Topic:  Japanese Literature and the Poetics of Looking

P: consent of the instructor (students who have skills in modern Japanese
but not bungo may still be eligible for J credit)

This seminar will be organized around a series of related themes and topoi
in Japanese narrative, namely those concerned with different kinds of erotic
and/or transgressive looking, and how these scenes raise questions about
narrative perspective, voice, gender, and power.  We will begin with
readings from the literature of the Heian court, focusing on its
preoccupation with episodes of "kaimami" (peeping through the hedge) and
"nozokimi" (stolen glimpses).  We will spend about half of the semester
exploring complex developments of these themes in The Tale of Genji, the
Pillow Book, and later narratives.  We will also pursue the theme in other
primary texts from modern Japanese (or non-Japanese) literature as time and
the interests of the seminar members permits.  A key part of the seminar
readings will be drawn from the burgeoning secondary literature in English
and modern Japanese on "the gaze."  Students who come from a comparative
literature (or other national literature) background are welcome and
encouraged to make suggestions about readings outside the Japanese
tradition.

Evaluation: Members of the seminar will be evaluated on the basis of 1)
their participation in weekly seminar discussions and readings, 2) regular
contributions in the form of oral presentations on secondary readings, 3) a
final oral presentation on the seminar paper in progress, and 4) the seminar
paper itself (ideally, 20-25 pages).

For "J" credit, the student must do readings in Japanese (secondary
literature in modern Japanese and/or readings of classical texts in
classical Japanese).  Students who want to read English translations should
register for the EALC E505 version of this topic.