This class draws on theories of narrative from Western and Asian art and literature to explore various exemplars of Japanese narrative art. We will survey the history of visual storytelling in Japan from the seventh to twentieth centuries, emphasizing close visual and textual analyses. Lively class discussions explore a range of issues concerning narrative in Japan, including visual modes of storytelling in the scroll format, concepts of literary and pictorial genres in the premodern period, and the works of visual art as tools of persuasion, repositories for nostalgic visions of the classical past, vehicles for the mythologization of religious institutions, and sites for satiric representation. We shall consider objects ranging from the twelfth-century Genji scrolls to modern animation, with special emphasis on illustrated texts. All are welcome to attend.

Estimated cost of materials: less than $50.

C. 2.3