In Their Own Words: Advanced Readings in Japanese Literature and Criticism

This advanced Japanese literature class offers students the chance to read works of modern Japanese literature in dialogue with important works of criticism as we work our way through each decade of the 20th century. Readings will be in both Japanese and English. We will consider both the formal properties of fiction and the historical pressures of gender, ethnicity, class, imperialism and globalization. Authors vary depending on student interest, but often include writers such as Natsume Soseki, Abe Kobo, Ch’oe Chŏng-hŭi, Kono Taeko, and Kawakami Hiromi as well as celebrated Japanese critics such as Maeda Ai and Komori Yoichi.