War and Literature in Japan: Tales of the Heike

Catalog description

Our subject is Tale of the Heike, a multifaceted narrative of the twelfth-century battles that brought the Taira clan down and led to the establishment of Japan's first military government. We will read the Heike tales with an eye toward how they fictionalize history and idealize certain types, most notably loyal women and warriors; the development of the warrior tale genre; central aspects of the Japanese ethos; and later works of literature based on episodes and characters from the Tale of the Heike. All material is in English translation. (Students of Japanese language may learn to read a famous section in the original.) There are no pre-requisites.