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Introduction to Japanese Literature

Through the Eyes of a Mad, Old Man
Fall Semester 2003
Class meets Mondays, 6:30-9:00pm
Location: 215 Hanes Art
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 
Professor Jan Bardsley
Curriculum in Asian Studies
401 Alumni Building
Office hours: M 1-3pm & by appt
Tel: 919-962-1534
Fax: 919-843-7817
bardsley@email.unc.edu

What is this course about?

Japanese literature can mean many things, refer to all kinds of writing from over a thousand years, and encompass work outside of Japan.  Japanese literature includes centuries of debates, competitions, rule-books and prizes all devoted to understanding what makes any given work worthy of our attention.  In this course, we're going to take the prolific writer Tanizaki Junichirô (1965-1886) as our guide to the pleasures and politics involved in the pursuit of Japanese literature. We'll consider his writing from the 1910s through the early 1960s, and compare his work to short stories by other famous authors writing in Japan.  He will introduce us to the Japanese classics, and he will also give us a wickedly comic look at the Modern Girl and Modern Boy of the 1920s.  He will take us through changing ideas about sex, love and marriage in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.  Tanizaki will make us laugh, cringe, get angry--sometimes he'll just make us feel confused about what we're supposed to know about a character or a plot.  Over the next few months of reading Tanizaki along with other writers, we will come to understand, challenge, and appreciate diverse aspects of Japanese literature.

 

Who is the instructor?

Jan Bardsley teaches Japanese literature, women's studies and first-year seminars in the Curriculum in Asian Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.  A graduate of UC Davis and UCLA, I have lived and travelled in Japan. I enjoy translating and writing about Japanese feminist debate, and have taught women's studies classes in Japan.  In collaboration with UNC-CH Communications Studies professor Joanne Hershfield, I made  a documentary film about international women of Japan.  My current research explores women's magazines published in occupied Japan (1945-52). Most days you can find me in my office on the 4th floor of the Alumni Building. You are welcome to drop in anytime I'm free though it is best to make an appointment for longer consultations.

Tanizaki is one of my all-time favorite Japanese writers!  I first read his novels as a student in Japan, and must confess that sometimes I was too involved in his books to study for my Japanese language classes. I read the novels again as a graduate student and then as an instructor of Japanese literature. My readings of Tanizaki have changed over the years, leading me to think that he is even funnier and more perceptive now than before.  I have noticed that Tanizaki novels are always popular with students.  So, I thought, why not use Tanizaki as the main writer for this class and use his approach to Japanese literature as the launching point for our own?  We will get a a variety of perspectives on modern Japan, ancient Japan, and fiction, and we're sure to have fun reading.

 

What will I have learned by the end of this class?

  • You will be able to discuss the major works of one of Japan's most celebrated writers.
  • You will understand the cultural, historical, and literary context in which his works were read.
  •  You be able to talk about how the works of Tanizaki and other modern writers in Japan are connected to questions of national identity, class, gender, and race.
  • You will learn about other famous Japanese authors, read a sampling of their work, and have some ideas of what reading you'd like to pursue on your own in the future.
  • You will have your own ideas about how to introduce readers to Japanese literature.

    •  

    What books should I buy?

    All books will be available in the textbook section of the UNC bookstore under Japanese 133.   You need to have your own copy of each of these six books.  All are novels by Tanizaki. Any editions are fine.
     
  • Diary of a Mad Old Man
  • In Praise of Shadows
  • Naomi
  • Some Prefer Nettles
  • The Key
  • The Makioka Sisters

    •  

    What else do I need to read?

    Reserve Readings are available at the Circulation Desk of the Undergraduate Library. At the library, look for them under the class JAPN133 or the instructor's name, Bardsley, J. You  may check out each of these readings for two hours at a time. Many of them are also on electronic reserve. Check well before class for these readings, especially as you must share the materials with many other students.   Reading questions for all materials are given on the course website in the section one week before the readings are due. 
    All readings are listed on the class schedule. Check there for updates.

    How do I contribute to this class and how will I be graded?

     Participation
     5%
    • Everyone is allowed one absence.  This covers illness, family emergency, and any other event that might unexpectedly come up, and any other personal time you need to take.  Please notify the instructor by phone or email if you cannot attend class. Unless there is a medical emergency, three or more absences will count against your grade.
    • To get attendance credit, you must be present during the entire class meeting. 
    • You have a vital role to play in determining the success of this course. Be prompt. Come prepared with day's assignment. Be ready to work. 
    • Every student must attend two campus events related to Asian Studies this semester.  The Asian Studies events can include lectures, performances, and films.  Announcements about upcoming events and plays will be made on our class listserv. Check fliers on campus, too. Turn in a one-page reaction to both the events at the the final exam.
    • Expect to be called on in class.
    Weekly Papers
    40%
    • Short, weekly writing assignments will keep you involved with the ideas, forms, and creative possibilities of writing fiction and analysis.
    • Effort counts--show you've thought through the question when you write your essays; take some time with the  assignments.  There's lots of room for originality here so thinking about a problem from various angles and imagining diverse solutions should work well. It will also be more fun.
    • Keep all your papers and turn them in at the end of the class as a portfolio of your work
    Group Presentation OR Individual Paper

    25%
    • GROUP PROJECT OPTION:

      • You and your partners choose one new Japanese author to read.
      Divide your research  & reading time on this author--one person might 
      find out biographical info, another read some short stories, another 
      read a critical essay about the author.
      Pool your ideas and make one powerpoint presentation that will introduce 
      the class to this author and her/his work.  Each person in the group can 
      have 10 minutes to present but the overall presentation should be a 
      coherent whole.  That will require some effort at coordination and 
      thinking about the main ideas you'd like to emphasize.
      Please give me a copy of ppt presentation--that would be all you would 
      have to turn in.

      Let me suggest the authors: MISHIMA Yukio (warrior spirit in modern 
      Japan; lots of short stories related to martial arts and recovering the 
      Japanese spirit of old); YOSHIMOTO Banana ( best-selling, quirky writer 
      of stories of young people in Japan who don't follow the mainstream; her 
      short stories in the collection LIZARD are very popular in the US; lots 
      of her books are in translation and she's very easy and fun to read); 
      MURAKAMI Haruki (one of Japan most popular contemporary writers, he also 
      talks about life out of the mainstream; lots of interesting reflections 
      about life and relationships and our wierd world; deceptively easy to 
      read, too); ABE Kobo (writes absurd and sci fi style literature; Woman 
      in the Dunes is a famous film from his famous novel by the same name).

      PAPER OPTION
      Choose either a novel by a Japanese author other than Tanizaki.  OR  
      choose one Tanizaki novel to analyze in depth. OR construct your own 
      question that requires a comparison of two Tanizaki novels, for ex, 
      marriage in Nettles and Naomi.
      5-6 pages, double-spaced.  Use quotes from the texts to support your 
      argument.
      If you'd like to look at a first draft, hand this in before Tksgiving.
    Final Oral Examination
    30%
    • The final examination will be held during the final exam period.  Students meet with Jan Bardsley in groups of three or four to take the exam.  The 90 minute exam covers all aspects of the course. Review questions will be posted one week in advance.  It's a good idea to take this exam with the students with whom you've worked on the group project.
    It is understood that all members of this class pledge to uphold the honor code of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in all work completed for this course.  If you have questions about the Honor Code's application in this class, it is your responsibility to ask me. Become familiar with the terms of the Honor Code set out at http://instrument.unc.edu.  All exams, written work, and other projects must be submitted with a statement that you have complied with the requirements of the Honor Code in all aspects of the submitted work.

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