JAPN 402 - JAPANESE LITERATURE
This course aims to develop advanced proficiency through introducing various aspects of modern Japanese literature, including short stories and significant works by authors of the modern period. Taught in Japanese. (Credit/No Credit Available)
Spring 2014 / MLO1 and 2
This class was taught and conducted in Japanese with reading materials provided in Japanese. All discussions were conducted in Japanese both by the students and teacher. Our cultural understanding increased through the materials provided and our historical understanding of those who are major contributors to Japanese Literature was also increased.
The class first focused on making Haiku's. Not only did we practice making traditional 5-7-5 Haiku's, but we also experimented with making different varieties of poems based on different themes. Generally, when making a Haiku, one should focus on using "Kigo", or "seasonal language". While it seems simple, making a poem with so few words, it's actually the opposite. One has to take into greater consideration the choice of words used, making on appreciate which one is most special or meaningful to the writer. Our teach explained it on the board with an example of a dozen names of girls. While each other these girls are beautiful in their own respects, there's just one that holds something unique that the author chooses.
In class, we read a story called "The Spider's Thread". This Buddhist-based story really took a look at Japanese morality. In the story, the main character was in the depths of a pond that was considered "hell", in which he was there due to his ill-behavior in the living world. Shaka, an enlightened Buddhist monk, decided to give the main character a second-chance due to his kindness in sparing the life of a spider. Shaka had the spider let down a thread to pull up the main character from the pond. However, when the main character tried to climb up, the others who were in the depths of hell tried to follow him as well. The main character's selfish personality had broken the thread and broke it off to keep the others away. Due to this action, the main character's thread vanished and feel back to the bottom.
Besides that story, we were introduced and learned about the history of some of Japan's most famous writers. Here are the writers we studied about:
二葉亭四迷
森鴎外
夏目漱石
島崎藤村
樋口一葉
志賀直哉
有島武雄
高村幸太郎
宮沢健二
太宰治
川端康成
We were also assigned to choose a short story and do a short report about the author and book. I did my report on Takeo Arishima 有島武雄. The short story I read was called "Bundle of Grapes" 一房の葡萄. You can read more about the report by reading the example below.
What I gained from this course is understanding about how Japanese Literature reflects and provides strong insight into Japanese Culture. The haiku exercises showed me first the aesthetic of few words and deeper meaning. Even though I was able to make them, I had realized that even after five years of study, the art of haiku is difficult. It takes help from Japanese friends to further my abilities in Haiku-making.
I want to continue to increase my understand of the Japanese culture through literature while also developing my Japanese language skills. There's an abundant souce of Japanese Literature and stories to read on the internet, so I shall find ones that interest me and take the time to read them.
Spring 2014 / MLO1 and 2
This class was taught and conducted in Japanese with reading materials provided in Japanese. All discussions were conducted in Japanese both by the students and teacher. Our cultural understanding increased through the materials provided and our historical understanding of those who are major contributors to Japanese Literature was also increased.
The class first focused on making Haiku's. Not only did we practice making traditional 5-7-5 Haiku's, but we also experimented with making different varieties of poems based on different themes. Generally, when making a Haiku, one should focus on using "Kigo", or "seasonal language". While it seems simple, making a poem with so few words, it's actually the opposite. One has to take into greater consideration the choice of words used, making on appreciate which one is most special or meaningful to the writer. Our teach explained it on the board with an example of a dozen names of girls. While each other these girls are beautiful in their own respects, there's just one that holds something unique that the author chooses.
In class, we read a story called "The Spider's Thread". This Buddhist-based story really took a look at Japanese morality. In the story, the main character was in the depths of a pond that was considered "hell", in which he was there due to his ill-behavior in the living world. Shaka, an enlightened Buddhist monk, decided to give the main character a second-chance due to his kindness in sparing the life of a spider. Shaka had the spider let down a thread to pull up the main character from the pond. However, when the main character tried to climb up, the others who were in the depths of hell tried to follow him as well. The main character's selfish personality had broken the thread and broke it off to keep the others away. Due to this action, the main character's thread vanished and feel back to the bottom.
Besides that story, we were introduced and learned about the history of some of Japan's most famous writers. Here are the writers we studied about:
二葉亭四迷
森鴎外
夏目漱石
島崎藤村
樋口一葉
志賀直哉
有島武雄
高村幸太郎
宮沢健二
太宰治
川端康成
We were also assigned to choose a short story and do a short report about the author and book. I did my report on Takeo Arishima 有島武雄. The short story I read was called "Bundle of Grapes" 一房の葡萄. You can read more about the report by reading the example below.
What I gained from this course is understanding about how Japanese Literature reflects and provides strong insight into Japanese Culture. The haiku exercises showed me first the aesthetic of few words and deeper meaning. Even though I was able to make them, I had realized that even after five years of study, the art of haiku is difficult. It takes help from Japanese friends to further my abilities in Haiku-making.
I want to continue to increase my understand of the Japanese culture through literature while also developing my Japanese language skills. There's an abundant souce of Japanese Literature and stories to read on the internet, so I shall find ones that interest me and take the time to read them.
bundle_of_grapes.pdf | |
File Size: | 354 kb |
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