Literature in Translation

And here I thought I had caught up with all my work

Excuse me while I prepare for next semester, even as I struggle to keep pace with this semester. I will be teaching J-Lit in Translation, as I always do, and am considering adding a few new books, so I will be listing books that I might consider. Just think of this post as me talking to myself. But please feel free to comment on any of the books you have already read, or if you have an suggestions.

The class is a survey course, so the books should be basic and representative of the author, and the authors should be representative of J-Lit. So that should narrow it down to, say, 40 poets and authors? But I only have 15 weeks.

Early Modern

Until recently, I have had students by an Early Modern anthology put out by Columbia University Press. The selection is wide and varied, and the book is relatively inexpensive given its breadth. But I think there might be too much variety. I would rather have more samples of Basho--at least one entire travel journal and maybe even a complete haikai series--and more selections by Saikaku. There is perhaps too much stuff that is not necessary for a survey course. So this year, I've decided to choose just two books and perhaps supplement them with some handouts.

• Basho's Journey: The Literary Prose of Matsuo Basho. Trans. Barnhill, State University of New York Press. #0-7914-6414-8
  
• Saikaku. Popular fiction. I can't figure out a book yet. Anyone have any suggestions?
  

Meiji

• Natsume Soseki, Kokoro. Trans. McClellan, Dover Publications. #0486451399
• Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories, Trans. Rubin. Penguin Classics. #0143039849

Mid-20th century

• Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Seven Tales, which include the novella "Portrait of Shunkin" and other strangely half-misogynistic, half-masochistic stories like "Tattoo", "Aguri" and "Bridge of Dreams". Vintage. #0679761071
• Kawabata Yasunari, Snow Country. "Izu Dancer" OR The Old Capital. Trans. Holman. Shoemaker & Hoard. #1593760329

Post-War

• Enchi Fumiko, The Waiting Years. Trans. Bester. Kodansha International. #477002889X
  Feminist tale... well, feminist for a woman writing in the 1950s. But its about a woman who has been abused all her life--husband cheats on her, even brings his mistress home to live with them--but finally gets her revenge when she... well, I won't spoil it for you.
  
• Mishima Yukio. "The Boy Who Wrote Poetry", Confessions of a Mask. Peter Owen Ltd. #0720610311
  Both of these tell the story of the Mishima everyone seems to forget about, unless you're gay. Confessions is semi-autobiographical, describing Mishima's own struggles to somehow capture masculinity, while realizing that he is unable to deny his attraction to day laborers and a certain classmate in an all boy school.
  

Post-modern

• Abe Kobo, The Boxman; film Face of Another. I think most people are famliar with Woman in the Dunes, which is okay, I guess, as a reflection of the loss of identity through corporate society. But Abe does a better job of the loss of identity and isolation in the modern world in The Boxman--the main character literally lives in his box--no, no, no, he isn't homeless, he actually wears it 24/7! And The Face of Another deals with a man who loses his face in a chemical (modern) accident, but creates a new one with a newly invented material (modern, again) so he can eventually seduce his wife as a stranger. Admit it. You wanna read both of them now, right?
  
• Nakagami Kenji, The Cape. Trans. Zimmerman. Stone Bridge Press. #1933330430
  Violent, sexist and representative of Japan's untouchable class, the burakumin.
  
• Murakami Ryu, 69. Trans. McCarthy. Kodansha Amer Inc, #4770019513.
  I'd rather read Coin Locker Babies, but I think its too long.
  
• Murakami Haruki, Elephan Vanishes. trans. Rubin. Vintage. #0679750533

This list is pretty threadbare... I will be adding and subtracting from this list so you can just ignore me while I work.

edoption #1045559

• Ihara, Saikaku, 1642-1693. Five women who loved love. Translated by Wm. Theodore de Bary, with a background essay by Richard Lane, and the 17th-century illus. by Yoshida Hambei. 1956 PZ3 .I235 Fi
• Ihara, Saikaku, 1642-1693. Great mirror of male love / Ihara Saikaku ; translated, with an introduction, by Paul Gordon Schalow. 1990 PL794.N37 E5 1990
• [ 7 ] Ihara, Saikaku, 1642-1693. Life of an amorous man. Translated by Kengi Hamada. Illus. by Masakazu Kuwata. 1964 PZ3.I235 Lg
• [ 9 ] Ihara, Saikaku, 1642-1693. Tales of Japanese justice / by Ihara Saikaku ; translated by Thomas M. Kondo, Alfred H. Marks. 1980 DS 21 .A83 no.24
• [ 10 ] Ihara, Saikaku, 1642-1693. This scheming world. Translated by Masanori Takatsuka and David C. Stubbs. GW 1965 PL898.I38 S3
• [ 11 ] Ihara, Saikaku, 1642-1693. Worldly mental calculations : an annotated translation of Ihara Saikaku's Seken munezanyo / by Ben Befu. -- 1976 PL 794 .S413 1976

JAPN 198-99 Proseminar: Readings for the Major in Japanese Language and Literature

Course Description
This course is designed for the major in Japanese language and literature. It aims to provide the student with the necessary technical and methodological tools to write a successful research paper on a Japanese topic. Specifically, the course content will deal with the following topics.

