JAPANESE LITERATURE 2

This is one of the core courses within the "Japan" curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in "Language, Culture and Society of Asia and Mediterranean Africa".
The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in the area of language skills, but it also invests the cultural and humanities areas.
The main goals of the course are: to provide knowledge on the history of Japanese literature between 1868 and 1945; to provide tools for the analysis and discussion of literary phenomena; to make the students acquire the skills to analyze the literary texts covered in the course; to develop the judgement faculty and the skills to produce and communicate a piece of interpretive discourse on the themes of the course.

Knowledge and understanding:
- to know and understand the main aspects (authors, movements, works, etc.) in the history of Japanese literature between 1868 and 1945
- to know and understand concepts and tools from the fields of literary criticism and historiography
- to deepen the knowledge and understanding of historical and cultural contexts through the analysis of literary texts. The historical context may have already been studied in other courses from different points of view (e.g. historical, artistic ...)

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- to analyze and interpret literary texts by using concepts and tools from the fields of literary criticism and historiography
- to critically apply concepts from literary historiography (eg "canon formation") to the historical period studied in the course

Making judgements:
- Being able to critically read academic sources of different types (textbooks, academic articles).
- Being able to establish a hierarchy among academic sources.

Communication:
- to express and re-elaborate the contents of the program in written or oral form, in a concise and effective way

It is desirable that the students possess a good knowledge of premodern Japanese literature, acquired through (however not exclusively) attending the "Japanese Literature 1" class.

It is desirable that the students possess some notions of literary theory and criticism. Those who do not possess it may resort the the following book:
- Chines, Loredana e Varotti, Carlo, "Che cos'è un testo letterario (nuova edizione)", Roma, Carocci, 2015

The course will trace the development of Japanese literature from the nineteenth century until the beginning of the Second World War, with particular attention to the period 1905-1937.
Lesson 1: Preliminary problematization: "history" of "Japanese" "literature"
Lessons 2-5: Historical-literary overview of Japanese literature during the Meiji period (1868-1912), Taisho period (1912-1926), and pre-war Showa period (1926-1945).
Lessons 6-15: In-depth study of individual authors/canonical texts and the critical discourse surrounding them.

The students will refer to the reading list that will be published in the moodle shortly before the beginning of classes.

Reference:

L. Bienati, P. Scrolavezza, "La narrativa giapponese moderna e contemporanea", Venezia, Marsilio, 2009.

G. M. Follaco (a cura di), "Cultura letteraria giapponese", Roma, Hoepli, 2023 (selected chapters indicated by the teacher at the beginning of the course)

Further select articles and papers provided during classes.


Optional further readings:

P. Zanotti, "Introduzione alla storia della poesia giapponese, vol. 2: Dall’Ottocento al Duemila", Venezia, Marsilio, 2012.

Chines, Loredana e Varotti, Carlo, "Che cos'è un testo letterario (nuova edizione)", Roma, Carocci, 2015

J. S. Mostow, et al., "The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature", New York, Columbia University Press, 2005. (a selection of chapters provided during classes)

Shirane, Haruo, Tomi Suzuki, and David Lurie, "The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature", 2016. (a selection of chapters provided during classes)


Literary works in translation. Suggested editions:

1) L. Bienati, et al. (a cura di), "Letterario, troppo letterario: Antologia della critica giapponese moderna", Venezia, Marsilio, 2016. (selected chapters)

2) Ishikawa Takuboku, "Tristi balocchi", Milano, Ariele, 2021.

3) Natsume Sōseki, "Sanshiro", Venezia, Marsilio, 2006.

4) Tayama Katai, "Il maestro di campagna", a cura di P. Zanotti, Venezia, Marsilio, 2023.

Further readings will be provided by the lecturer.

Written exam (70 min):
- 5 identifications of excerpts from the compulsory reading texts (barrage test). At least 2 correct responses are required. Otherwise, the rest of the exam will not be graded.
- 4 open-ended questions.

Each of the 4 open-ended questions receives a score in 30ths. The overall grade is determined by the average of these questions.
The identification of excerpts contributes to the obtained grade by adding to it a graded bonus-malus ranging from -1 (all answers wrong) to +1 (all answers correct).

The questions aim to assess historical-literary knowledge, comprehension of texts and historical contexts, acquisition of critical tools and analytical skills, and the student's ability to learn, even independently. In particular, the open-ended questions are designed to evaluate their ability to apply knowledge to the discussion of the topics covered and their independence of judgment in their analysis, as well as their ability to express their observations in a concise and effective manner.

Regarding the grading scale (method through which grades will be assigned):

A. Scores in the range of 18-21 will be attributed in the presence of:
Sufficient knowledge and ability to understand applied in reference to the program;
Limited ability to gather and/or interpret information, formulating independent judgments;
Adequate communicative skills, especially concerning the use of specific language related to the description of textual and historical-literary phenomena;
B. Scores in the range of 22-25 will be attributed in the presence of:
Decent knowledge and ability to understand applied in reference to the program;
Decent ability to gather and/or interpret information, formulating independent judgments;
Decent communicative skills, especially concerning the use of specific language related to the description of textual and historical-literary phenomena;
C. Scores in the range of 26-30 will be attributed in the presence of:
Good or excellent knowledge and ability to understand applied in reference to the program;
Good or excellent ability to gather and/or interpret information, formulating independent judgments;
Fully appropriate communicative skills, especially concerning the use of specific language related to the description of textual and historical-literary phenomena;
D. Honors will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and ability to understand applied in reference to the program, judgment skills, and excellent communicative abilities.

Conventional, with powerpoint presentations.
Bibliography, presentations and further readings are available on the moodle platform.

See: "moodle" for powerpoint presentations of the lessons, syllabus and further materials.

For organizational reasons and in order to assure the quality of the teaching, the students are recommended to follow the alphabetical partitions.

This exam (with this syllabus) will be available only for the 4 "appelli" of the 2024-25 academic year. Starting from 2025-26, a new syllabus will be in use.

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