Literature of C (Japanese) Language Area - level 1 3200-L2-LCJ1
The Course aims at introducing an outline of the history of the ancient and the first half of medieval period of Japanese literature, i.e. from 8th to 14th century. Students will have a selection of extracts from the most important works, which are representative of each period, and at discussing the silhouettes of novelists, lyricists, dramatists in Japan.
Based on the selected texts, we will discuss key issues of each period on the esthetic and formal domain as well as within the historical and cultural context. The extracts of literary works will be read in original language, and sometimes within a comparison of translated one when available.
Regarding themes and works, more detailed breakdown of the content is as follows:
- general-chronological periodization of Japanese literature
- birth of Manyōgana
- chronicle (“Records of Ancient Matters”/Kojiki and “Chronicles of Japan”/Nihonshoki)
- anthology of ancient and classical poetry (“The Ten Thousand Leaves”/Man’yōshū, “Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry”/Kokinwakashū
- birth of two Japanese alphabets, hiragana and katakana
- lyric diary (“The Tosa Dairy”/Tosa nikki)
- stray notes / Zuihitsu (“The Pillow Book”/Makuranosōshi)
- courtly literature (“The Tale of Genji”/Genji monogatari)
- the literature of Kamakura period ("Heike monogatari", the Noh Theatre)
- the literature of Edo period (kanazōshi, Ihara Saikaku's work, the Kabuki theatre)
- spelling reform from kyūkanadzukai to shinkanadzukai and Sino-Japanese character / Kanji reform
- the genbun-itchi movement (unification of the spoken and written language)
- romantic school (Mori Ōgai, Shimazaki Tōson)
- the work of Natsume Sōseki
- modernism (Kawabata Yasunari)
- post-war school (Abe Kōbō, Mishima Yukio)
- the third generation (Endō Shūsaku, Ishihara Shintarō, Ōe Kenzaburō)
- contemporary literature (Yoshimoto Banana, Murakami Haruki)
Students’ workload assessment:
Overall value = 4 ECTS, including:
- 60 contact hours (in classroom; presence required) = 2 ETCS
- 60 hours of self-preparation = 2 ETCS, including:
30 hours of homework
30 hours of preparation for examination
If classroom learning is impossible, the workshop will be conducted with the help of distance communication tools, most probably Google Meet and others recommended by the University.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student is expected to:
Knowledge:
- be familiar with periodization of the history of Japanese literature and characteristics of ancient and medieval periods (K_W01, K_W07);
- be acquainted with several varieties of Japanese alphabets in ancient and medieval periods (K_W04, K_W09, S_W04);
- have knowledge of names of authors and their most important works together with historical and cultural context. (K_W01, K_W05, S_W09, S_W10);
Skills:
- be able to explain the birth of Japanese alphabets (K_U01, S_U01);
- be able to distinguish graphic variations earlier than the contemporary Japanese (K_U01, K_U02);
- be able to recognize extracts discussed in this course and sort them out with titles and authors (K_U04, S_U03);
- be capable of pointing out key factors of works, which characterize their apparition in a given literary period (K_U06, S_U03);
Social competences:
- be prepared to word by oneself for enlarging knowledge about given periods of Japanese literature (K_K05, K_K06, S_K03);
- be aware of his/her own level of knowledge and competences, understand a need for educating himself/herself continuously and a necessity of learning for his/her whole life. (S_K01, S_K08);
- respect the literary tradition and heritage of selected domain within the history of Japanese literature (K_K05, S_K10);
- be prepared to deepen and update his/her own knowledge and skills on the studied field (K_K04, S_K07, S_K08).
Assessment criteria
Requirements for credits:
・presence in the class and preparation for the lecture
・doing tasks given by a lecturer satisfactorily
・written test examination
1. Final grade is composed of the following elements:
- 80% for written examination at the end of the semester
- 20% for active participation within a class (participation in a discussion, based on homework and reading of texts)
- conditions for resit are the same as for regular examination
2. Final grade is established in accordance with the following scale:
・more than 90% - 5
・90%-81% - 4+
・80%-71% - 4
・70%-61% - 3+
・60%-51% - 3
・less than 51% - 2
3. Absence:
The students are to attend all course classes (up to two class absences in each semester are allowed).
Bibliography
Keene, D., Anthology of Japanese Literature: From the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century, Donald Keene, Tuttle Publishing, New York, 1991.
Keene, D., A History of Japanese Literature vol.1, Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the late Sixteen Century, Columbia University Press, New York, 1999.
Kotański, W., Dziesięć tysięcy liści. Antologia literatury japońskiej, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa, 1961.
Kotański, W., Kojiki, czyli Księga dawnych wydarzeń, t. 1-2 (przekład, wstęp i komentarze), PIW, Warszawa, 1986.
Melanowicz, M., Historia literatury japońskiej, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa, 2012.
Shirane, H. (ed.), Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007.
Shirane, H., T. Suzuki, D. Lurie (eds.), The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2016.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: