4/21 - Miyake - Japanese Literature

Professor Lynne Miyake recommends this 1987 animated version of "The Tale of Genji" for use in the classroom.

It is available on YouTube, divided into eleven segments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYwJaO88mm4

An interesting article from the "New York Times" on grievances of modern-day geisha:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world/asia/07iht-geisha.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=geisha&st=cse

Professor Miyake did such a good job bringing the female perspective- I really appreciated that she would go into the Heian period in detail, I think I could really bring questions about fashion and model female and males into my classroom and have my students compare double standards today/in their culture, and double standards during the Heian period.

I address historians and this idea of "history is written by the victors" at the beginning of the school year, to bring a little context into what is written in textbooks. I would like to relate the representation of Japanese society through writings of elite women in the Heian court.

I didn't get into the assigned reading like I should've, partly due to time but also partly due to getting bogged down with the first pages on women writers. I'm sure you probably feel like I do that Prof. Miyake made the topic of japanese LIterature come alive. It wasn't enough time. It left me wanting more. One other thing that she did was to show how you can take the form of writing and have the students use that form. That makes it more possible to teach about Japanese Literature without having to make it a whole unit, especially since we may not be able to because of the subject we teach.

Professor Miyake's lecture helped me to understand who the characters were in the
cartoon version of "The Tale of Genji," but I was taken aback to hear that the relationships in "The Tale of Genji" were incestuous.

In addition, most world literature that I have read (i.e., Dostoyevsky, Chechov's short stories, etc.)
tend to have a central theme of love (unrequited or otherwise), loss, and redemption while Japanese
literature classics appear to have a love, loss, and revenge.

However, it was refreshing to discover the appreciation and respect for women writers during the Heian Period.
In my opinion, court life in the Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa Dynasties, there seems
to be a correlation with the court life of some European countries: high regard for literature, poetry, writing, along with the formalities of courtship.

Correlations also exist with regard to the theatre. For instance, in Shakesperean plays in
England, women were not allowed to perform in females roles. In Japan, Kabuki theaters
hired male actors to perform female roles.
Overall, the lecture was very insightful and entertaining.

The Heian period was very interesting...and I am soooo glad I live in this time!!! Wow! that women walked around on their knees and that they wore huge amounts clothing. Talk about claustophobia! It seems to be quite a lazy period, and it kind of makes sense that the following periods started to retaliate against it. That the warrior period eventually came out of this....laziness to action.

I loved the books that Professor Miyake brought in. The drawings were fantastic and I found the style very interesting. Japanese animation takes on that same style today and the middle school students LOVE that style. So, that is a great way to involve them in Japanese literature, allow only the rated PG ones....

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Miyake's lecture and presentation. She kept the lecture flowing and wasn't afraid of questions. I especially appreciated her suggestions for incorporating materials into the classroom setting. I will be adding Sei Shonagen to my curriculum as a way for students to mimic her writing style. The Tale of Genji, and the Japanese Children's Stories are very adaptable and high-interest for the classroom setting and I look forward to using them in my classroom. I appreciate her delivery; fast-paced but not rushed, high-energy but not frenetic, encouraged questions but didn't get hijacked into one-on-one discussions. An excellent presenter.