195:329:01 Modern Japanese Novel and the West, cross-listed with 565:395:01
Issues in Japanese Literature
Fall 2014 TTh 2:50-4:10 P.M. Scott 102 CAC
Professor Janet A. Walker [email protected]
Office hours: TTh 1:30-2:30 P.M. in Scott Hall 238
Office phone number: 848-932-7605
Mailbox: Scott 330 (Department of Asian Languages and Cultures)
Introducing the Program in Comparative Literature (195), located at 195
College Avenue
The Program in Comparative Literature emphasizes reading texts across borders:
national borders, disciplinary borders, and media borders. In our courses we read,
mostly in translation, texts from different nations and cultures, including, for
example, French, German, Chinese, Indian, Russian, American, Spanish and Latin
American, Japanese, and Arabic. We study literature as it is shaped by and shapes
the world of philosophy, science, economics, politics, gender, and other cultural and
historical forces. We also study texts across the media of literature and film. Our
major will be attractive to students with a wide-ranging interest in literature, history,
theory, and cultural studies, and who also wish to read literature in the original
language as well as in translation. The minor does not require students to read
literature in the original languages.
For more information on the Comparative Literature major and the minor,
please visit the Comparative Literature website: http://complit.rutgers.edu/
For questions about the major or minor please consult Dr. Jorge Marcone,
Undergraduate Director, at [email protected] or [email protected].
**This course meets the SAS Humanities and Global Awareness requirements
How does this course satisfy Comparative Literature Program Learning Goals?
1. Students will demonstrate familiarity with a variety of world literatures as well as
methods of studying literature and culture across national and linguistic
boundaries and evaluate the nature, function and value of literature from a global
perspective.
2. Students will analyze a specific body of research and write a clear and well
developed paper or project about a topic related to more than one literary and
cultural tradition.
What are the Learning Goals of the Instructor?
This course deals with the important topic of how one culture receives and represents
another, focusing on the particular case of Japan’s literary conceptualization and
representation of the West from the mid-to-late nineteenth century until roughly
1990. The beginning context of Japan’s reception and representation of the West was
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one in which the West was politically and economically more powerful than Japan,
and Western ideals, concerns, and cultural products were both presented by Western
powers as superior to those of Japan and to some extent accepted as such by
modernizing Japanese. The contact zone of Japan and the West at this time was thus
marked by a quasi-colonial relationship. This unequal relationship with the West
changed to one of equality in the Inter-War period (1919-1937), as Japan gained the
respect of Western powers through its imperialist ventures into Korea, Taiwan, and
China from the 1890s onward and, having made Western ideals its own, increasingly
came to reevaluate its own aesthetic traditions and ideals. Finally, the immediate
postwar period, which began with Japan subjected to Western political and economic
power through the Occupation years (1945-1952), has yielded to an era when
Japanese, no longer concerned about equality with the West, live in the world as
global citizens.
By the end of the course students should have arrived at a sense of how one nonWestern nation, Japan, has come to terms with the Western world in the modern
period, transculturating Western ideals in the course of constructing its own Japanese
modernity. Students should further have gained at least a beginning understanding of
the way nations, and writers, attempt to know and understand other cultures, both for
the sake of understanding themselves and with the goal of incorporating particular
aspects of those cultures, or criticizing and distancing themselves from particular
traits of those cultures. In terms of reading, student should have gained the tools to
do a close reading of literary texts. In terms of writing, students should have acquired
the capacity to express their understanding of specific texts in short papers as well as
the capacity to compare and contrast texts in a longer paper.
Rationale for the course
Rachael Hutchinson and Mark Williams in their co-edited book Representing the
Other in Japanese Literature (2007) argue that many Japanese writers from the late
nineteenth century to the present have represented other nations and other places “in
order to come to some overall definition of what it means to be Japanese.” In this
course we will focus on how a number of major Japanese writers have interrogated
“what it means to be Japanese” by representing one particular part of the world: the
West, which includes both European nations and America. The West is represented
in modern Japanese fiction, both novels and short stories, in the form of ideals such
as individualism, Romantic love and sexuality, the Western woman, and political and
social freedom. Finally, some Japanese writers represent countries where they have
actually lived: France, America, England, and Germany.
