06s-06
A COMPARATIVE INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN
LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

Akira TAMAI, et al (Graduate School of Letters)

Objective
In this course students are encouraged to understand how Western literature and language have been absorbed in the Japanese cultural background. Topics to be discussed will include: the influence of European novels on Japanese literature, Japanese interpretation of Shakespeare, the reception of European culture, and contrastive study between Japanese and English.

Textbook and Reference
No particular textbooks will be used.

Lecture Outline: topics
1. Akira TAMAI
English Literature in Japanese Modern Literature
2. Nobuhisa KATAFUCHI
American Modern Novels in Japanese Literature
3. Akio WADA
French Modern Novels in Japanese Literature
4. Kenji MITANI
Reception of German Culture in Modern Japan
5. Paul HARVEY
Akira Kurosawa and Shakespeare, I
6. Paul HARVEY
Akira Kurosawa and Shakespeare, II
7. Paul HARVEY
Ninagawa and Shakespeare
8. Paul HARVEY
Kabuki Hamlet
9. Paul HARVEY
Kyogen and Shakespeare
10. Paul HARVEY
Bunraku and Shakespeare
11. Yukio OBA
English Linguistics in Japan
(Lectures will not necessarily follow this order.)

Grading
Class participation 50%
Term paper to be submitted at the end of the course 50%
(The term paper can be connected to one of the topics of the course.)