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Home / Japanese Courses / Topics in Japanese Literature: Japanese Historical Fiction and the Question of National Identity

Topics in Japanese Literature: Japanese Historical Fiction and the Question of National Identity

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Japanese 491 | Spring, 2018
This course examines the culture of the Edo period (1600-1868), a time when Japan was largely closed to the outside world, but when economic growth, urbanization, the rise of commercial publishing and the establishment of theaters combined to create one of the most vibrant, innovative periods in Japanese literary and cultural history. We will consider cultural output as a means of both upholding and subverting traditional values, focusing particularly on representations of love, sex, and gender in the "floating world" of the pleasure quarters, images of samurai honor, stories of ghosts and the supernatural, and nascent ideas about national identity. When relevant, we will also consider images of early modern Japan in modern literature and film. Readings will be in English translation. Prerequisites: Previous exposure to Japanese literature or history is helpful but not required.
Related Courses: 
L03 4912
L97 4933
Course Attributes: 
EN H
AS HUM
AS LCD
FA HUM
AR HUM

Section 01

Topics in Japanese Lit & History: Popular Culture and the Literary Imagination in Early Modern Japan
Course Listings page
Instructor: 
Newhard
Room Schedule: 
MoWe 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Eads, Room 210
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East Asian Languages & Cultures | Washington University in St. Louis | Campus Box 1111 | One Brookings Drive | St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 | (314) 935-4448 | ealc@wustl.edu