JAPANESE CULTURE AND LITERATURE 1

Knowledge and Understanding: Students will know the main productions of the long history of the Japanese literature, from the origins to the thresholds of modernity. The course will dwell on the evolution of classical Japanese literature throughout the most representative works. It will deal with the three main productive fields: theatre, poetry and prose, with many parallels and comparisons with history of art, religion, and society. Students will thus gain a wide picture on classical, medieval and premodern literature, and will be able to cope with this from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding: The uniqueness of Japanese literature will endow the students with original critical categories and with a specific terminology that every one of them can apply to several other fields of study. By reading texts, in translation and in Japanese, the students will see concretely how original and unique this production is. The continuous parallels with art and society will give them a clear outlook on the ancient world, enabling them to cope with different cultural milieus, individuals and texts.

Making Judgment: By studying the evolution of Japanese literature, the student will familiarize with other cultures. By studying the various literary productions of ancient Japan, which have no counterpart in the Italian panorama, the student will have the great chance to think of diversity from a new and non-ethnocentric perspective. The short essay, sine qua non for taking the exam, will stimulate students to study, to research autonomously, to analyse, and to understand different cultures.

Communication Skills: The students will develop communication skills through new critical categories and a specific terminology. Mandatory condition in order to pass the exam will be the acquisition of the ability to express in details and correctly the main subjects of the course. A continuous and fruitful dialogue between students and teacher will be stimulated in class apropos of subjects previously examined and on how to translate correctly excerpts and passages from original literary sources.

Learning Skills: The students will organize their own schedule and study time. Several will be the texts that they should consult; these, in their turn, will develop not only self-discipline in studying, but also capacity of choosing a research topic according to their personal preferences. The necessary autonomous engagement and the commitment required will represent the chance to continue their personal education process. The short essay will represent the chance to learn about the Hepburn transcription system and the rules governing the writing out of critical essays and research pieces on Japan. This will constitute the first step toward their final dissertation.

Frontal teaching.

The first course in Japanese Culture and Literature aims at presenting the Japanese literary history from its earliest testimonies, written in Chinese, to the second half of the nineteenth century. The course will dwell on a very long time span, more than one-thousand years, from Nara (710-784) to Edo period (1603-1867), and intends to present some of the most representative productions of each period. The course will be divided into three sub-sections: the first concerning ancient Japan – Nara and Heian periods –, the second will be on the medieval literary productions – from Kamakura to Muromachi periods – while the third and last on the Edo period. The guided reading and the translation of excerpts from the most popular literary works will be a part of the course. These texts will be distributed via Studium since the beginning of the course. The course will provide information on literature, religion, art, and history.

Muccioli Marcello, La letteratura giapponese (edited by Orsi Maria Teresa), Roma, L'asino d'oro, 2015. (Chapters 1-26)

In order to take the examination, every student has to read at least five translations.

Texts in translation (at least five per student):

Barioli C. (translated by), L’angusto sentiero del Nord, Vallardi, 2009. (Matsuo Bashō)

Boscaro A. (translated by), La bella storia di Shidōken, Marsilio, 1990. (Hiraga Gennai)

Boscaro A. (translated by), Ore d’ozio, Tsurezuregusa, Marsilio, 2014. (Yoshida Kenkō)

Boscaro A. (translated by), Storia di un tagliabambù, Marsilio, 1994. (Anonimous)

Bowring R. (translated by), Diario e memorie poetiche, Feltrinelli, 1982. (Several authors)

Dal Pra E. (translated by), Haiku. Il fiore della poesia giapponese da Bashō all’Ottocento, Mondadori, 2000. (Several authors)

De Baggis M. (translated by), Storie di Uji. Ujishūi monogatari. CasadeiLibri, 2010. (Anonimous)

Fraccaro F. (translated by), Ricordi di un eremo, Marsilio, 2004. (Kamo no Chōmei)

Gerlini E. (translated by) Sugawara no Michizane – poesie scelte, Aracne, 2015. (Sugawara no Michizane)

