JPN/EAS 380
Masterpieces of Japanese Literature

 

Hitsuji o meguru bôken

Wild Sheep Chase by Murakami Haruki

Hitsuji o meguro bôken
 Murakami Haruki

 

Text: Wild Sheep Chase, Alfred Birnbaum, trans.

Monday, Dec. 5th
Readings:

Read either: as much of Wild Sheep Chase as you can

Or: The four short stories available on Blackboard:
"The Second Bakery Attack," "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning," "The Last Lawn of the Afternoon," "The Elephant Vanishes"

Questions to Consider:

Does Murakami's writing remind you of any particular authors in English? Do they fit into a particular genre.

Murakami has frequently been singled out as having nothing distinctly "Japanese" about his writing. Do you agree? If true, what does it mean?

Murakami was a strong contender for the Nobel prize in literature this year, which would have made him only the third Japanese author so honored. What is there about his works that you think might justify this reputation?

 

Wednesday, Dec. 7th
Readings:

Read either: as much of the rest of Wild Sheep Chase as you can

Or: The four short stories available on Blackboard:
"Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman," "The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes," "The Ice Man," "The Kidney-Shaped Stone that Moves Every Day"

Questions to Consider:

Our last author, Ôe Kenzaburô, has expressed disdain for many contemporary authors, including Murakami Haruki, as not qualifying as "pure" literature. Why do you think Ôe has this view of authors such as that of Murakami and do you agree?

Do any of Murakami's works function as allegories? If so, to what are they referring?

Many of Murakami's works contain fantastic or surreal elements, yet the characters seem to react to them in a realistic manner. Do the works fit within the modern fantasy genre?

 

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