In the course we will read several Japanese novels and short stories that demonstrate
Japanese writers’ coming to terms with the West, with the goal of examining how the
gaze on the Western Other results in rich self-reflective understandings of the
Japanese self. We will read stories by three writers who lived for a time outside of
Japan, stories that deal with the places where they lived or live: Nagai Kafū and Ōba
Minako with America, and Tawada Yōko with Europe. But mostly we will read texts
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by writers who did not travel to the West but who represent the West in the form of
ideas, characters, and objects in fictionalized form.
Course requirements:
attendance and participation: 10%; oral presentation: 10%; five response
papers: 15%; two 3-4-page papers: 15 +15 = 30%; final 6-8-page paper: 35%.
Total = 100%.
How to Locate Required Texts
The following texts are available for purchase at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore, or
you may also purchase them online:
1) Natsume Sōseki. Kokoro. Trans Edwin McClellan. Dover (2006). ISBN# 13:9780-486-45139-8
2) Tanizaki, Junichiro. Some Prefer Nettles. Trans. Edward G. Seidensticker.
Random House (Vintage International—1995). ISBN# 0-679-75269-2
3) Kawabata,Yasunari. The Sound of the Mountain. Trans. Edward G.
Seidensticker. Perigee Books. ISBN# 0-399-50527-x
All other texts to be read are to be found on Alexander Online Reserve. Readings
will be found on the online list according to the date (given on the syllabus) on
which they will be discussed.
Reading the Texts in Class
Please remember that an important aspect of the course is doing close readings
of the literary texts assigned. Since we will be doing close readings of the
literary texts in every class, please print out copies of the literary readings on
Alexander Online Reserve, and bring them to class on the day that they are
assigned. Or you may use electronic devices in class to read the online reserve
readings. Secondary readings by historians and critics, i.e., on the Meiji Emperor, or
on the discourse of Romantic love, you need not print out and bring to class but you
are responsible for the major ideas in them.
Course Etiquette
No texting will be permitted during class time. You may use an electronic device
to take notes or to access the online readings.
SYLLABUS
***Please note: in listing the names of Japanese authors, I am giving them in
the Japanese order of family name first, then given name: for example, in the
case of Kojima Nobuo, Kojima is his family name and Nobuo is his first name.
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Tues. Sept. 2 Introduction to content and format of the course
Thurs. Sept. 4 Japan’s Beginning Contacts with the Other: China and the West,
including an account of the context of the 1860 Embassy of Japan to America
Readings:
1) David Pollack, “Introduction,” The Fracture of Meaning. Pp. 3-7. Early Japan
defines itself against a Chinese Other.
2) Mary Louise Pratt, Imperial Eyes. Pp. 1-9. The contact zone and transculturation.
3) Masao Miyoshi, As We Saw Them. Pp. 5-29. A visit by Japanese officials to
America in 1860.
4) Japanese contacts with the West—including the Rutgers connection to Japan
Tues. Sept. 9 Approaches to the problem of Self and Other in the Study of Culture
and Literature
Readings:
1) Rachael Hutchinson and Mark Williams, “Introduction: Self and Other in
Modern Japanese Literature.” Pp. 1-11.
2) Issues of the Other within, and cultural essentializing and stereotyping (the Other
outside)—reading containing quotations of various theorists
3) Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit, “Hermes and Hermès: Othernesses in Modern
Japanese Literature.” Pp. 19-26.
*Response paper due by 8 P.M. Monday Sept. 8
The Meiji Period: First Japanese Contacts with and Images/Imaginings of the
West (1868-1912) on Japanese Soil
Thurs. Sept. 11 A conflict of moralities in an early meeting of Japanese with the
Western Other: Mori Ōgai’s story “Incident at Sakai” (Sakai jiken, 1914).
