Tomi Suzuki
Associate Professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature, Columbia University, USA

 

"The Tale of Genji: National Literature, Language, and Modernism"

 

28. Mai 2009

 

A joint lecture of the Dahlem Humanities Center and the Institute for Japanese Studies.

 

This talk examines the critical discourse that emerged around The Tale of Genji from the 1880s to the 1930s in relation to modern notions of national literature and national language. The Tale of Genji not only played a major role in the construction of national literature and language; the discourse surrounding this work also played a significant role in the formation of modernist literary discourse in Japan.

 

 

Haruo Shirane, Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature
and Culture in the Department of East Asian Languages
and Cultures, Columbia University, USA

 

Envisioning The Tale of Genji: Canonization, Popularization,
and Visual Culture

 

This talk examines the impact that The Tale of Genji has had on Japanese culture from its inception through the post-war era, examining three intersecting issues: canonization, popularization, and visual culture. The Tale of Genji was not only placed at the pinnacle of high culture it became a phenomenon of popular culture, appearing in a number of different visual media such as painting, illustrated books, ukiyo-e, theater, film, and manga.