• Reference material for Japanese: Where to find them, how to use them.
• Transliteration: Romanization and Japanese.
• The limits of translation: Translation as interpretation.
• Methodology: What is text, context and intertext.
  
• General Course on Linguisitics: Saussure.
• Orientalism: Said.
• Mythology: Barthes.
• Difference: Derrida.

Requirements: Fall Semester
Sessions spent to discuss the general technical and methodological aspects of writing a research paper. Besides the assignments and readings for discussion, you will be required to prepare for your topic, present a general outline in class and submit an annotated bibliography of material you intend to use in your research paper. The topic should be related to Japanese linguistics, literature or culture. You also have the option to do a translation.

Requirements: Spring Semester
The semester is spent writing your paper. You will be required to meet with the instructor at least once a month (4 times) with progress reports before final submission. An initial or rough draft is not required but recommended by Spring break. The research paper should be approximately 7000 words long. A translation should be of similar length excluding a 2500 word introduction.

おにぎりまん Defined

onigiri (oh-nee-gee-ree) n. a ball of rice eaten with or as a meal in Japan. To create, lump a handful of cooked rice into the lightly salted palm of one hand. Place umeboshi (salted plum) in the middle and with the other hand, squeeze the rice together forming a trangular shape. Umeboshi may be substituted with other fillings, including salted-salmon bits, dried bonito flakes and konbu (seasoned kelp). Wrap in nori (dried seaweed sheet) prior to eating.

おにぎりまん (oh-nee-gee-ree-man) pn. a living Japanese rice ball born in the US. Male. Umeboshi substituted with a combination of narcissistic tendencies, a heap of sarcasm, a pinch of cynicism and a whole lot of attitude. Can and will communicate in both English and Japanese. Can drink 10 pints of beer in one sitting, but will get plastered after only three if someone else is buying (conditions may vary). Approach with caution; befriend with open mind. Wrapped in nori seaweed to hide pot-belly. Sunglasses de rigor.

JAPN 110 Readings in Classical Japanese (2007)

Purpose Readings in Classical Japanese is a course that aims to familiarize the interested student to classical texts in Japanese. It will explain grammar and expose the student to "authentic" Japanese. The course will be conducted mainly in English.

Requirements Every student must be registered in JAPN 110. No auditor is allowed. Prerequisite for the course is JAPN 109 or equivalent.

The course will continue to offer instruction in literary grammar, focusing on the conjugations of verbs, adjectives, and auxiliary verbs, as well as case particles, conjunctive particles and emphatics. This will lead to readings of excerpts from standard literary texts, beginning with the Hojoki. The student will be required to read and translate any portion of the text assigned by the instructor. The student must also be prepared to discuss or explain the grammatical structure of any portion of the text.

Required Work
Success in the course is contingent on the students' performance in all assignments, quizzes and exams. Assignments will also be posted on Black Board. You will be required to do the following:

• Class participation and assignments: All students are expected to have read the material for class; level and accuracy of participation in any discussion will be noted and evaluated. Absences will be graded as non-participation, in-class assignments cannot be made-up. (10%)
• Quizzes: All quizzes will be cumulative. (30%)
• In-class Midterm, which will include grammar questions, class texts as well as sight passages. (30%)
• In-class Final exam will be similar to the midterm; cumulative. (30%)
  

Text There is one dictionary and one reference book for the course; and should be available at the bookstore. Other texts will be distributed in class.

• Kitahara Y., ed. Zenyaku kogo reikai jiten, Shōgakkan.
• Sato S., ed. Yūsai kogo jiten, Meiji Shoin.
• Kōjien, Iwanami shoten.
• Kokugo Daijiten, Shōgakkan
  

Optional Text
Helen McCullough. Bungo Manual. Cornell East Asia Series, 1993. ISBN: 0939657481

If you have further questions or concerns, feel free to contact the instructor during office hours, after class or make an appointment. E-mails are always welcome.

JAPN 108 Readings in Modern Japanese (2007)

Course Goals
Readings in Modern Japanese is a course that aims to broaden the Japanese the student is expected to have acquired to this point, as well as bring up for discussion aspects of contemporary culture as seen through contemporary texts. It will go beyond the grammatical lessons and pattern practices of basic Japanese and expose the student to "authentic" Japanese.

Requirements
Every student must be registered in JAPN 108. No auditor is allowed. Prerequisite for the course is JAPN 008 or equivalent.

The course will offer newspaper texts, essays, and literary works for reading and discussion concerning its socio-cultural insights and impact. The student will be required to be prepared to read and translate any portion of the text assigned by the instructor. The student must also be prepared for discussions concerning the text in class in Japanese. Discussion will be primarily in Japanese.

