East Asian Literature in Translation

Fall 2018

OLLI

Class Objectives

• Understanding East Asian history and culture through Literature • Introducing various writers of China, Japan and Korea in a contemporary world of literature(s) • Crossing the borders and reading beyond the typical images of national literature(s)

Poems Then

•  Basho : Haiku •  Li Bai •  Korean Shijo •  Hagiwara Sakutaro: the father of modern poetry in Japan •  Mitsuharu Kaneko •  Seo Jung Ju •  Yun Dong Ju •  Lu Xun •  Lin Huiyin •  Li Jinfa

Ancient Literatures (to 1600)

•  Poetry •  Buddhism •  Chinese language, culture & Philosophy •  Stories and Folklores, Legends, Mythology : “tales” •  Song & Theatre •  Graphic writing

China (- Ming dynasty)

•  Shi (詩) – Shi Jing(诗经) = classic poetry or book of songs (*) - Folk songs, court songs, ancestor worship •  Ci (詞) – Chu Ci（楚辞) = songs of the South - lyrical and romantic •  Qu (曲) = tunes of songs; tone patterns •  Fu (賦) – prose poem or descriptive style(*) -  Philosophical writing : confusianism, Daoism, etc. *Hundred Schools of Thought”

Japan

1)Nara Period •  AD 5C, Chinese characters -à Kana (Japanese writing system) •  Folksongs, mythology, chronicles 2) Heian Period •  11C, The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu •  Waka (short poems:mostly tanka; 5-7 pattern) •  Narratives, tales & essays 3) 1185-1603: Civil wars, dominated by warriors War histories, nostalgic writing by the aristocrats, renga (linked verse), No theatre, travel writing

Korea

•  Songs and narratives •  Monks and intellectuals •  Chinese translations •  Shi & Fu; Shijo •  Historical writings – long poems •  Kasa: Korean verse

Modern Literature (1600-1945)

•  The rise of vernacular literature •  The influence of western culture - *fiction •  The importation of technology – train, printing, currency •  The development of city •  The decline of aristocracy and royal kingdom

China (Qing -1950)

•  Translations of western European novels •  Foundation of newpapers/print journalism •  “Poetry revolution” = reinvigoration of classical poetry •  “new style prose” •  “Late Qing fiction” /Popular “butterfly” fiction •  May Fourth movement (1915-1925): May 4, 1919 students’ march

to Tianamen Square – New Culture Movement & anti-imperialist nationalism •  Emerging Women writers •  Costume drama during the wartime

Japan Edo & Meiji, Taisho, Showa Literature (1603-1950) – the rise & defeat of Imperialism

Kabuki Haiku historical romance Modern Fiction - Soseki, Tanizaki, Kawabata Shintaishi (poetry of the new style in the Meiji era) – free verse, colloquial, real setting, lyrical

Korea

•  increasing vernacular writings [the creation of Han-gul] •  Theatre Pansori as common people’s expression of their anguish

against the ruling class; “pansori novels” •  Tale of Hong Gil Dong: prototype of novel •  Fantasy •  Travel writings •  Court memoir & women’s writings

Contemporary Literature (Since WWII/1950)

•  Recovery from WWII and Civil war •  Cold War conflits •  Economic development and its aftereffects •  Globalization and National identity •  Gender issue

China •  Nationalized publishing industry and journals •  Chinese Writers Association – “monitoring and controlling creative writing… within

sociality literary system” •  Censorship •  Hundred Flowers (1956-1957), followed by Anti-Rightist Campaign •  Cultural revolution led by the Party (1966-1976) •  Pecking opera and Ballets/ Modern theatre •  Liberalization of the party cultural policy since Mao’s death – reemerging women

writers, various types of post-Mao literature, increasing criticism of the socialist system, avant-garde experimental writing, the influence of commercial culture from Taiwan and Hong Kong

•  1989 Tianamen Movement – exile or diaspora literature, internet literature •  Nobel Prize winners: Gao Xingjian, Mo yan

Taiwan & Hong Kong

•  Both colonized by Japan and Britain <Taiwan> 1)“new literature” as a form of nationalist resistance to Japanese colonialism 2) Japan influenced literature 3) prohibition of leftist writing after the war 4) nativist writers 5) post-martial law and white terror <Hong Kong> Colonial experience by the British after Opium War until 1997 when returned to the mainland China -search of its identity since its marginal status as a “city at the end of time”[poet Leung Ping-Kwan]; postmodern condition itself

Japan 1)  The aftermath of the war; coping with the defeat and loss - Osamu Dazai, Yukio Mishima 2) The efforts of restoration 3) Modernization [since Meiji] 4) The student movement in the late 1960s 5) Nuclear threat & warning [memory of Hiroshima & Nagasaki] 6)Economic development & its effects on intellectual and moral sense - Kenzaburo Oe, Mitsuharu Inoue 7) Crossing over High & pop literature - Murakami Haruki 8) “Genre” literature – crime & detective, mysteries Higashino Geigo 9) Women writers(esp. poets), avant-garde/experimental writings

Korea

•  1945 National independence •  1950-1953 Civil War [ the U.S./China involved as allies] •  1960 4.19 civil resistance/5.16 Military coup •  1960-1979 Park regime •  1980 5.18 Kwangju civil resistance •  1980-1987 Jun Regime/6.10 civil resistance - Literature engaging with social and political issues 1992-Present: 6 presidents elected through democratic election system - a Variety of genres, themes and styles - Literary translation joins Korean cultural waves[“Korean wave”]

Poems Now

•  Misumi Mizuki, “complicity” •  Kiwao Nomura, from Nude Day •  Leung Ping-Kwan, “cloud-Journey” •  Song Kyung-Dong •  Shim Bo-Seon •  Kim Sa-in •  Zheng Xiaoqiong •  Duo Duo (Li Shizheng) •  Li Shumin •  Kim So Yeon

The development of Novel [fiction/Narrative writing]

•  Lesson 2 – Japanese fiction •  Lesson 3 – Chinese fiction •  Lesson 4- Korean fiction