JPLIT 4400

Modern Japanese Literature: The State of the Field

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

This survey course covers major works of Japanese prose fiction from the late 19th century to the present, while also considering how understandings of the "literary" itself have shifted during this period. Newer studies of media theory, the history of the book, and the "city as text" in Meiji Japan have blurred the boundaries between texts considered "high" (Shimazaki Tôson's depiction of social discrimination in The Broken Commandment) and "popular," such as  best-selling melodramas Namiko and The Golden Demon, whose appearance accompanied the rise of Japan as an imperial power. While reader's interests in the late 20th century have shifted away from the introspective psychological novel towards detective fiction, manga narrative, and even the cell-phone novel, it is also true that previously marginalized groups such as women, zainichi, and Okinawan writers have emerged at the forefront of this literary production as an energizing force. What is at stake in telling the "story" of modern Japanese literature? All texts will be read in English translation.

When Offered Fall.

Breadth Requirement (GB)
Distribution Category (LA-AS)
Course Subfield (LL)

Comments Co-meets with JPLIT 6600.

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