LITR 075J. Japanese Modernism


(Cross-listed as JPNS 075 
A lively and cosmopolitan modernist literature and art scene thrived in early 20th Century Japan, as cities such as Tokyo and Osaka grew rapidly, and writers and artists established connections with their counterparts across the globe. During the same decades, stylish "modern girls" and "modern boys" in Japanese cities were hailed in the press as avatars of newly liberated lifestyles and fashions, or derided by conservatives as the dupes of corrupt Western influences. This course will explore Japanese modernist literature, its global connections, and its social context, using a seminar format. Topics include: Japanese avant-garde literature, film, and art; gender, sexuality, and modernism; the politics and aesthetics of "modern" life and lifestyles; socialist and anarchist literature; "ero-guro-nonsense" as subversive literature; wartime censorship and propaganda; and Japanese influences on global modernisms. Readings and discussion will be in English; students with advanced Japanese reading ability are encouraged to read the texts in the original.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for ASIA
Catalog chapter: Modern Languages and Literatures: Literatures in Translation  
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/modern-languages-literatures


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