JPN/EAS 380
Masterpieces of Japanese Literature

Murasaki
biwahoshi geisha Soseki kawabata

 

M•W 3-4:15 pm
AuSable 2107



Jeremy Robinson
robinjer@gvsu.edu
Office: D-2-136 Mackinac Hall
Office Hours: M•W•F 12:00-1:00pm


The title of this course seems fairly straightforward, but just what is it that makes a literary work worthy of being called a "masterpiece?" Is it popularity? influence? the ability to capture a certain historical moment? Is it simply the fact that people are still reading it decades (or centuries) later? And more importantly, what is "literature?" In the West, "masterpieces of literature" tends to refer to extended works of prose, in particular novels and works that resemble novels. But in Japan, poetry was considered more "literary" than prose until well into the nineteenth century. Looking back, then, do we choose our "masterpieces" based on what we value, or what the people at the time valued? And if we choose based on our own attitudes toward literature, do we not risk misunderstanding the work and its time? In the end, the answer is simple: we're still alive, so we get to make the rules. This is a college class taught for English speaking students in an American university and our priorities will inevitably trump those of the original readers... as they should. If these works had nothing to say to those outside their own time, they would have died along with their authors. To be fair to these works, we must consider their original time and context, but to be fair to ourselves we must find what they can tell us about us and our time.

For my "masterpieces" I have chosen a few texts from a wide range of eras. In some cases, one text so clearly stood out among its peers that the choice was simple, while in some cases I could easily have made a different choice of authors or works. I made the decision to focus entirely on works written in prose, though they range across a thousand years of Japan's literary history and include a broad range of genres, from the beginnings of prose tale literature, to medieval military chronicles, to the popular woodblock printed works of the early modern period, and through the important trends in modern Japanese literature. For every work, the question of why it belongs on this syllabus will be an open one, and the question of what makes a "masterpiece" will be one that we examine regularly.  Throughout, the focus will be on both continuity, as later authors draw on the conventions of earlier works; and change, as those conventions are adapted or subverted for changing times and audiences with new expectations.

This course makes extensive use of the Blackboard learning environment, both to distribute additional readings and to participate in online discussion. If you are not familiar with Blackboard, in particular the Discussion Board and Wiki tools, it is crucial to your success in this class that you familiarize yourself with these functions as soon as possible. If you require assistance, talk to the professor outside of class.


Grades will be assessed as follows:
   
 

Attendance and Participation
Wiki Quotes
Presentation
Six Online Reaction Papers
Fifteen Online Responses
Research Paper
Final Exam

15%
5%
10%
6 x 5% = 30%
15 x 1% = 15%
10%
15%

 

