Japanese Literature After 1970: The Art of Losing

Undergraduate

This course is an introduction to Japanese literature written in the last fifty years, with a focus on women writers. Since the 1970s, Japanese women writers have increasingly appeared on the shelves of international bookshops and on the lists of international prizes. These authors have experimented with multiple genres, from romance to horror, and depicted diverse worlds, from the daily grind of working women to the simple pleasures of eating and cooking. Over the course of a semester, students encounter a new novel each week that introduces them to the world of contemporary Japanese literature. Novels are selected around a different theme each year. This year, the focus will be on novels that address loss––losing loved ones, losing memories, losing minds, losing composure, losing a sense of reality––and recovery from that loss. Original-language versions of texts can be made available. HU M 7pm-8:55pm