Readings: 1) Mori Ōgai. “Incident at Sakai.” Pp. 99-121. 2) Juliet Piggott, Japanese
Mythology. Pp. 100-103. Samurai ritual suicides. 3) Eiko Ikegami. The Taming of
the Samurai: “Epilogue: Honor and Identity.” Pp. 370-378. The Japanese samurai
sense of honor.
Tues. Sept. 16, Thurs. Sept. 18, Tues. Sept. 23 Japanese travels to and Images of
America around 1900: Nagai Kafū’s American Stories (Amerika monogatari, 1908)
Readings:
1) American Stories: ““A Return Through the Meadow.” Pp. 99-17; “January First.”
Pp. 136-142; “Two Days in Chicago,” Pp. 158-170; “The Sea in Summer;” Pp. 171181; “Midnight at a Bar,” Pp. 182-188; and “Fallen Leaves.” Pp. 189-194.
2) Mitziko Sawada, Tokyo Life, New York Dreams. Pp. 1-12. Japanese in America
in Kafū’s time.
*Response paper due by 8 P.M. on Monday Sept. 15
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Thurs. Sept. 25 Conflicts between Japanese and Western moralities in Nagai
Kafū’s The River Sumida (Sumidagawa, 1909)
Reading: The River Sumida. Pp. 181-218.
Tues. Sept. 30 The River Sumida (continued)
Readings:
1) Nagai Kafū. Kafū the Scribbler. Pp. 38-41.
2) Donald Roden. “Baseball and the Quest for National Dignity in Meiji Japan.”
Pp. 511-517.
***First Short Paper due***
Thurs. Oct. 2 The Japanese Redefinition of Sexuality and Love under Western
Influence
Reading: Takayuki Yokota-Murakami, Don Juan East/West. Pp. 81-99, 110-113,
117-118.
Tues. Oct. 7 and Thurs. Oct. 9 Classes cancelled—instructor is attending
conference and university Advisory Board meeting abroad. Start reading Kokoro.
*Response paper due on the Yokota-Murakami ideas on Oct. 7.
Tues. Oct. 14 A Critique of Western Individualism: Natsume Sōseki’s Kokoro
(Kokoro, 1914)
Reading: Kokoro. Part One: Sensei and I.
Thurs. Oct. 16 Kokoro (continued)
Readings:
1) Kokoro. Part Two: My Parents and I. Pp. 63-96. Part Three: Sensei and His
Testament.
2) Julia Meech-Pekarik, The World of the Meiji Print. Pp. 102-107.
Tues. Oct. 21 Kokoro (final discussion)
Readings:
1) Kokoro. Part Three: Sensei and His Testament.
2) Sōseki Natsume. “My Individualism.” Pp. 33-57.
The Inter-War Years: Cosmopolitanism
Thurs. Oct. 23 Between the West and Japan: Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s Some Prefer
Nettles (Tade kuu mushi, 1928)
Reading: Some Prefer Nettles. “Introduction.” Pp. vii-xvii. Chs. 1-7 (pp. 4-92).
Tues. Oct. 28 Some Prefer Nettles (continued)
Reading: Some Prefer Nettles. Chs. 8-14 (pp. 93-202).
*Response paper due by 8 P.M. Monday Oct. 27
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Thurs. Oct. 30 Some Prefer Nettles: final discussion and Tanizaki’s In Praise of
Shadows (In’ei raisan, 1934)
Reading: In Praise of Shadows. Pp. 9-20, 46-49.
The Postwar Gaze on the Western Other (1945-present)
Tues. Nov. 4 Kojima Nobuo: Negotiating between Japanese and Western
(American) Realities during the Occupation
Reading: Kojima Nobuo: “The American School” (Amerikan sukūru, 1954). 119144.
Thurs. Nov. 6 Family and Self Redefined in the Early Postwar Period: Kawabata
Yasunari’s The Sound of the Mountain (Yama no oto, 1954)
Reading: The Sound of the Mountain. Pp. 3-74.
