EALC 275: Masterpieces of East Asian Literature Lecture #21: Bashô and Haiku Poems Nov.5, 2013Historical context: Edo (1600-1867), 1 • A relatively peaceful era • Bushi class (samurai) gradually transformed into elite class of civil servants/demilitarized. • Commoners and merchants were sharply distinguished from samurai by the issuance and enforcement of elaborate judicial, sumptuary, and occupational regulations. • Despite these restrictions, some samurai were attracted to and participate in the cultural and entertainment world of the merchant class. • Sometimes, ronin or masterless samurai became a rowdy social element in the cities.Historical context: Edo (1600-1867), 2 • Townsman (chōmin) culture: • -- Townsmen, while they did not have access to political power, enjoyed economic prosperity, growth of great merchant houses. -- education became more broadly accessible -- printing flourished, spreading the reach of the written word. -- literature as one of the means of everyday-entertainment.Historical context: Edo (1600-1867), 3 • Townsman (chōnin) culture: • Most of the cultural creativity of early-modern Japan was a product of initiatives by townsmen, other commoners, or samurai who consciously rejected the elite taste of their castle brethren. They gave rise to those new, vigorous, and sophisticated arts and letters that we know as ukiyo or ‘floating world’ culture. Ukiyo embodied in its literature, art, and drama values that were as brash a celebration of chōnin vitality as bushi culture was an affirmation of official values.Matsuo Bashô (1644-1694), 1 • A samurai descendant • Pen name, "banana plant”芭蕉 • A poet and teacher • Drew inspiration for his poetry from his travelsMatsuo Bashô (1644-1694), 2 • Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉, 1644 – November 28, 1694), was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga (linked-verse) form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku (at the time called hokku).Matsuo Bashô (1644-1694), 3 • He made a living as a teacher, but renounced the social, urban life of the literary circles and was inclined to wander throughout the country, heading west, east, and far into the northern wilderness to gain inspiration for his writing. His poems were influenced by his firsthand experience of the world around him, often encapsulating the feeling of a scene in a few simple elements.History of Haiku: Initial forms 1. linked verse as a social activity -- (5-7-5) + (7-7) -- Hokku: first three lines 2. Haikai: a playful style of linked verse arose during Edo period -- Reflective of townsman culture A Haikai poem: Bitter Bitter it was and yet Somehow funny Even when my father lay dying I went on fartingHistory of Haiku: the defining stage Matsuo Bashô --greatest Haiku poet --converted the playful Haikai to serious poetry 1) a way of elegance 2) an expression of Zen “Haiku” was applied later (late 19th century)History of Haiku: the independence of “Hokku” the opening three lines (5-7-5) Hokku as freestanding poemsCharacteristics of Haiku General structure --thesis --antithesis --synthesis Pushing offCharacteristics of Haiku, 1 The old pond A frog jumps in Water’s sound --In what ways can we say that the three lines are the thesis, the antithesis, and synthesis respectively?Characteristics of Haiku, 2 The old pond A frog jumps in Water’s sound • Simplicity -- three lines (5-7-5) -- straightforward narration -- no abstract ideas -- things as they are -- preference for subtlety and simplicity over showy craft. -- concludes with evocative images, moments, and experiencesCharacteristics of Haiku General structure --thesis --antithesis --synthesis Pushing offHaiku themes 1: Humor Oh, nothing’s happened to me! Yesterday has passed-- Fugu soup. (p.165) • The sense of relief one feels when a feared event is over. • Inversion– the feeling of relief comes before the dangerous event. • Concrete image at the end synthesizes the thesis (“relief”) and antithesis (“fear”).Haiku themes 1: HumorHaiku themes 1: Humor Human life is full of danger– Bakusui But a little humor can keep the anxiety at bay– Prof. RidgwayHaiku themes 2: Enjoyment and Perception Under the tree Soup, fish salad, and all— Cherry blossoms. (p.175) • Cherry blossom viewing party (April 10) • Up (thesis), down (antithesis), transformation (synthesis) • Mundane but beautifulHaiku themes 2: Enjoyment and Perception Hanami 花見Haiku themes 2: Enjoyment and Perception Hanami 花見Haiku themes 3: Humor despite discomfort Fleas, lice-- A horse piddles Near my pillow. (p.174) • Basho stuck in travel at the Shitomae Barrier. • “Piddle” in Japanese is “shitosuru,” a term used to describe a child’s “piddle.” Use of word play. • Even something “low” and “ugly” can inspire humor.Haiku themes 4: Social Commentary-- poverty Those who have heard a monkey’s cry: How about this abandoned child In the autumn wind. (p.167) • A “monkey’s cry” was a commonplace image used to evoke a plaintive, sad atmosphere in Chinese poetry. • Thesis (poetic cliché), antithesis (genuine sorrow/”real life”), synthesized in the image of “autumn wind.”Summer grasses Where stalwart soldiers Once dreamed a dream (p.173) 1. Why does Basho juxtapose “summer grasses” and “soldiers”? What is the “thesis” and “antithesis”? 2. In what sense the third line is a synthesis? 3. What is conveyed in this poem? Haiku themes 5: Social Commentary-- war“An ancient battlefield is a sacred place where mythology, history, and literature originate. It is a kind of purgatory, a place where the souls of the slain soldiers, still retaining their anger and resentment, utter war cries day and night. The nō drama, which often stages the sufferings of ancient warriors in beautiful poetic form, can be considered the end product of an artistic tradition that originated in the literature intended to soothe the souls that haunted the locale. It is conceivable that that tradition survives in this hokku of Basho’s” --- Imoto (p.173) Haiku themes 5: Social Commentary-- warAt the news of the nun Jutei’s death never think of yourself