JST4570

Advanced studies in modern Japanese literature

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Alison Tokita

12 points
* 2 hours per week
* Clayton

Objectives On completion of the course, students should be expected to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the major novelists of the modern period of Japanese literature and their associated literary movements; some familiarity with the growth of modern Japanese poetry; a knowledge of the major trends in the development of the modern Japanese theatre; the ability to read a work of Japanese literature in English translation, to locate appropriate secondary sources, and to analyse features such as narrative structure, the relation with social issues, the relation to Japanese literary traditions; and the ability to critically examine the role of literature in society.

Synopsis This course provides an introduction to the understanding of modern Japanese literature from the Meiji period to the present. The chief focus will be on prose writing, but some attention will be given to the development of modern poetry and of drama. As many types of writing as possible will be dealt with, including women's writing, popular fiction, avant garde writers, and the most recent controversial young writers. All texts will be studied in English translations.

Assessment Written work (5500 words): 60%)
* Seminar presentation (1500 words): 20%
* Examination (2 hours): 20%