Early Japanese Poetry and the History of Writing
David Lurie, Columbia University
POSTPONED
The Man'yôshû, a late 8th century poetry anthology, has long been famous -- or perhaps, notorious -- for the baroque variety of its inscription. In its over 4,500 poems, Chinese characters are used to indicate words, syllables, or both, sometimes so eccentrically as to puzzle and astonish latter-day audiences. But these quirks are of more than antiquarian interest: they provide a privileged vantage point for examining fundamental problems in the history of writing, not just in early Japan, but in East Asia (and beyond).
Professor Lurie's interests include the history of writing systems and the cultural, intellectual, and literary history of early Japan. He is the author of "Language, Writing, and Disciplinarity in the Critique of the 'Ideographic Myth': Some Proleptical Remarks," Language & Communication 26 (2006).
Co-sponsored by the East Asia Center, the Japan Studies Program, and the Simpson Center. |
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