetry, calligraphy and painted scrolls, the evolution of traditional genres, and how these works contributed to later cultural trends.
We will touch on popular literature of the Edo period including Ihara Saikaku’s The Life of an Amorous Man and Five Women Who Loved Love and Jippensha Ikku’s Hizakurige (Shank’s Mare), works that portray the daily life, tragedies and humor of the common people.  We will consider the importance of woodblock prints and the development of printing and publishing culture during the Edo period.
With the opening of the Meiji period (1868), novelists Natsume Soseki and Mori Ogai address the influx of Western ideas and literary influences while maintaining some aspects of Japan’s literary legacy. The characters of Soseki’s Kokoro, I Am a Cat and Light and Darkness and Ogai’s Wild Geese and The Dancing Girl are both attracted to the West and hesitant to surrender the positive elements of their own culture. These authors’ penetrating portrayal of the psychology of the Japanese sets a precedent for later authors. We will look briefly at the works of the generation that follows including Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Dazai Osamu.  
Among the mid-20th century writers we will cover Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Kawabata Yasunari and Mishima Yukio. In the contemporary scene we will take up Yamada Eimi, Yoshimoto Banana and, of course, Murakami Haruki.
Our focus throughout the course will not be on literary criticism but on considering what these works say about Japanese views of history, aesthetics and social values.  We will consider the foreign influences in the works; we will also how they have affected Western perceptions of Japan and gained significant popularity abroad.

 

Goal of the course
Through a survey of Japanese literature, the student will be able to compare fundamental Japanese concepts, aesthetics, symbolism and styles with those of his or her own literature and discover the similarities and differences.

 

Readings

All assigned readings are available in the VIU library or in the instructor’s office. It is not necessary to purchase any textbooks for this class*