Hand-out: Japanese Literature

Japanese Literature


o
 major body of Oriental Literature.
 less voluminous than Chinese Literature
 comparable to Arabic, Persian, and Indian Literature.
 covers the period from the fifth century A.D. to the present.
 Poems and odes to the gods were composed in the early Japanese Language before writing was known to Japan.
 In first centuries of writing in Japan, the spoken language and the written language were identical.
 Literary work began to be composed almost exclusively in Chinese during the study of Chinese literature.
 Differences between colloquial Japanese and literary idioms grew.
 Addition of the Chinese words into the Japanese Language increased rapidly.
 Written language, therefore, consists mainly of character borrowed from the Chinese, each character
representing an idea. But Japan has developed a basic alphabet of only forty- seven characters– the KATAKANA.
Education in Japan

 Learning in Japan was confined to the court circles before 1200.

 From 1400 to 1500 education was denied to everyone except the priests.
 In 1600 the modern period of general culture began.
 People responded enthusiastically to the policy of general education. Reading became a very popular pastime. It
was a common sight in Japan to see circulating libraries carried from house to house on the backs of men.
Remarkable fact, without parallel in the history of literature, that a large proportion of the literary works in Japan was
written by women. This genius is said to have made Japanese a literary language. The cultivation of the native tongue was
left to the ladies of the court and these ladies performed this task nobly.
Two Oldest books in the Language
Kojiki


o the earliest Japanese literary work (Records of Ancient Matters).
o creation of the world
o describes the gods and goddesses of the mythological
o contains facts about the earliest history of Japan.

Nihongi


o next important creative work (Chronicles of Japan)
o early history of Japan in poetry
o shows the profound influence of the Chinese.

The Japanese are intensely proud of their history and take great care in keeping and preserving records. Even family
records are carefully copied from one generation to the next. In cities there are professional storytellers who can earn
their livelihood by narrating legendary and historical tales. Memorial stones are among the striking sights along the
highways in every town and village and temple yard. These memorials honor some noted scholar, ruler, or hero.
Japanese Drama

 Favorite form of entertainment.

 Plays are about history and tradition, or the lives and adventures of gods and heroes.
 Setting is always in Japan.
 Plays are very long.
 The performance begins in the morning and can last all day.
The Three Major Plays
Noh Play

 National theater of Japan

  In past, it was a play reserve for the nobility, audience dress ceremonial robes
 Legends says Noh play originates in dance invented by gods.
Joruri/Puppet Play (or doll theater)

 is very popular
 puppets are beautifully made and life like in size.
 strings are expertly manipulated and the dialogue realistically interpreted
Kabuki

 the play for the masses

 less intellectual and more realistic, even sensational
Poetry in Japan

 favorite among the JAPANESE

 OLDEST collection of poetry– MAN` YOSHU Collection of Myriad Leaves
 it was compiled in 800 A.D.
 The collection title One Hundred Persons was compiled much later
Writing of poetry was a required ability among the aristocratic classes. It is also necessary for courtship. Poems are written
on various subjects– the falling of the blossoms, the reddening of the leaves in autumn, the glory of the imperial family, the
death of a wife or child or the pleasures of drink.
JAPANESE LITERATURE TODAY
Manga
Original Japanese comic books that have a solid niche of followers from all around the world. Japanese manga creators
conform to a particular style of artwork creation developed in the late 19th century. The story lines of the comic books
tackle a broad range of genres such as action-adventure, romance, comedy, drama, science-fiction, and fantasy. Manga
plays a large part in the Japanese publishing industry and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

The very first manga magazine, Eshinbun Nipponchi, was published in 1874 by Kanagaki Robun and Kawanabe Kyosai. It
was likely influenced by the pioneering Japanese magazine The Japan Punch, which was published between 1862 and
spring 1887 by Charles Wirgman. Eshinbun Nipponchi did not have initial success and was discontinued after only three
issues. This was followed by Kisho Shimbun in 1875, Marumaru Chinbun in 1877, andGarakuta Chinpo in 1879.

HARUKI MURAKAMI
Date of Birth: January 12, 1949Place of Birth: Kyoto, JapanEducation: Waseda University, 1973 Biography: Haruki
Murakami was born in Kyoto, Japan, in 1949. He grew up in Kobe and then moved to Tokyo, where he attended Waseda
University. His first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won the Gunzou Literature Prize for budding writers in 1979. He followed
this success with two sequels, Pinball, 1973 and A Wild Sheep Chase, which all together form “The Trilogy of the Rat.”
Murakami is also the author of the novels Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World; Norwegian Wood; Dance
Dance Dance; South of the Border, West of the Sun; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; Sputnik Sweetheart; Kafka on the Shore;
After Dark; 1Q84; and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. He has written three short story collections:
The Elephant Vanishes; After the Quake; and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman; and an illustrated novella, The Strange
Library.
Hand-out: Japanese Poetry
The Haiku
Japanese Poetry: The Haiku
Writing of poetry was a required ability among the aristocratic classes. It is also necessary for courtship. Poems are written
on various subjects– the falling of the blossoms, the reddening of the leaves in autumn, the glory of the imperial family, the
death of a wife or child or the pleasures of drink.
Haiku Basic Principle:
“The compression of language and the expansion of meaning”
Symbolism

 Haiku uses symbolism to describe nature or emotions.