Giordano G. (translated by), Cento poesie dalle isole lontane, Aracne, 2019. (Go Toba)

Kubota Y. (tranlsated by), Le concubine floreali. Storia del Consigliere di Mezzo di Tsutsumi, Marsilio, 1995. (Anonimous)

Manieri A. (translated by), Hitachi no kuni fudoki, Carocci, 2013. (Anonimous)

Marra M. (translated by), Storie di mercanti, TEA, 1998. (Ihara Saikaku)

Maurizi A. (translated by), I racconti di Ise, Marsilio, 2018. (Anonimous)

Maurizi A. (translated by), Il grande specchio dell’omosessualità maschile, Frassinelli, 1997. (Ihara Saikaku)

Maurizi A. (translated by), Sogno di una notte di primavera. Storia del secondo consigliere di Hamamatsu, Go book, 2008. (Anonimous)

Maurizi A. (translated by), Storia di Ochikubo, Marsilio, 2004. (Anonimous)

Migliore M.C. (translated by), Kara monogatari – racconti cinesi, Ariele, 2015. (Fujiwara no Shigenori)

Migliore M.C. (translated by), Man’yōshū – raccolta delle diecimila foglie (Book XVI), Carocci, 2019.

Migliore M.C. (translated by), Nihon ryōiki. Cronache soprannaturali e straordinarie del Giappone, Carocci, 2010. (Anonimous)

Moretti L. (translated by), Chikusai il ciarlatano, Cafoscarina, 2003. (Isoda Dōya)

Muramatsu M. (translated by), Poesie. Haiku e scritti poetici, La Vita Felice, 1997. (Matsuo Bashō)

Negri C. (translated by), Diario di Izumi Shikibu, Marsilio, 2008. (Izumi Shikibu)

Negri C. (translated by), La principessa di Sumiyoshi, Marsilio, 2000. (Anonimous)

Negri C. (translated by), Le memorie della dama di Sarashina, Marsilio, 2005. (Anonimous)

Norton P.O., Pozzi E. (translated by), Centoundici haiku, La Vita Felice, 2011. (Matsuo Bashō)

Norton P.O., Pozzi. E. (translated by), Sessantasei haiku, La Vita Felice, 2011. (Yosa Buson)

Origlia L. (translated by), Cinque donne amorose, Adelphi, 1979. (Ihara Saikaku)

Origlia L. (translated by), Note del guanciale, Longanesi & C., 1968. (Sei Shōnagon)

Origlia L. (translated by), Vita di un libertino, Longanesi, 1976. (Ihara Saikaku)

Origlia L. (translated by), Vita di una donna licenziosa, Longanesi. (Ihara Saikaku)

Orsi M.T. (translated by), La storia di Genji, Einaudi, 2012. (Murasaki Shikibu)

Orsi M.T. (translated by), Racconti della pioggia di primavera, Marsilio, 1992. (Ueda Akinari)

Orsi M.T. (translated by), Racconti di pioggia e di luna, Marsilio, 1988. (Ueda Akinari)

Sagiyama I. (translated by), Kokin waka shū. Raccolta di poesie giapponesi antiche e moderne, Ariele, 2000. (Several authors)

Stramigioli G. (translated by), Heike monogatari, in “Rivista degli Studi Orientali”, XLIX, 1975. (Anonimous)

Stramigioli G. (translated by), Hōgen monogatari, in “Rivista degli Studi Orientali”, XLI, 1966. (Anonimous)

Strippoli R. (translated by), La monaca tuttofare, la donna serpente, il demone beone. Racconti dal medioevo giapponese, Marsilio, 2001. (Anonimous)

Talamo M. (translated by), Hizakurige: a piedi lungo il Tōkaidō, Aracne, 2019. (Jippensha Ikku)

Vignali S. (translated by), Diario di Tosa, Cafoscarina, 2004. (Ki no Tsurayuki)

Villani P. (translated by), Kojiki. Un racconto di antichi eventi, Marsilio, 2006. (Ō no Yasumaro)

French, English and German translations of works unavailable in Italian are accepted.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.