JAPANESE LITERATURE 1

This is one of the characterising courses within the "Japan" curriculum of the undergraduate course in "Lingue, Culture e Società dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea".
The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in the area of language skills and includes also the more specific goals of the cultural and humanities areas.
The main objectives of the course are: 1) to understand the diachronic development of Japanese literature from VIII to XIX century; 2) to develop and integrate literary, cultural, and socio-historical knowledge through the study of some of the major figures, works and genres of Japanese premodern literature; 3) to develop the skills to produce and communicate critical and interpretative discourses on the topics of the course.

Knowledge and understanding:
- to know and understand the main authors and works in the history of Japanese literature from VIII to XIX century
- to learn about Japanese culture and society from the VIII to the XIX century
- to know and understand concepts and tools from the fields of literary criticism and historiography
- to deepen the knowledge and understanding of historical contexts through the analysis of literary texts.

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 to the historical period studied in the course

Making judgements:
- to produce critical judgments on the textual and historical-literary phenomena that are part of the program
- to subject various types of sources (academic and creative texts) to critical examination
- to understand the basic differences between Japanese literature and European literature of the historical period studied in the course

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

Lifelong learning skills:
- to learn how to take notes during the lessons
- to learn how to critically integrate the study of different materials (notes, slides, manuals, creative texts, academic articles)
- to refine one's ability to study materials in English
- to refine one's ability to use effectively the online teaching platform

A solid knowledge of Japanese political and social history from VIII to XIX century.

The course provides an overview of premodern Japanese literature from the eighth to the nineteenth century through the analysis of major genres and representative texts developed over approximately one millennium of literary history. The course begins with mythological narratives and the earliest poetic anthologies of the eighth century and continues with the study of narrative, diary, and poetic works depicting court culture and the aristocracy of Japan in the tenth and eleventh centuries, traditionally regarded as the period of the greatest flourishing of classical Japanese literature.
The subsequent decline of the imperial court from the late eleventh century onward, the rise of the warrior class, and the resulting redefinition of cultural and social values characteristic of a transitional era are examined through military chronicles, poetic anthologies, and anecdotal literature, with particular attention to the influence exerted by Buddhism during the medieval period. By tracing political and social transformations and the evolution of literary production—which over the centuries gradually moves beyond the exclusive sphere of the court—the course ultimately arrives at an analysis of the vibrant and multifaceted popular literature of the Edo period.

JAPANESE LITERARY HISTORY

- Carolina Negri (a cura di), Storia della letteratura giapponese. Dalle origini all'Ottocento, Torino, Einaudi, 2025

MAJOR WORKS IN TRANSLATION

- Kojiki: Un racconto di antichi eventi, a cura di P. Villani, Venezia, Marsilio, 2006

- Storia di un tagliabambù [Taketori monogatari], a cura di A. Boscaro, Venezia, Marsilio, 1994

- La Principessa di Sumiyoshi [Sumiyoshi monogatari], a cura di C. Negri, Venezia, Marsilio, 2000

I racconti di Ise [Ise monogatari], a cura di A. Maurizi, Venezia, Marsilio, 2018

- Murasaki Shikibu. Storia di Genji, a cura di M. T. Orsi, Torino, Einaudi, 2012

- Diario di Murasaki Shikibu [Murasaki Shikibu nikki], a cura di C. Negri, Venezia, Marsilio, 2015

- Kenkō Hōshi, Ore d’ozio [Tsurezuregusa], a cura di A. Boscaro, Venezia, Marsilio, 2014

- La monaca tuttofare, la donna serpente, il demone beone, a cura di R. Strippoli, Venezia, Marsilio, 2001

- Racconti di pioggia e di luna [Ugetsu monogatari], a cura di M. T. Orsi, Venezia, Marsilio, 2001

The examination is a written test on the main literary works produced in Japan from VIII to XIX century. The test includes ten questions with multiple choices (1 point awarded for each correct answer) and two open questions (each graded up to ten points). The ten questions with multiple choices aim to verify students' skill in recognizing the chronological collocation and the main characteristics of literary works. The two open questions aim to verify students' ability to analyze critically the content of two different works. The overall vote is the sum of the points obtained for all the answers.

written

Regarding the grading scale, scores will be assigned according to the following criteria:
A. Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded for a sufficient knowledge of the main authors and genres of Japanese literature from the historical periods covered;
B. Scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded for a fair knowledge of the main authors and genres of Japanese literature from the historical periods covered;
C. Scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded for a good or excellent knowledge of the main authors and genres of Japanese literature from the historical periods covered;
D. Honors will be awarded for an outstanding knowledge of the main authors and genres of Japanese literature from the historical periods covered.

Frontal lessons with powerpoint presentations. Powerpoint presentations and other reference materials can be downloaded from the moodle platform.

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

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development