What does a tree symbolize to you?
Life? Learning? Family? Growth?
Haiku Is Effective When the images are concrete:
“Powdered crags…”
… the reader finds personal meaning in the symbolism.

Example:
Powdered crags look up
Clear blue canopy protects
Green blanket below
Kigo

 A kigo is a word that gives a hint about a season:

Japan Celebrates 5 Seasons


o Winter
o Spring
o Summer
o Autumn
o Oshogatsu - the Japanese New Year!

How Do You Do Haiku?

Modern haiku is a 3-line verse, using 17 Japanese characters or English syllables.


o
 5 syllables
 7 syllables
 5 syllables
In this first line of haiku, the word, blossom, has 2 syllables.
“Lo/tus blos/som peeks”
1 2 3 4 5
(5 syllables in this line.)
Kigo
In true Japanese form, haiku uses a season’s hint word, or kigo.
“Lotus blossom peeks”
Guess the season using this line of haiku.
Use the Kigo.
During what season does the Lotus begin to bloom?
Answer: Spring Season

“The Compression of Language.”

The delicate lotus blossom slowly emerges from a bundle of leaves when spring arrives… …blah…blah…blah.
Those 14 words, or 23 syllables, were compressed to create this 5-syllable line:
“Lotus blossom peeks”

The Expansion of Meaning.

‘Lotus’ is a simple, concrete, idea.
When the words, ‘blossom peeks,’ are added, the meaning is expanded.
Lotus blossom peeks
Green bed hugging fresh petals
Bees seek sweet nectar

3 Greatest Haiku Poets

Matsuo Basho

 Matsuo Bashō was born in 1644 in Uego, in the Iga province of Japan.
 As a child he became a servant of the nobleman Tōdō Yoshitada, who taught him to compose poems in the ‘haiku’
style.
 Traditionally, haikus contain three parts, two images and a concluding line which helps to juxtapose them. The
best-known haiku in Japanese literature is called ‘Old Pond’, by Bashō himself:
Old pond . . .
A frog leaps in
Water’s sound

 It is all (deceptively) simple – and, when one is in the right, generous frame of mind, very beautiful.
 After Yoshitada died in 1666, Bashō left home and wandered for many years before moving to the city of Edo,
where he became famous and widely published. However, Bashō grew melancholy and often shunned company,
and so until his death in 1694 he alternated between travelling widely on foot and living in a small hut on the
outskirts of the city.
Kobayashi Issa

 1763–1828
 Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa, also known as Kobayashi Yataro and Kobayashi Nobuyuki, was born in Kashiwabara,
Shinanao province. He eventually took the pen name Issa, which means “cup of tea” or, according to poet Robert
Hass, “a single bubble in steeping tea.”
 Issa’s father was a farmer. His mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother. His father
remarried, and Issa did not get along well with his stepmother or stepbrother, eventually becoming involved in
disputes over his father’s property. When Issa was 14, he left home to study haiku in Edo.
 Issa’s father was a farmer. His mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother. His father
remarried, and Issa did not get along well with his stepmother or stepbrother, eventually becoming involved in
disputes over his father’s property. When Issa was 14, he left home to study haiku in Edo.
 He spent years traveling and working until returning to Kashiwabara in the early 1810s. In Kashiwabara, his life was
marked by sorrow— the death of his first wife and three children, an unsuccessful second marriage, the burning
down of his house, and a third marriage.
 Issa’s haiku are as attentive to the small creatures of the world—mosquitoes, bats, cats—as they are tinged with
sorrow and an awareness of the nuances of human behavior. In addition to haiku, Issa wrote pieces that
intertwined prose and poetry, including Journal of My Father’s Last Days and The Year of My Life.
 He wrote tender haiku about his children and wife who died, his poverty, and his little insect and animal friends.
Yosa Buson

 Japanese poet and painter Yosa Buson was born outside Osaka and moved to Edo (Tokyo) to study both painting
and haiku. Like his literary hero, Basho, Buson traveled widely through Japan, publishing notes from his journeys
under the name Buson. He is known as one of the great haiku masters, and his work is generally regarded as more
sensuous and, reflecting his dual career as a painter, more painterly than Basho’s. Buson was also influenced by
 Chinese poetry. In the 1750s, he settled in Kyoto, where he continued his career as a painter and changed his
surname to Yosa.
Special Occasion Speeches

 Many entertaining speeches fall under the category of special-occasion speeches.

 All the speeches in this category are given to mark the significance of particular events.
 In each of these different occasions, speakers are asked to deliver speeches relating to the event.
General types of special occasion speeches

 Ceremonial Speaking
 Inspirational Speaking
 CEREMONIAL SPEECHES
-Ceremonial speeches are speeches given during a ceremony or a ritual marked by observance of formality or etiquette.
-There are five types of ceremonial speaking: presentations, acceptances, toasts, roasts, and eulogies.