Required Work
Success in the course is contingent on the students' performance in all assignments, quizzes and exams. Assignments will also be posted on Black Board. You will be required to do the following:

• Class participation and assignments: All students are expected to have read the material for class; level and accuracy of participation in any discussion will be noted and evaluated. Absences will be graded as non-participation, in-class assignments cannot be made-up. (10%)
• Vocabulary Quizzes: All quizzes will be given on the first day of new material. This is to ensure that all students will be equipped to read and comprehend the text as we read it in class. All quizzes will be cumulative. (20%)
• Essay (500 words) is a critical response to a specific question, which will be posted on Blackboard 48 hours before the due date. An essay should be viewed as a mini-paper consisting of an introduction, a body—grounds for and support of your position—and a conclusion. Reference to other sources to support your position affords a convincing argument. (30%)
• In-class translation exams will consist of one class text and one sight passage. Class text translations must be polished; the sight passage will require a literal translation. (20%)
• Final take-home exam will consist of two essays responding to questions, of which one is based on class text, another on new text. (20%)
• Formatting should be consistent with college-level work. This means that you must type your assignment and format it with one-inch margins, 12 pt. font (preferably Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier), 1.5 to double spacing of lines, indentation of long quotations, italics or underline for book titles, quotation marks for article titles, etc. Follow the guidelines found in the MLA Handbook, The Chicago Book of Style, or any other recognized guidebook on academic style.
• QUESTIONS: The instructor maintains an open door policy--if my door is open, you can come in. If you have further questions or concerns, feel free to contact the instructor during office hours, after class or make an appointment. All students are encouraged to come by and visit.
  

Grading Policies
Grading on participation and in-class assignment will be based on the student's effort and demonstrated knowledge of the reading material assigned that day.

Submissions Careful thought should be put into ALL submissions--Essays, and Final exam essays. Grades for all submissions will be based on the following critieria:

Structure

• Introduction, including topic/theme/aspect to be discussed.
• Body one, expansion of topic/theme/aspect; including reason for choice, argumentation/position, supporting documentation.
• Body two, evidence to support position.
• Conclusion, summary of paper.
  

Grammar and content

• Clarity
• Correct speling (oops, I mean, spelling).
• No typos.
• Appropriate diction, meaning understandable word choice and usage.
• Adherence to English grammar, including subject-verb agreement, and the absence of run-on or incomplete sentences.
  

Substance

• Originality
• Insight
  

Generally speaking, high grades (As) will be given to those who fulfill all three of the above successfully; good grades (Bs) to those who fulfill two of the three, and average grades (Cs) to those who fulfill only one.

Advice

• Clarity is of great import. If I have to read a paragraph (or the entire paper) twice to understand it, then your structure or grammar is not clear. Each word, sentence, paragraph and section must make sense with each other as the paper builds toward a conclusion.
• Avoid the stream-of-consciousness approach to writing. Consider preparing a one-page outline. Being able to see the structure of your paper in one glance will give you an idea if your thoughts are logically connected.
• Originality will influence your grade as well. Typically, students focus on the strict class lines, but since this is a topic discussed in class, it lacks originality. Previous students who have received high grades for this topic approached it from a different angle or took an original (some may say argumentative) position.
• Some students have submitted structured papers with very original topics, but ill-advised diction or sloppy grammar have doomed them to a B.
• Similarly, other students have had original topics and a flair for words, submitting papers that were actually enjoyable to read. However, if they failed to provide documentation or evidence to support their position, then their structure was weak (they submitted a personal essay instead of an academic paper) and did not receive a high grade.
  

If you have any questions, please fell free to come and see me. However, refrain from asking me to proofread any draft or idea (which some students, amazingly, have done).

Formatting

• Word count should be strictly observed, give or take 50 words—i.e. 450 to 550 words.
• Do not attach a cover sheet.
• Include the following: your name, the date, the word count. If you are using MS Word, click on Tools, then Word Count; it will automatically count all the words in your document. You do not need to provide your student number, name of course or instructor.
• A brief title is appropriate for all submissions; copying and pasting the question/issue is not.
• Type and format all submissions in a manner consistent with college-level work. You should:
• Space lines approximately 1.5 spaces.
• Set margins at one inch.
• Use font size no smaller than 12 points; font face of Times New Roman, Arial or equivalent.
• Indent long quotations.
• Italicize or underline book titles, use quotation marks for article titles, format citations appropriately.
• A bibliography is unnecessary in a short paper since citations should be complete. Citations for articles used in class are unnecessary, but an inline page referent for longer pieces is obligatory
  
• For other formatting issues, follow the guidelines found in the MLA Handbook, The Chicago Book of Style, or any other recognized guidebook on academic style.

Final grades will be based on the total of all assignments, weighted accordingly as outlined above.

Tardiness is not tolerated. All late papers will be graded down one grade (A to B, B+ to C+) each week it is late, so do not be late. If you cannot make class due to an emergency, hand your paper in early or have a classmate hand it in for you. Ultimately, however, you are responsible for the submission of your own paper. In case of verifiable emergency—illness or accident—you will receive a one week grace period.