***Second Short Paper due***
Tues. Nov. 11 The Sound of the Mountain
Reading: The Sound of the Mountain. Pp. 75-160.
Thurs. Nov. 13 The Sound of the Mountain
Reading: The Sound of the Mountain. Pp. 161-225.
Tues. Nov. 18 The Sound of the Mountain
Reading: The Sound of the Mountain. Pp. 226-276.
*Response paper due by 8 P.M. Monday Nov. 17
Thurs. Nov. 20 Christianity in Postwar Japan: The Transculturation of a Western
Catholic Priest in Ariyoshi Sawako’s “The Village of Eguchi” (Eguchi no sato,
1958)
Reading: “The Village of Eguchi.” Pp. 33-52.
Tues. Nov. 25 (Thursday Classes) Christianity in Postwar Japan: The Merging of
Japanese Mother-Centered Religion with Christianity in Endō Shūsaku’s “Mothers”
(Haha naru mono, 1969)
Reading: “Mothers.” Pp. 62-84.
Thurs. Nov. 27-Sun. Nov. 30 Thanksgiving Break
Tues. Dec. 2 Travels between Japan and America (Alaska) in Ōba Minako’s “The
Three Crabs” (Sanbiki no kani, 1968)
Readings:
1) Yukiko Tanaka and Elizabeth Hanson. “Introduction.” In This Kind of Woman.
Pp. ix-xiii.
2) Ōba Minako. “The Three Crabs.” Pp. 87-113.
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Thurs. Dec. 4 A Japanese Defines Europe in Tawada Yōko’s “Where Europe
Begins” (Yoroppa no hajimaru tokoro, 1988)
Reading: “Where Europe Begins.” Pp. 698-711.
Tues. Dec. 9 Summing up
Thurs. Dec. 11--12 Noon ***Final Paper Due
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Requirements
1.
Attendance and participation. 10%. This course will rely largely on
discussion. Students are expected to be ready to discuss the readings on the day
for which they are assigned. For the discussion format to succeed, you must be
present and on time. Attendance will be taken at each class meeting. Each student
is allowed two unexcused absences for the semester. If a student has more than
six unexcused absences, he/she will fail the course. A student who has missed
two classes with no excuse will be reminded in writing of the attendance policy.
After that, each additional missed class will result in a reduction in the final
attendance grade of one half grade per absence: an A in the attendance grade
will drop to a B+, a B+ to a B, etc. As for excused absences, students who must
miss class due to religious observances must inform me in writing in advance (in
order to avoid any misunderstanding). Students who have other pressing reasons
for missing class (i.e., illness, family or personal emergency, job interview)
should inform me in writing as soon as possible.
Lateness. If students arrive fifteen or more minutes late to class more than two
times without a reasonable excuse, late arrivals after that will count as unexcused
absences.
Student Absence Reporting. If you have missed one or two classes, please use
the University Self-Reporting Absence Website, stating the date and the reason
for your absence: https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/. An email message will then
automatically be sent to me.
Long-term absences. In cases where students must miss classes for periods
longer than one week, they are directed to see a Dean of Students for assistance.
2. Oral presentation (10%), and five response papers (15%) =25%.
Oral presentation. 10%.In addition, each student will present an oral report on a
topic of their choice; choices will be made from a list of presentation topics that I
will hand out near the start of the semester. Presentations should last about 5
minutes but no more than 10 minutes and will be graded on 1) the accuracy and
originality of the close reading; 2) the organization of the presentation; 3) the
delivery of the presentation (i.e., maintaining good eye contact with the audience,
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talking rather than reading off of a paper, etc.). If a student misses the day
scheduled for their oral presentation for a legitimate reason (see under “excused
absences” above), they may make up the oral presentation at a later time. If a
student misses the day scheduled for their oral presentation due to an unexcused
absence, he/she will not be allowed to make up the presentation.
