担当教官：ジョージ ヒューズ
講義題目：Lafcadio Hearn and Japan
In this course we shall be looking at some of the writings of Lafcadio Hearn about Japan. We shall consider why Hearn has become the most famous literary commentator on Japan in the West and whether his reputation is justified.
There has recently been much argument about Hearn's writings. Some critics have suggested that Hearn is an “Orientalist” who gives a falsely exotic picture of Japan. His writings on Japanese women and Japanese religion have been criticised, and the accuracy of his picture of Japan has been called into question. We shall be discussing why Hearn is attacked in this way, and why he is still so important as a commentator. Why, in short, does Hearn remain the representative foreign writer on Japan for so many people?
Text: George Hughes『ハーンの轍の中で』研究社、2002年