MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE LITERATURE

This is one of the characterising courses within the "Japan" curriculum of the Corso di Laurea Magistrale in "Lingue e Civiltà dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea".
The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in the area of the humanities-related skills.
In particular, this course helps students to acquire
- A high level of critical knowledge and understanding of various socio-cultural phenomena;
- The ability to use sources and research tools related to the chosen field with competence and confidence;
- a deeper knowledge of the social realities, ways of thinking and textual cultures of the chosen field;
- The ability to produce oral and written texts related to the field of literary studies;
- The ability to apply their knowledge to the field of literary studies.

Knowledge and Understanding:
- Basic knowledge of the theories and methods of futurism studies;
- In-depth knowledge of Japanese historical and literary phenomena that can be understood through such theories and methods;

Applying of knowledge and understanding:
- Ability to apply the theoretical and methodological tools acquired in the first part of the course to individual phenomena in the field of modern Japanese literature;
- Ability to recognize the application of such tools in previous scholarship;
- Ability to read and analyze texts from the first half of the 20th century.

Communication:
- Summarize and communicate the gist of scholarly texts in a formally correct and effective manner, either orally or in writing.

Making judgments:
- To be able to examine available sources and identify their arguments and assumptions;

- A basic knowledge of the history of modern Japanese literature. Students who wish to deepen their knowledge are invited to contact the teacher for further reading;
- Willingness to read materials in advance and to participate in seminar classes;
- Ability to read primary and secondary sources in modern Japanese.

A basic knowledge of literary Japanese ("bungo") is desirable but not required.

Students will be required to read some materials before a certain number of lessons. These materials will not necessarily be part of the final exam, but students should prepare them if they want to follow and understand the lessons more effectively, and especially if they want to interact during class.

Course Topic: Futurism in Japan and Japanese Futurism (1909-1944)

With a special focus on literary and intellectual history, we will examine the reception of Italian Futurism in Japan, both as a specific historical and cultural phenomenon and as a case study within the broader reception of historical avant-gardes in Japan and the participation of Japanese intellectual communities in the networks of the international avant-garde.
A strong emphasis will be placed on historical and textual aspects. Students will acquire a solid historical knowledge of the cultural phenomena they will study and will engage in reading and analyzing a wide range of texts related to Futurism in Japan: primary sources in Italian and Japanese, Japanese texts from the press of the period, creative texts inspired by Futurism, archival sources, scholarly works in the field of Futurism studies, etc.

The course will include a series of lectures by invited scholars specializing in Futurism studies.

Introduction to Futurism Studies:
Claudia Salaris, "Futurismo, Milano", Editrice Bibliografica, 2016.
selected chapters from "Handbook of International Futurism", edited by G. Berghaus, Berlin & Boston, De Gruyter, 2018.
selected texts from F.T. Marinetti, "Teoria e invenzione futurista", Milano, Mondadori, 1983, or: Marinetti, "Critical Writings", new edition, ed. G. Berghaus, trans. D. Thompson, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2006.

Futurism in Japan:
Nishino, Yoshiaki, "F. T. Marinetti and Japan the Futurist", in "Marinetti = Futurismo", Milano, Motta, 2009.
Omuka, Toshiharu, "Futurism in Japan, 1909-1920", in International Futurism in Arts and Literature, edited by G. Berghaus, Berlin & Boston, De Gruyter, 2000, pp. 244-270.
Zanotti, Pierantonio, "What is Miraiha? Academic Discourses on Japanese Futurism", International Yearbook of Futurism Studies, vol. 2, 2012, pp. 35-66.
Zanotti, Pierantonio, voce "Japan" in Handbook of International Futurism, Berlin & Boston, De Gruyter, 2018, pp. 628-647.

Case Studies:
The complete list will be made avaiaible in the moodle space.

Oral exam on the course reading list.
The exam will evaluate the acquisition of all the teaching goals of the course.

Lectures and seminars. In-class participation is encouraged.

Italian

This exam (with this syllabus) will be available only for the 4 "appelli" of the 2023-24 academic year. Starting from 2024-25, a new syllabus will be in use.

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