Response papers. 15%.During the semester you will write five responses to class
readings. They are due on Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Oct. 7, Oct. 27, and Nov. 17. These
are designed to ensure that you are keeping up with the reading, to allow me to
gauge your understanding of the material, and to stimulate discussion for the
following day. Another important reason for these occasional response papers is
to get you into the habit of expressing your thoughts about the text or texts in an
organized way. These brief essays should be at least 250 words long and should
discuss a question or idea suggested to you by the day’s reading assignment.
These papers do not need to have a formal thesis statement but they should
represent your best writing and make a clear point. If a response paper is due for a
particular class, please email the paper to me by 8 P.M. of the day before that
class meets. The five dates I have given above are the days before a particular
class meets. Late papers will only be accepted with a valid excuse for the lateness.
Response papers will be graded as Satisfactory (full credit) or Not satisfactory
(partial credit). No response papers will be due when a short paper is due.
3. Two short (3-4-page) papers. 15% + 15% = 30%. These will be due on
September 30 and November 6. I will hand out suggested topics for these
papers about two weeks in advance of the due dates. In these papers, concentrate
on one text and carry out a close reading of a particular passage of that text.
These papers should be well organized, with an argument that is stated in the first
paragraph and defended, using evidence from the text, throughout the paper.
4. One 6-8--page final paper. 35%. This will be due at the latest on Thursday,
Dec. 11, at 12 Noon. I will hand out suggested topics for this paper but I
encourage students to propose their own topic, which I must approve.
***Note: All written work for the course should be typed in 12-point Times New
Roman or equivalent, with margins of one inch on all sides. Double-space all papers,
number the pages, and staple the pages together. Proofread all papers to catch
grammatical and spelling errors, and typos. Do not use sources outside of class
readings. I will hand out a sheet of instructions, before the first paper is due, on how
to write a literature paper, another on how to do a close reading of a text, and another
on how to quote from or refer to a text read in the course. Always include a Works
Cited section at the end of your paper, though not necessarily on a separate sheet of
paper. Consult the Bibliography for correct bibliographical information.
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How short and final papers will be graded
An A-range paper explains and interprets the material in an original manner. A Brange paper explains and interprets the material adequately, but not exceptionally.
Both A-range and B-range papers refer specifically to the text(s), by discussing
specific incidents and by quoting from the text(s). A C-range paper clearly presents
and summarizes ideas in the text(s) but has a weak argument and/or does not quote
from the text(s). A D-range paper presents an unclear argument or has no argument,
and does not deal specifically with the text(s).
Grading rubric for the course
A 90-100; B+ 87-89; B 80-86; C+ 77-79; C 70-76; D 60-69; F 59 and below
Policy on Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves using information from published materials (including the
internet) without acknowledging the source, teaming up with a classmate to write
papers, and having someone else write some or all of the paper for you. In this
course I am interested in your ideas, in your work. If I should discover evidence
of plagiarism, I will pursue it following the interim university regulations on
academic integrity, which can be found at this website:
http://academicintegritiy.rutgers.edu/files/documents/AI_Policy_9:01?2011.pdf.
Here is a plagiarism tutorial:
“Consult Don’t Plagiarize: Document Your Research? For tips about how to take
notes so that you don’t plagiarize by accident.
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/lib_instruct/instruct_document.shtml
Policy on Disability
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey abides by the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAA)
of 2008, and Sections 504 and 508 which mandate that reasonable accommodations
be provided for qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities should
contact their instructors early in the semester so that they can be provided with
accommodations they may need. They should also register with the Office of
Disability Services, which is located in the Kreeger Learning Center, 151 College
Avenue, Suite 123, phone number 732-932-2848. Full disability policies and
procedures are to be found at http://disabilityservices.rutgers.edu/.
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Bibliography
Ariyoshi Sawako. “The Village of Eguchi.” Trans. Yukio Sawa and Herbert Glazer.
In The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature, vol. 2: from 1945 to the
Present. Eds. J. Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel. New York: Columbia University
Press, 2007. 33-52.
