国際日本研究演習XVIII - 教養学部 - 東京大学授業カタログ

国際日本研究演習XVIII

Fact, Fiction, and Everything in between: Autobiographical Prose in Modern Japan (and Beyond)

This course will explore the development of autobiographical prose in modern and contemporary Japan, focusing on the birth, growth and decline of the “shishōsetsu”, a type of autobiographical writing that has been touted by some as one of the few original forms of modern Japanese literature. We will also analyse the relationship between “shishōsetsu” and other literary genres, as well as its influence on contemporary world literary production.
At the end of this course, the students will have sufficient information about the historical, social and cultural background of the works read in class; they will be able to contextualise the "shishōsetsu" and related genres, as well as analyse relevant concepts such as fiction, reality, mimesis, etc, from a new perspective.

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Week 1: Orientation. Syllabus, course guidelines, assessment methods, etc. Week 2: The logical status of fictional discourse (Searle). The autobiographical contract (LeJeune). Week 3: Birth and development of the shishōsetsu genre. Week 4: Tayama Katai's "The Quilt" （『蒲団』）. Before and after. Week 5: Shiga Naoya's self-centred short stories. "At Kinosaki" （「城の崎にて」） . Week 6: Kasai Zenzō and self-destruction in/ for literature. "With the Children in Tow" （「子をつれて」） Week 7: Imperialism and shishōsetsu: Wang Changxiong, “The Torrent” （「奔流」） Week 8: The shishōsetsu dispute. (+students look for shishōsetsu research) Week 9: Dazai Osamu: "No Longer Human" （『人間失格』）, but still a shishōsetsu? Week 10: Essay mini-presentations. Week 11: Global shishōsetsu (I): Hideo Levy, "The Room Where the Star-spangled Banner Cannot be Heard" （『星条旗の聞こえない部屋』） Week 12: Global shishōsetsu (II): Mizumura Minae, "Shishōsetsu from Left to Right" Week 13: Wrap-up.