2015.01/20 rev. 1m

Families in Modern Japanese Fiction and Film Instructor: Michael Chan Office Hours: Mon./Wed., 3:00PM-4:00PM Contact Info: mchan@albany.edu Office: Humanities 265 Class: Mon./Wed./Fri., 11:30AM-12:25PM Classroom: Humanities 112 Course Description The family is a concept of particular concern in Japan following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when it was considered integral in cultivating a modern nation based on perceptions of Western society. This course aims to understand and interrogate that viewpoint through careful examination of various texts from multiple forms of media, multiple perspectives, and multiple times. Through asking questions of these sources, we will attempt to grasp at a sense of the “Japanese family,” what such a label might mean, and why different groups—be they authors, filmmakers, politicians, scholars, manga artists, television producers, and more—might be invested in putting forth their own take on the family with the aim of making it dominant. We will examine the formation of the modern Japanese family as part of the imperative to “modernize” Japanese society following the Meiji Restoration; literary and popular manifestations of family in the Meiji period; the changing spaces occupied by the family; the different ways that literature and film defined familial roles; issues that affect the family such as modernity, aging and war; and finally contemporary imaginings of the family. We will also explore how the family as a concept situates itself in relation to other guiding issues in Japanese culture, such as the individual, identity, politics, gender and the nation. Participants will use the course texts in addition to other resources available in English and Japanese as the basis for their own individual inquiries in their final paper. No prior knowledge of Japanese is required.

1

Jan 21 (Wed) Course Introduction

Jan 23 (Fri)

Origins of the Japanese Family Friedrich Engels, “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State”; Jordan Sand, “At Home in the Meiji Period: Inventing Japanese Domesticity.”

2 Jan 26 (Mon) Domestic Novel and Popular Conceptions of Family

Ozaki Kōyō, The Gold Demon (1902), Bk. 1, Ch. 1-Bk. 2, Ch. 3 Jan 28 (Wed) Ozaki Kōyō, The Gold Demon (1902), Bk. 2, Ch. 4-Bk. 2, end Jan 30 (Fri) Ozaki Kōyō, The Gold Demon (1902), Bk. 3 (RR)

3 Feb 2 (Mon) Family Space and Urban Change

Natsume Sōseki, The Gate (1910), Chs. 1-6 Feb 4 (Wed) Natsume Sōseki, The Gate (1910), Chs. 7-13 Feb 6 (Fri) Natsume Sōseki, The Gate (1910), Chs. 14-end (RR)

4

Feb 9 (Mon) Mothers and Wives Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, “The Floating Bridge of Dreams” (1959)

Feb 11 (Wed) Tomioka Taeko, "Family in Hell" (1974)

Feb 13 (Fri) Ōba Minako, "The Smile of a Mountain Witch" (1976) (RR on any reading this week)

5 Feb 16 (Mon) In-Class Screening: Ozu Yasujirō, Tokyo Story (1953), pt. 1

Feb 18 (Wed) Ozu Yasujirō, Tokyo Story (1953), pt. 2 Feb 20 (Fri) Ozu Yasujirō, Tokyo Story (1953), pt. 3 (RR)

6

Feb 23 (Mon) Fathers and Sons Shiga Naoya, "Reconciliation" (1917)

Feb 25 (Wed) Ōe Kenzaburō, “Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness” (1969)

Feb 27 (Fri) The Family at Play in Murakami Haruki Murakami Haruki, “The Second Bakery Attack” (1985), “Sleep” (1989) (RR)

7 Mar 2 (Mon) The Family at War

Dazai Osamu, The Setting Sun (1947), Chs. 1-3 Mar 4 (Wed) Dazai Osamu, The Setting Sun (1947), Chs. 4-6 Mar 6 (Fri) Dazai Osamu, The Setting Sun (1947), Chs. 7-8 (RR)

8

Mar 9 (Mon) In-Class Screening: Kinoshita Keisuke, A Japanese Tragedy (1953), pt. 1 Mar 11 (Wed) Kinoshita Keisuke, A Japanese Tragedy (1953), pt. 2 (RR)

Mar 13 (Fri) Midterm Paper Due in Class Hasegawa Machiko, Sazae-san (1946)

