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Lecturer(s)
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Abbasová Veronika, Mgr. et Mgr. Ph.D.
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Martinec Jakub, Mgr.
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Course content
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1. The opening of Japan to the world, facing the Western literary tradition, enlightenment period 2. Journalism, ken'yusha, return to Japanese literary tradition, shaping the new literary language, political novel Reading: Tsubouchi Shoyo - Essence of the Novel 3. Romanticism in prose and poetry, realism Reading: Higuchi Ichiyo, Mori Ogai, Izumi Kyoka 4. Japanese naturalism and the rise of watakushi shosetsu Reading: Tokuda Shusei, Kunikida Doppo, Kasai Zenzo 5. Opponents of naturalism (Soseki, Nagai, Shiga + Shirakaba) Reading: these three authors 6. New poetry shintaishi, classical poetic forms revival, introduction of selected 20th century poets Reading: Yosano Akiko, Masaoka Shiki, Ishikawa Takuboku, Taneda Santoka 7. Modernism in Japanese literature Reading: Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Kawabata Yasunari, Yokomitsu Riichi, Hori Tatsuo 8. Proletarian literature Reading: Kobayashi Takiji. Sata Ineko 9. Literature of pre-war and war period, tenko bungaku, portrayals of war in literature Reading: Ibuse Masuji, Ooka Shohei 10. Post-war literature, buraiha Reading: Dazai Osamu, Abe Kobo, Endo Shusaku, Mishima Yukio 11. Female writers of the 20th century Reading: Hayashi Fumiko, Kono Taeko, Tsushima Yuko 12. Fuzoku shosetsu - mystery, sci-fi, horror Reading: Edogawa Rampo, Hoshi Shin'ichi, Tsutsui Yasutaka 13. Postmodern literature, prose writers of the late 20th century and present Reading: Murakami Haruki, Murakami Ryu, Murata Sayaka, Kawakami Mieko
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training)
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Learning outcomes
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In this course we will survey modern Japanese literature from the late 1800s to the present, covering a wide variety of prose, poetry, and drama. We will tie literary movements to their historical moment to better contextualize what each text is doing, both for the author and the audience. Although such a short course is unable to capture the full variety of literary movements and genres, students will finish the course with a general understanding of 150 years of literature and able to determine avenues for future reading and research. Excerpts from literary works are used in the lectures, either in translation or in original accompanied by translation. The lectures are also accompanied by audiovisual materials. As there are currently no literature seminars in the undergraduate program, a part of every lecture is dedicated to discussing what students read; each lecture therefore has a recommended reading list.
By the end of this course, students will be able to: - Differentiate between the major genres of modern Japanese literature, summarize their features, and approximate the rough time period any particular text was written. - Analyze the themes of a text and classify the genre the text likely belongs to (eg. Naturalism, proletariat literature, tenko bungaku, shintaishi). - Analyze and explain how a particular text relates to the historical moment in which it was written. - Debate about historical and contemporary interpretations of various texts and defend their own interpretation as it relates to their lived experiences. - Produce an argumentative essay that answers a question about modern Japanese literature and explains how it relates to the themes covered in the course.
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Prerequisites
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The course is designed for students with an interest in Japanese literature, who do not study Japanese as their major.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Mark, Essay
pre-exam credit: 65 out of 100 possible points on student choice of assignments (discussions, Moodle posts, quizzes, short papers, etc.)
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Recommended literature
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Keaveney, Christopher T. Swapping Odes in a Sacred Language: The Kanshi Exchange of Natsume Soseki and Masaoka Shiki and Its Meaning. IN: International Journal of Asian Studies 20, no. 2 (2023): 611-30. .
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Keene, D. (1985). Dawn to the West: Japanese Literature of the Modern Era - Fiction, Poetry, Drama. New York.
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Lewell, J. (1983). Japanese Novelists: A Bibliographical Dictionary. New York.
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Nakamura, M. (1995). Contemporary Japanese Fiction (1926-1968). Tokyo.
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Novák, M. (1989). Japonská literatura II. Praha.
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Powell, I. Writers and Society in Modern Japan.
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Rimer, J. Thomas and Van C. Gessel, eds. The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Literature Volume 1: From Restoration to Occupation, 1868?1945. Columbia University Press. 2005.
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Rimer, J. Thomas and Van C. Gessel, eds. The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Literature Volume 2: From 1945 to the Present. Columbia University Press. 2007.
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Uzawa, Kozue. I'm A Traveler: A Collection of Tanka. Modern English Tanka Press. 2011.
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Winkelhöferová, V. (2008). Slovník japonské literatury. Praha.
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