1. Speeches of presentation
-A speech of presentation is a brief speech given to accompany a prize or honor. When preparing a speech of
presentation, it’s always important to ask how long the speech should be. Once you know the time limit, then you can set
out to create the speech itself.

-First, you should explain what the award or honor is and why the presentation is important. Second, you can explain what
the recipient has accomplished in order for the award to be bestowed. Did the person win a race? Did the person write an
important piece of literature? Did the person mediate conflict? Whatever the recipient has done, you need to clearly
highlight his or her work.
2. Speeches of Acceptance
-The complement to a speech of presentation is the speech of acceptance. The speech of acceptance is a speech given by
the recipient of a prize or honor.
-There are three typical components of a speech of acceptance:
First, you want to thank the people who have given you the award or honor and possibly those who voted for you.
Second, you want to give credit to those who helped you achieve the award or honor. No person accomplishes things in
life on his or her own.
Lastly, put the award in perspective. Tell the people listening to your speech why the award is meaningful to you.

3. Toasts
A toast is a speech designed to congratulate, appreciate, or remember.
First, toasts can be delivered for the purpose of congratulating someone for an honor, a new job, or getting married. You
can also toast someone to show your appreciation for something they’ve done. Lastly, we toast people to remember them
and what they have accomplished.

When preparing a toast, the first goal is always to keep your remarks brief.
Toasts are generally given during the middle of some kind of festivities (e.g., wedding, retirement party, farewell party),
and you don’t want your toast to take away from those festivities for too long.
4. ROASTS
-The roast speech is a very interesting and peculiar speech because it is designed to both praise and good-naturedly insult
a person being honored.
5. EULOGIES
-A eulogy is a speech given in honor of someone who has died. When preparing a eulogy, first you need to know as much
information about the deceased as possible. The more information you have about the person, the more personal you can
make the eulogy.

 INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES
-The goal of an inspirational speech is to elicit or arouse an emotional state within an audience.
-There are two types of inspirational speeches: goodwill and speeches of commencement.
1. Speeches to ensure goodwill
-Goodwill is an intangible asset that is made up of the favor or reputation of an individual or organization.
-Speeches of goodwill are often given in an attempt to get audience members to view the person or organization more
favorably.
Three basic types

 Public relations
-In a public relations speech, the speaker is speaking to enhance one’s own image or the image of his or her organization.
-They can be considered cheerleading speeches because the ultimate goal is to get people to like the speaker and what he
or she represents.

 Justification
-Given when someone attempts to defend why certain actions were taken or will be taken. In these speeches, speakers
have already enacted (or decided to enact) some kind of behavior, and are now attempting to justify why the behavior is
or was appropriate.

 Apology
-Three Elements:
1. First, a speaker needs to be honest and admit to doing something wrong.
2. Say that you are sorry.
3. Lastly, you need to offer restitution.

2. Speeches of commencements

 Designed to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a graduating class or other group of people.
 The most typical form of commencement speech happens when someone graduates from school.

HAND-OUT
FIGURES OF SPEECH
-rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using words in distinctive ways.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
often associated with literature—and with poetry in particular.
-but the fact is, whether we're conscious of it or not, we use figures of speech every day in our own writing and
conversations.
1. Apostrophe

 breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a
nonexistent character.
 Examples:
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.“
"Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this grief.“
"O western wind, when wilt thou blow That the small rain down can rain?"
2. Antonomasia

 the use of title to address or refer to someone rather than using the proper name
 Examples:
The King of Comedy passed away recently.
The Dark Knight defeated his nemesis at last.
3. Hyperbole

 an extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.
 Examples:
-“Enough food to feed a whole army”
-“Mile-high ice-cream cones”
4. Irony

 the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is
contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.
 Examples:
1.Sir, may I say you are as smart as Einstein ever was.
2. An ambulance driver rushes to the scene of an accident, only to run the victim over, because the victim crawled into the
middle of the street in the darkness of night.
3. It was ironic that the fire station burned down.
5. METAPHOR

 An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.
 Examples:
“But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.” - William Sharp, The Lonely Hunter
"You are the star that lights up my night sky."
6. Metonymy

 a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated; also,
the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it.
 Examples:

 1.China will meet India in a competition next month.

 2.The Supreme Court will ignore the case

 3.“crown” in “lands belonging to the crown”

7. Onomatopoeia

 the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
 Examples:

 1.Buzz

 2.Shutter

 3.Splash
8.Personification

 a figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.
 Examples:
 1.“The wind is Howling”

 2.“"The road isn't built that can make it breathe hard!"

  3.The news took me by surprise
9. Simile

 a stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have
certain qualities in common.
 Example:
 1."Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong."
10. Synecdoche

 using a part to represent the whole

 Examples:
 1.We are living under one roof.

 2.Fifty sails harbored in the port.