As the first item suggests, I do take attendance, as well as take note of your participation in class, and these factors affect your grade. Attendance does not mean simply showing up in class, but showing up having read the assignment for that day, considered the "Questions to Consider" that are posted for each reading, and prepared to actively discuss it with the class.  For each day’s readings, select a quote that you found interesting and post it to the Quotes Wiki section of Blackboard at least an hour before class begins. These quotes will contribute to shaping each day's discussion and regular contribution is what will determine your "Wiki Quotes" grade. Almost all of the readings will be translations of primary sources -- that is, they are the Japanese works themselves rather than criticism of or commentray on the Japanese works. However, once during the semester you will be assigned additional readings about a given work or author to read on your own and prepare as a 10-15 minute presentation in class. Online reaction papers and responses will be posted throughout the semester to the Blackboard Discussion Board section. A reaction paper should be at least 600 words (appr. two pages) long and should articulate your reaction to that day’s readings. It does not need to be a formal argumentative essay, but it should be more substantive than mere summary and you should avoid filling your space retelling the story we have all just read. It can draw on one of the "Questions to Consider" for that reading if you wish, but it doesn't necessarily need to do so. These papers are intended to give your interpretation of the material in light of your own experience and the issues we raise in class, and should show an active engagement with the text. Remember: you aren’t expected to be an expert on the topic, just an engaged reader. Reaction papers must be posted online by midnight the night before the class in which the readings are to be discussed, in order to give your fellow students time to read them and respond before class. Late reaction papers are useless to fostering online discussion and thus will not be accepted. Six (6) of these papers are required and you may choose any of the readings to which you wish to respond, but you may not write more than one in any given week. Although there will be many days when you do not write a reaction paper yourself, other students’ reaction papers are a a part of the required reading for all students, and you should make a point of reading the other students’ reactions, and perhaps writing an online response to them, before coming to class. There is no set length for these responses, but they should respond not only to the text itself, but also to the other students’ reactions and show a willingness to engage with other students’ ideas rather than relying only on one’s own interpretation. These responses must be posted prior to class, and a minimum of fifteen (15) of these responses is required over the course of the semester, though you are encouraged to write more and, if you feel more comfortable contributing in written form rather than during class discussion, this may enhance your participation grade. These online discussions are intended to act as a forum for discussion of the texts prior to hearing about them in the lectures, and they will provide the basis for in-class discussion of the texts. If you wish, one of your online reaction papers (and the discussion it provokes, both online and in class) might also provide the basis of your research paper. The research paper should be around ten pages long and can be on any topic. You might choose to investigate a given theme by reading further in an assigned work, or deal entirely with new readings, but the paper must go beyond what we have discussed in class. It is not intended to show how well you learned class material, but how well you can draw on that material to go one step further on your own. A one-paragraph topic proposal should be turned in by the end of October, and your final paper is due on Friday of the last week of class.  If you wish to receive feedback on your paper prior to turning in the final version, you are welcome to turn in a draft any time up to one week before the deadline (as drafts submitted after that time will not allow the professor enough time to read and comment).

There are eleven (11) required texts for this course, all of which are available in the bookstore. Nearly all of them are also widely available used, often at a substantial discount, from various online sellers. If you do plan to purchase the books on your own, make sure you note the ISBN number to insure you are using the same translation as the rest of the class. Additional readings will be made available as web links or in pdf format in the “Course Materials” section of Blackboard, and are identified on the syllabus with (BB). The required texts are:


  Genji and Heike Helen McCullough, trans. ISBN: 9780804722582
  Essays in Idleness Yoshida Kenkô ISBN: 9780231112550
  Back Roads to Far Towns Matsuo Bashô ISBN: 9781893996311
  Life of an Amorous Woman Ihara Saikaku ISBN: 9780811201872
  Tales of Moonlight and Rain Ueda Akinari ISBN: 9780231139137
  The Wild Goose Mori Ôgai ISBN: 9780939512713
  Kokoro Natsume Sôseki ISBN: 9780143106036
  In Prase of Shadows Tanizaki Jun'ichirô ISBN: 9780918172020
  Snow Country Kawabata Yasunari ISBN: 9780679761044
  A Personal Matter Ôe Kenzaburô ISBN: 9780802150615
  A Wild Sheep Chase Murakami Haruki ISBN: 9780375718946


 

 

Fall 2011 Course Schedule

• click on any section to go to the assignments for that week •

 

Introduction and Syllabus

Monday, August 29th

 

The Pillow Book

August 31st

The Tale of Genji

September 5th - 14th

Hôjôki

September 19th

The Tale of Heike

September 21st-28th

Essays in Idleness

October 3rd-5th

Oku no Hosomichi

October 10th-12th

Life of an Amorous Woman

October 17th-19th

Tales of Moonlight and Rain

October 24th-26th

The Wild Goose

October 31st - November 2nd

Kokoro

November 7th-9th

Snow Country

November 14th-16th

In Praise of Shadows

November 21st

A Personal Matter

November 28th-30th

Wild Sheep Chase

December 5th-7th

 

••• Final Exam: Thursday, Dec. 15th, 2-3:50pm •••

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