Seminar in Classical Japanese, Heian Period

The Heian period marks the high point of literary Japanese. In this seminar students will learn to read and translate the original classical language (bungo) in canonical works of fiction, poetry, and diaries from the 9th through the 12th century. We will discuss how self-expression emerged in Japanese writing and how subjectivity developed in fiction and poetic journals. Students will gain a solid grounding in early literary history and will master the orthography, vocabulary, and basic structures of the pre-modern language. Our readings will include Taketori monogatari, Genji monogatari, Sarashina nikki, and Hyakunin isshu. (Approval only) 3 hrs. sem.