9 Mar 23 (Mon) Aging

Kawabata Yasunari, The Sound of the Mountain (1954), Chs. 1-6 Mar 25 (Wed) Kawabata Yasunari, The Sound of the Mountain (1954), Chs. 7-12 Mar 27 (Fri) Kawabata Yasunari, The Sound of the Mountain (1954), Chs. 13-16 (RR)

10

Mar 30 (Mon) Families at the Edge Ri Kaisei, “The Woman Who Fulled Clothes” (1971)

Apr 1 (Wed) Nakagami Kenji, “House on Fire” (1975)

Apr 3 (Fri) Matayoshi Eiki, “Fortunes by the Sea” (2000) (RR on any reading this week)

11

Apr 6 (Mon) No Class

Apr 8 (Wed) Family and the Legacy of Wartime In-Class Screening: Miyazaki Gorō, From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), pt. 1

Apr 10 (Fri) Miyazaki Gorō, From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), pt. 2 (RR)

12 Apr 13 (Mon) Families and the Folk

Tatematsu Wahei, Distant Thunder (1980), pp. 5-89 Apr 15 (Wed) Tatematsu Wahei, Distant Thunder (1980), pp. 89-175 Apr 17 (Fri) Tatematsu Wahei, Distant Thunder (1980), pp. 175-end (RR)

13 Apr 20 (Mon) (Re)Imagining a Lost Family

Yoshimoto Banana, Kitchen (1987), pt. 1 Apr 22 (Wed) Yoshimoto Banana, Kitchen (1987), pt. 2 (RR) Apr 24 (Fri) In-Class Screening: Morita Yoshimitsu, Family Game (1983), pt. 1

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Apr 27 (Mon) Morita Yoshimitsu, Family Game (1983), pt. 2 (RR)

Apr 29 (Wed) Popular Longing for the Family Ichikawa Takuji. Be With You, (2003)

May 1 (Fri) Ichikawa Takuji. Be With You, (2003) (RR) 15

May 4 (Mon) Weekend Screening: Doi Nobuhiro, Be With You (2004) May 6 (Wed) Conclusions

May 11 (Mon) Final Paper Due

Textbooks At the campus bookstore: Natsume, Sōseki. The Gate (978-1590175873) Dazai, Osamu. The Setting Sun (978-0811200325) Kawabata, Yasunari. The Sound of the Mountain (978-0679762645) Tatematsu, Wahei. Distant Thunder (Used copy or Kindle eBook from Amazon) Yoshimoto, Banana. Kitchen (978-0802142443) Other materials will be available on Blackboard. Course Objectives To explore the Japanese family across various media and time periods. To acquire a sense of the multiple definitions and valences of the Japanese family, and to be able to discern the context behind those definitions. To reflect upon how literary families operate when exposed to various ideas and historical events. To reflect on our own positions as readers of literature and as members of families. To continue to improve critical reading and writing skills. Course Requirements Mandatory attendance, engaged participation and preparation before class. 10 out of 12 200-word minimum reader responses to sources marked (RR), with your interpretation of and response to the source with a minimum of plot summary; connection to other sources if possible; and a question for in-class discussion, e-mailed to the instructor (mchan@albany.edu) by midnight the night before class. A 5-8 page midterm essay due March 13 in class. A 10-15 page final paper based on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor, due May 11. Grading No late reader responses will be accepted. Reader response due dates may not be announced in class; it is the responsibility of the student to submit responses in a timely manner. Papers will be deducted a sub-letter grade for each day late. A grade of “incomplete” will only be considered in the case of emergency and must have written documentation. Classroom Policies Please behave in a mature and respectful manner with regards to the instructor and your classmates, cellular phones (silenced and not allowed in class at all), computers and other electronic devices (limited to class-related activities; charged beforehand), and cheating/plagiarism (don’t). Failure to do so will severely impact your grade, to the tune of an automatic 25% off your semester participation grade per electronic equipment violation, or a course dismissal/zero grade (my discretion) in the case of cheating/plagiarism. Students are expected to bring a paper copy of all readings, a writing utensil and notebook, or electronic equivalents, to all classes. Cellular phones may not be used for any of these purposes. Students with documented disabilities that require academic accommodation must speak with me in the first two weeks of class. Students with disabilities are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center. I may modify the course schedule if such a change would benefit most students’ learning.