Studies in the Relations Between Literature and the Other Arts
Japanese Literary and Cultural Theory (Japanese Aesthetic Theory) Part I
This course surveys key texts of Japanese aesthetic philosophy and critical theory from premodern poetics to superflat and anime.
The course engages original works by Ki no Tsurayuki, Murakami Shikibu, Motoori Norinaga, Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Kuki Shūzō, Watsuji Tetsurō (Kyoto School), Yanagita Kunio, Origuchi Shinobu, Lee U-fan (Mono-ha), Nakagami Kenji, Yoshimoto Takaaki, and others, as well as scholarly analysis by Harootunian, Marra, McKnight, Tatehata, LaMarre, Barshay, Oniki, and Ivy.
NOTE: English translations of required readings will be available for those who need them; willingness to listen to some discussion of original textual detail is expected, but Japanese reading ability not required. For those who do read Japanese: original language materials will be provided and studied in detail.