4/21 - Miyake - Japanese Literature

This was one of my favorite lectures- probably because I love literature so much. I also had enough time, with spring break, to read most of the material and cannot wait until I can read more. I think it is important to stress to students that some of the literature and history that we have is not only by those who "win" but also those in some of the smallest groups of a population. The common people are often not represented because they are too busy doing the work to get an education or have the leisure to spend time writing things down.

I enjoyed the wide variety of Japanese texts Professor Miyake presented and thought that the diverse versions of the Tale of Genji could be useful in making Japanese literature come alive for my students. I often attempt to use graphic novels in the classroom because I find that my students find the text a little less intimidating. Of course, after looking at the "graphic" nature of some of the comic versions - I'll have to be careful to make sure that the images are age appropriate.

For me this was an exceptionally revealing session. The picture that the literature painted of the Heian period seemed very ethereal until I was given the background information to complete the picture. Such a small group of literate people, and such a deliberate power play that it made me almost angry. I'm sure the men of the time enjoyed themselves, and even though the women were forced to play such a strange role I got the feeling that they weren't unhappy with their lot. Life in that time was crude, and not having to lift a finger except to write poetry couldn't have been so terrible. Perhaps theirs was a small price to pay for their privilege.

Still the writing was eloquent. I have read "The Tale of Genji" and found it a strong story. At the time I read it I was struck by the female author's ability to use the point of view of a man to tell her tale. Quite a feat considering how restricted women's lives were. Still, most of the tale tells about the exploits of Genji with women so one can see that assuming to be plausible.

I will certainly use the idea of the pillow book in my ELA class when the 7th grade students are studying Japan. Using this technique to demonstrate how these books are a window into the culture of the time should allow the students to come to a deeper (and more memorable) understanding of what they are learning.

I agree with what many of you have said-- Professor Miyake's teaching style was very engaging, and the topic was very interesting!
As many of you have said, I was especially interested in learning about the lives of women-- I think I always find it fascinating to learn about societies where there was such a dichotomy between the treatment of women and men. I thought it was interesting that even though Japanese women at this time had to walk on their knees due to their layers of clothing, they were some of the first women in the women in the world to be literate...
I also agree that looking at excerpts from The Pillow Book was fun and interesting-- it really is amazing how things stay constant. In addition to using excerpts from The Pillow Book as a jumping-off point for creative writing, I think reading and discussing this could help students connect with the distant past-- by seeing how similar feelings and emotions are across time, students may not feel as disconnected from the past.

Hi Folks,
Some may be interested in a just published graphic novel from Japan. It's in English and is probably too massive to use in its entirety, but some might want to use a selection (perhaps even the pdf sample that's available). The novel is A Drifting Life and was discussed in the 5/10/2009 Los Angeles Times.

Please go to the language arts thread in the Asia in My Classroom forum for more info:
http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/showpost.aspx?PostID=387&PageIndex=4.

Horace Mann's web site on Medieval Japan - Literature is a linear look at the literature of Japan that begins with a creation myth to illustrate the religious influences of the period and continues with early poetry, then discusses the early novels, then moves to the war tales, and progresses through the centuries looking at tanka poetry and the influences of historical events on the literature. Mann ends with legends and folk tales.

What is most appealing here are the games and activities given in a following section, and the web sites for teachers section. There are numerous links to other great sites, and this is potentially a very useful resource.

Here's the address:http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/japan/Literature/Japan_Literature.html [Edit by="mseeger on Jun 26, 10:43:54 AM"][/Edit]

The part of the lecture about he Heian period was especially interesting. I was impressed about the importance of art, literature, and music during this time (794-1185). I found it fascinating that:
A. the emperor would test his consorts by reading a line of classical poetry and the consort would have to recite the rest to show his scholastic aptitude to the emperor.
B. women were expected to have good handwriting and study calligraphy
C. music flourished during this time, especially a stringed instrument called the Koto and a type of flute called the Shakuhachi

The societal expectation and fashions of women during this period is also of great interest. I was surprised to find that women were not allowed to talk to any man over the age of twelve and that men courted women with literature and by coming to the woman's house three nights in a row. Men had several wives but only one principle wife.

Also, until tonight, I was completely unfamiliar with the practice of blackening one's teeth. I learned that the rationale for this is that black teeth look good with red lipstick, especially in candlelight, and also that since they had no dentists, blackening the teeth hid imperfections.

This was a wonderful lecture and the segments on the fetish with cleanliness, soft vs. hard heros, the pathos of life, pillow talk, and the pillow book of Sei Shonagon were especially interesting.

While doing research for my curriculum project, I came across an article about Liza Dalby and her PhD work for which she is famous. As we learned in class, she spent time in Japan and was invited to "be" a geisha for a period. This is interesting in itself, but what I also learned was that Professor Dalby is an avid researcher on the life of Murasaki Shikibu. She has written a fictionalized version of Lady Murasaki's life based on her research called The Tale of Murasaki. I read an except, and it looks very interesting!

Check out http://www.lizadalby.com/LD/TofM_info.html