Endō Shūsaku. “Mothers.” Trans. Van C. Gessel. In The Columbia Anthology of
Modern Japanese Literature, vol. 2: from 1945 to the Present. Eds. J. Thomas Rimer
and Van C. Gessel. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007. 61-84.
Hijiya-Kirschnereit, Irmela. “Hermes and Hermès: Othernesses in Modern Japanese
Literature.” In Rachael Hutchinson and Mark Williams, eds. Representing the Other
in Modern Japanese Literature. London and New York: Routledge, 2007. 19-37.
Hutchinson, Rachael and Mark Williams. “Introduction: Self and Other in Modern
Japanese Literature.” In Rachael Hutchinson and Mark Williams, eds. Representing
the Other in Modern Japanese Literature. London and New York: Routledge, 2007.
1-18.
Ikegami, Eiko. “Epilogue: Honor and Identity.” The Taming of the Samurai.
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995. 370-378.
Kawabata, Yasunari. The Sound of the Mountain. Trans. Edward G. Seidensticker.
New York: Perigee Books, 1981.
Kojima, Nobuo. “The American School.” Trans. William F. Sibley. In Contemporary
Japanese Literature: An Anthology of Fiction, Film, and Other Writing Since 1945.
Ed. Howard Hibbett. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. 119-144.
Meech-Pekarik, Julia. The World of the Meiji Print: Impressions of a New
Civilization. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1986. 102-107.
Miyoshi, Masao. As We Saw Them: The First Japanese Embassy to the United
States (1860). Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1979. 5-29.
Mori Ōgai. “Incident at Sakai.” Trans. David Dilworth. In Mori Ōgai, The Incident
at Sakai and Other Stories. Ed. David Dilworth and J. Thomas Rimer. Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press, 1977. 99-121.
Nagai Kafū. American Stories. Trans. Mitsuko Iriye. New York: Columbia
University Press, 2000.
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Nagai Kafū. The Sumida River. Trans. Edward Seidensticker. In Edward
Seidensticker, Kafū the Scribbler: The Life and Writings of Nagai Kafū, 1879-1959.
Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1965. 181-218.
Natsume Sōseki. Kokoro. Trans. Edwin McClellan. Mineola, New York: Dover,
2006.
Natsume Sōseki. “My Individualism.” Trans. Sammy I. Tsunematsu. In Sōseki
Natsume. My Individualism and the Philosophical Foundations of Literature. Boston,
Rutland, Vt. and Tokyo: Tuttle, 2004. 25-57.
Ōba Minako. “Three Crabs.” Trans.Yukiko Tanaka and Elizabeth Hanson. In This
Kind of Woman: Ten Stories by Japanese Women Writers, 1960-1976. Stanford:
Stanford University Press, 1982. 87-113.
Piggott, Juliet. Japanese Mythology. London: Peter Bedrick Books, 1991. 100-103.
Pollack, David. The Fracture of Meaning: Japan’s Synthesis of China from the
Eighth through the Eighteenth Centuries. Princeton: Princeton University Press,
1986. 3-14.
Pratt, Mary Louise. Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. London and
New York: Routledge, 1992. 1-11, 228.
Roden, Donald. “Baseball and the Quest for National Dignity in Meiji Japan.” The
American Historical Review 85.3 (June 1980): 511-534.
Sawada, Mitziko. “Introduction.” Tokyo Life, New York Dreams: Urban Japanese
Visions of America, 1890-1914. Berkeley and Los Angeles: 1996. 1-12.
Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In Praise of Shadows. Trans. Thomas Harper and Edward G.
Seidensticker. London: Jonathan Cape, 1991.
Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. Some Prefer Nettles. Trans. Edward G. Seidensticker. New
York: Vintage International, 1995.
Tawada Yōko. “Where Europe Begins.” Trans. Susan Bernofsky. In The Columbia
Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature, vol. 2: from 1945 to the Present. Eds. J.
Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
698-711.
Yokota-Murakami, Takayuki. Don Juan East/West: On the Problematics of
Comparative Literature. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998. 81-99,
110-113, 117-141.
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