EAS235H1

Perceptions of China in Japanese Literature

Lectures on Japanese literary negotiations with China, the Chinese and Chineseness, ranging from celebration of shared cultural practices and aestheticization of China to nativist resistance to Chinese cultural hegemony. Required readings are available in English translation, including Tale of Genji, Tale of Middle-Councillor Hamamatsu (medieval romance), Haku Rakuten (No Play), Battles of Coxinga (Kabuki play), Three-Cornered World (by Soseki), and Wild Goose (by Ogai).