31195 - Japanese Literature 2

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students should deepen their competence in Japanese literary history, through analysis of general issues (periodization, literary movements and schools). They should also be acquainted with the latest methods and analytical tools they need to understand the works of the main authors, contextualising them within their cultural and historical period.

Course contents

Reading Modern and Contemporary Japan through Narrative and Cultural Expressions

The course focuses on modern and contemporary Japanese literature with emphasis on the interplay between literature, culture and society. Reading Japanese narratives from modern and contemporary Japan, we will analyze how do literature and society influence each other: historical events and occurrences, such as the Meiji restoration, the defeat of the World War II, student movements, the gas-attack in the Tokyo subway, the earthquakes, and changes in sex-role expectations, economy and demography have in different ways stimulated creative writing. In recent years, the emergence and increasing popularity of manga, animation films, videogames and “light novels” have also influenced the way stories are told. In other words, the study of modern and contemporary Japanese literature can offer an important insight into various aspects of Japanese history, culture and society. 

Readings/Bibliography

Students are expected to show a basic knowledge of the history of Japanese literature from 1868 to present days. Our reference text is:  

L. Bienati, A. Boscaro, La narrativa giapponese classica, Collana "Elementi", Marsilio, Venezia 2010

L. Bienati, P. Scrolavezza,  La narrativa giapponese moderna e contemporanea , Collana "Elementi", Marsilio, Venezia 2009   

Critical sources (compulsory)

M.R. Novielli, P. Scrolavezza, Lo schermo scritto. Letteratura e cinema in Giappone, Cafoscarina Editrice, Venezia 2012

Suggested readings:

Rachael Hutchinson e Leith Douglas Morton, Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature, Routledge, 2016 (a selection will be available online by the beginning of the classes).

P. Scrolavezza, Interni giapponesi: nuove narrative per scenari famigliari in trasformazione, in La famiglia nelle culture e nelle società dell'Asia, a cura di Maria Angelillo, Bulzoni Editore, Roma 2013, pp. 147-160(available online by the beginning of the classes). 

P. Scrolavezza,  Paradisi perduti: disillusione e perdita dell'innocenza nell'ultima produzione di Hayashi Fumiko, in I dieci colori dell'eleganza. Saggi in onore di Maria Teresa Orsi, a cura di Matilde Mastrangelo e Andrea Maurizi, Aracne Editore 2013, pp. 511-525 (available online by the beginning of the classes). 

P. Scrolavezza, Silhouettes in black: l'ombra del giallo nella scrittura femminile del Giappone contemporaneo, in G. Coci (ed), Japan Pop, Roma, Aracne Editore, pp. 189-208 (available online by the beginning of the classes). .

Raechel Dumas, Domesticity, Criminality, and Part-Time Work - Female Bodily Economy in Kirino Natsuo’s Auto, in ejcjs, volume 13, Issue 3, 2013 (http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/ejcjs/vol13/iss3/dumas.html)

Mark J. McLelland, Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan. Cultural Myths and Social Realities, Curzon Press, Richmond 2000  (a selection will be available online by the beginning of the classes) 

Primary sources (compulsory):

Ihara Saikaku, Cinque donne amorose, a cura di Lydia Origlia, Adelphi. (1 racconto: “Storia dell'editore di almanacchi letta nella parte di mezzo”, disponibile fra i materiali didattici online all'inizio del corso).

*Hiraga Gennai, La bella storia di Shidoken, a cura di Adriana Boscaro, Marsilio, Venezia.

*Ueda Akinari, Racconti di pioggia e di luna, a cura di Maria Teresa Orsi, Marsilio, Venezia.

*Tayama Katai, Il futon, Marsilio, Venezia 2015

Natsume Sōseki, Il cuore delle cose, Neri Pozza, Milano, 2006 (o qualunque altra edizione).

*Yoshiya Nobuko, Storie di fiori, Atmosphere, Roma 2020

*Hayashi Fumiko, Lampi, Marsilio, Venezia, 2011.

Matsumoto Seicho, Tokyo Express, Adelphi 2018.

Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Libro d'ombra, Bompiani, 2000 (o qualunque altra edizione)

Mishima Yukio, Patriottismo, in Romanzi e racconti, Mondadori, Milano 2004.

*Enchi Fumiko, Namamiko. L'inganno delle sciamane, Safarà Editore, Pordenone 2019

Kawabata Yasunari, Il Giappone, la bellezza e io (disponibile fra i materiali didattici online all'inizio del corso).

Ōe Kenzaburō, Io e il mio ambiguo Giappone (disponibile fra i materiali didattici online all'inizio del corso).

Murakami Ryu, Blu quasi trasparente, Atmosphere, 2020

Kirino Natsuo, La notte dimenticata dagli angeli, Neri Pozza 2016

*Ekuni Kaori, Stella stellina, a cura di P. Scrolavezza, Atmosphere libri, Roma 2013

Scrivere per Fukushima, Atmosphere Edizioni, Roma, 2013 (una selezione di racconti sarà disponibile fra i materiali didattici online all'inizio del corso)

Murata Sayaka, La ragazza del convenience store, edizioni e/o, 2018.

 

 

Teaching methods

The course will consist mainly in lectures held by the teacher. A strong and active participation in class discussions by the students is warmly encouraged.

Assessment methods

Two different options are possible:

1) A written test followed by an oral exam.

The written test will take place only once, in the middle of the course, and and will focus on the first part of the program (the topics will be specified in the Syllabus, to be published on Virtuale before the beginning of the course). The written test will consist of 10 open questions. Up to 3 marks will be awarded for each question.The exam will be oral.

The written test will be followed by an oral exam, which will focus on the second part of the programme. The oral exam will test the student's ability to elaborate on the topics exposed in class, to show the knowledge acquired thorugh the study of the proposed bibliography, and their capability for critical thinking. A critical knowledge of the topics will be evaluated as excellent, while an excessive dependence on texts and manuals without any interpretative support will be evaluated with a positive but low score. The proven and repeated difficulty in creating logical and descriptive connections between cultural phenomena and literary contents, as well as a partial reading of the compulsory bibliography will result in an insufficient evaluation.

2) Oral exam only.

Those who decide not to take - or who will not pass - the written test, will have to take an oral exam which will cover the whole programme.

The oral exam will test the student's ability to elaborate on the topics exposed in class, to show the knowledge acquired thorugh the study of the proposed bibliography, and their capability for critical thinking. A critical knowledge of the topics will be evaluated as excellent, while an excessive dependence on texts and manuals without any interpretative support will be evaluated with a positive but low score. The proven and repeated difficulty in creating logical and descriptive connections between cultural phenomena and literary contents, as well as a partial reading of the compulsory bibliography will result in an insufficient evaluation.

Teaching tools

Slides, video, multi-media supports.  A series of films related to the texts in this syllabus will be shown and discussed during classes. The list will be published by the beginning of the lessons.  
In addition to class lectures, a series of seminars held by national as well as international scholars will be organized, whose active involvement is part of the final exam.
   
The Powerpoint files used during the course will be available for students on the course website (see 'Teaching material).

Office hours

See the website of Paola Scrolavezza