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Back to Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan by The University of Tokyo

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746 ratings

About the Course

In their ambition to capture “real life,” Japanese painters, poets, novelists and photographers of the nineteenth century collaborated in ways seldom explored by their European contemporaries. This course offers learners the chance to encounter and appreciate behavior, moral standards and some of the material conditions surrounding Japanese artists in the nineteenth century, in order to renew our assumptions about what artistic “realism” is and what it meant. Learners will walk away with a clear understanding of how society and the individual were conceived of and represented in early modern Japan. Unlike contemporary western art forms, which acknowledge their common debt as “sister arts” but remain divided by genre and discourse, Japanese visual and literary culture tended to combine, producing literary texts inspired by visual images, and visual images which would then be inscribed with poems and prose. Noticing and being able to interpret this indivisibility of visual/literary cultures is essential in understanding the social and psychological values embedded within the beauty of Japanese art....

Top reviews

DP

Oct 8, 2020

Very interesting where I finished the whole course 2 weeks before the due date because I really enjoyed it. I have been a Japan fanatic since middle school so this course is really my cup of tea

YM

Nov 30, 2020

It was really fun to learn about the history of such art pieces as well as the notable people behind its creation and influence. Mr. Campbell discussed everything clearly as expected.

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226 - 239 of 239 Reviews for Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan

By Bailo

Sep 8, 2024

It was very interesting how 19th century Japanese Art visual, poetry and culture changed overtime into the modern era from western influence. There were some videos that went slow and some weren't explained in depth of the imagery.

By Peter G

Jul 27, 2023

An enlightening journey into beautiful images with words providing a rich narrative of intellectual and cultural heritage of a nation built on a long history of conflict tempered with honour, integrity and beauty.

By Anthony P

Oct 30, 2022

A very interesting course in Japanese History and Culture prior to and during the early Meijii era and before modern Japan.

By Sum Y L

Apr 19, 2020

Nice learning pace and interesting pick of works of art. It will be great if it can come with a suggested reading list.

By Pilar P d C

Apr 13, 2018

Fascinating information of Japans changing mindset in reference to the image and the onset of photography.

By Jk

Sep 9, 2022

Fascinating knowledge of Japans changing mindset in reference to the image and the onset of photography.

By Daniel J G B

Sep 13, 2024

Interesting course to understand literary and aesthetic sensibilities in Edo and Meiji Japan.

By Andy M

Jun 14, 2023

solid instructor. subject was very interesting. i was over my head but material carried me.

By Michelle M

Aug 21, 2021

I found this to be an exceptionally interesting course and learned a lot, thank you.

By Kellan M

Mar 31, 2020

Very interesting subject for those interested in art of the world.

By Vivek S

Aug 13, 2020

A nice course on the literary prowess of 19th century Japan.

By Mihika R

Aug 31, 2022

I enjoyed it a lot

By 阮梦曲

Apr 24, 2023

The course material is excellent, but I would appreciate more resources to further explore the continuation of the 19th and 20th century spirit in contemporary Japanese works. Although the content covered in the course is informative, it seems somewhat limited in scope.

Also, would it be possible to provide the Japanese text? I would like access to reading materials in Japanese that include terms such as 'kimono' with their corresponding hiragana and katakana notation.

By Caroline H

Jan 24, 2018

It was a surprise to see a course on this topic. At first I found the central premise fascinating, but would have preferred more conciseness in the lectures and a wider variety of assessment tasks. For instance, why not have students analyse some images themselves?