Through the Looking Glass: An Exploration of Japanese Literature

What makes writers such as Haruki Murakami and Kazuo Ishiguro so popular?

Studying a range of popular Japanese novels translated into English, we will explore the key concepts and themes found in contemporary Japanese literature.

This course will enable you to consider the way Japanese literature explores contemporary ideas of who we are, how we connect to each other and our environment, and how we respond to otherness.

The course will examine how Japanese writers explore topics such as grief, loneliness, adolescence, death and illness, as well as the cost of technological progression.

Learning and teaching

This module will be offered online.

There will be two-hour meetings once a week (20 contact hours in all) which will include discussions, lectures, and reflective writing tasks.

Learners will be encouraged to read the texts introduced, complete the weekly reflective tasks, and obtain feedback from the tutor and other members of the group.

Learning Central and Microsoft Teams will contain relevant links to resources, class handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.

Syllabus content:

You will explore the following key issues and themes:

• The differences between Japanese and Western Literature
• The portrayal of possible future scenarios involving technological development and its consequences (posthumanism)
• The portrayal of otherness in terms of gender, identity, illness, and death.
• The portrayal of nature in Japanese literature to convey the protagonist's internal, emotional state.
• The reflection of the physical and social conditions in Japan. You will explore the Buddhist notion of mujó (impermanence) within the novels on the reading list and consider the idea that nothing lasts forever.
• Japanese hierarchies based on occupation, gender, rank, and status and how these determine one’s place in society.
• Authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Haruki Murakami, Asako Yuzuki, Mieko Kawakami, and Banana Yoshimoto.

Coursework and assessment

To award credits we need to have evidence of the knowledge and skills you have gained or improved.

Some of this has to be in a form that can be shown to external examiners so that we can be absolutely sure that standards are met across all courses and subjects.

The most important element of assessment is that it should enhance your learning.

Our methods are designed to increase your confidence and we try very hard to devise ways of assessing you that are enjoyable and suitable for adults with busy lives.

Students will complete a critical reflection (400 words) on one of the key theories found in Japanese literature, and an essay (1400 words).

Reading suggestions

Literary texts

• Kazuo Ishiguro Clara and the Sun (2021)
• Haruki Murakami Sputnik Sweetheart (1999) and After Dark (2004)
• Asako Yuzuki Butter (2017)
• Mieko Kawakami All the Lovers in the Night (2011)
• Banana Yoshimoto Kitchen (1988)
• Toshikazu Kawaguchi Before the Coffee Gets Cold (2015)
• Natsuo Kirino Real World (2008)

Background reading

• Miller, S. J. The a to z of Modern Japanese Literature and Theatre (2010)
• Marcus, M. Japanese Literature: from Murasaki to Murakami (2015)
• Shirane, H. Suzuki, T. & Lurie, D. B. (eds) The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature (2016)
• Cassegård, C. Shock and Naturalization in contemporary Japanese literature (2007)
• Aoyama, T. Reading food in modern Japanese literature (2008)
• Mejia, S. & Nikolaidis, D. ‘Through New Eyes: Artificial Intelligence, Technological Unemployment, and Transhumanism in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun’ (2022)
• Murakami, F. Postmodern, feminist and postcolonial currents in contemporary Japanese culture: a reading of Murakami Haruki, Yoshimoto Banana, Yoshimoto Takaaki and Karatani Kojin (2005)

Library and computing facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University’s library and computing facilities. Find out more about using these facilities.

Accessibility

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and dyslexia screening.