午夜剧场

General Education Courses | Type II Humanities and Social Sciences, Literature

I believe the advantage of studying liberal arts at a university is that you are exposed to research methods and a wealth of materials, allowing you to deepen your own learning and acquire the means to gain wisdom that will serve as a guide. It's not about memorization, as in studying for entrance exams, but about mastering how to apply knowledge. I hope that you will acquire a wealth of wisdom that will become a light to illuminate your path in the future.

Now, what kind of academic field is literature? For example, in Yukichi Fukuzawa's book "Things Western (Seiyō Jijō)," the word "bungaku" (literature) was used synonymously with "gakumon" (scholarship), and it originally meant scholarship or the act of studying. This is because the character "bun" (文) implies not only letters and words but also logic and principles. This may seem quite different from our current understanding, but according to the definition in the "Kokin Wakashū," literary works are "born from the human heart as their seed." In other words, everything produced by human emotions and thoughts can be considered a subject of literary inquiry. Therefore, literature courses offer a curriculum covering diverse forms of expression from various periods and regions, with instructors taking a variety of approaches.

For example, the class shown in this photo focuses on illustrated fiction (kusazōshi), which boasted an overwhelming number of publications and titles within the publishing culture of the Edo period. This genre, born in Edo in the first half of the 17th century where text and illustrations were equally important, embodies the traditions of classical Japanese literature in its expression and invented numerous elements that would later connect to novels, visual media, and manga. Furthermore, focusing on its aspect as a commodity in a market economy, it was closely linked to politics and the economy, embodying the evolution of the printing and publishing media that emerged during the Edo period. How does knowledge transmission change with new media? How do people's perceptions change? You will surely notice that many of the developments and issues of the Edo period overlap with those of the present day. Consequently, looking at the past leads us to reflect on our present.

How much meaning can we grasp beyond the expression before us? How can we contemplate the path humanity has taken and foresee the future? I hope that through literature, you will cultivate such an imagination.

(Professor Mayumi Tsuda)