I am a Cat: Self-Writing in Japanese Literature

4.0 credits

In this class, we explore the endlessly playful expressions of the "self" in Japanese literature. We will read canonical texts in genres including diary, I-novel, and autobiography. Special attention will be paid to narratives that deliberately blur the boundaries between the self and the other, between confessing and lying, and between truth and game. Works include I am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki, Confessions of a Mask by Mishima Yukio, and Diary of a Vagabond by Hayashi Fumiko. Taught in English.