History 433 Spring 2000

TR 9:00-10:15 Webster 104

WI/Medieval Cultures:
Warriors in Japan and Europe

Dr. Paul Varley and Dr. Karen Jolly

Doug Fuqua, T.A.

website: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kjolly/433s00.htm

Course Description:

This class examines warrior cultures in Japan circa 1185-1568 and Europe circa 1100-1500, comparing the origins and development of a warrior ethos in these two regions and its cultural manifestations in art and literature. The course focuses in particular on the Kamakura period in Japan and 12th century France in Europe. The syllabus is organized around the following three issues: definitions and origins of warrior societies; ideology and behavior of warrior cultures; literary and artistic representations of warrior values. Topics in these sections include discussions of feudalism, religion, women, codes of conduct, war tales, illustrations in scrolls and manuscripts, and warriors on film.

Class sessions are primarily lecture with some discussion. Thought papers encourage critical analysis of the readings, both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include short xeroxed selections, two major literary texts (one from each region), and visual arts (slides of artifacts).

Readings:

H. Paul Varley, Warriors of Japan as Portrayed in the War Tales (Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, 1994).
Constance Brittain Bouchard, Strong of Body, Brave and Noble: Chivalry and Society in Medieval France (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell, 1998.)
Tale of the Heike, trans. Helen C. McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1988).
The Death of King Arthur, trans. James Cable (New York: Penguin, 1971).
xeroxed and online secondary articles and primary sources

Grading (Writing Intensive):

10% participation; three papers, 6-9 pages each, 30% each

For each paper, a sequence of due dates:

submit a working outline and thesis argument for feedback
come prepared with complete first draft to discuss on "paper workshop" day
submit the final draft on the specified due date

Web Links to explore:

Outline of Topics

Part I: Concepts and Origins Weeks 1-5

1/11, 1/13; 1/18, 1/20; 1/25 1/27; 2/1, 2/3; 2/8, 2/10

Comparative History
Medieval Periodization
- H. Paul Varley, A Syllabus of Japanese Civilization, pp. 23-31
- Hollister, Medieval Europe, pp. 4-8, 156-160
Historical Background: economy, military, religion, government, society
- Hollister, Medieval Europe, pp. 119-133, 136-46, 172-188
- Varley, Japanese Culture, pp. 72-123
- Warriors in Context: Europe (lecture outline and links)
Feudalism Controversy
- IMS "Feudalism?"
- J. H. Hall, "Feudalism in Japan--A Reassessment" (Studies, pp. 3-51).
- Eiko Ikegami The Taming of the Samurai, pp. 1-43.
- Susan Reynolds, Fiefs and Vassals, pp. 1-17, 46-49, 73-74.
- Reviews of Reynolds: selections; two reviews by Cheyette and Hyams; Steven Lane (TMR)
- Feudalism: Europe (lecture outline and links)
Knight and Samurai
- Bouchard, introduction and chap. 1
- Varley, Warriors, introduction
- The European Knight: Eleventh-Century Developments

Paper Workshop: bring complete first draft

Paper 1: Compare the origins and development of
warrior cultures in Japan and Europe
and consider whether they constitute a common phenomenon.
Are they both "medieval" or "feudal," and if so,
what do those terms mean?

thesis and outline due: 2/1 returned 2/3
first draft due at Paper Workshop 2/10
paper due 2/17

Part II: Warrior Values Weeks 6-10

reading: Varley, Warriors, chapters1-3; Bouchard, chapters 2-5
Heike excerpts:
choose one: Beowulf, Song of Roland, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (web versions and translations linked below, library, bookstore, or borrow from Dr. Jolly)

2/15 Early Medieval War Tales in Japan
2/17 Kamakura Warrior Culture
2/22 Early Medieval England
2/24 12th-century France
2/29 Warriors and Courtiers in Japan (switched with 3/7)
3/2 Warriors and Christianity
3/7 Warriors and Buddhism (paper 2 thesis and outline due)
3/9 Women, Warriors, and the Court: Europe (return thesis and outline)
3/14 Mongols
3/16 Arms and Armor: Crosscultural interaction (Grey Wolf)
3/21 Paper Workshop: bring complete first draft

Note Date changes for Paper 2!

Paper 2: Compare codes of conduct for warriors
in Japan and Europe:
how do such codes function in society?
what do they reveal about warriors,
their political, social, and religious ties?

thesis and outline due 3/7 and returned 3/9
1st draft Paper Workshop 3/21
paper due Friday, 3/24, by 4 p.m. History office Sakamaki A203

Part III: Representations Weeks 11-16

reading: Varley, Warriors, chap. 3-5; Heike, Death of King Arthur

3/23 Arthuriana: Camelot
3/24 paper 2 due
[spring recess 3/27-31]
4/4 Literature discussion: Death of King Arthur
4/6 Literature discussion: Heike
4/11 late medieval Japan: Taiheiki, Kusunoki
4/13 Theater: Japanese Noh
4/18 late medieval Europe: Robin Hood, Joan of Arc
4/20 Shakespeare on film: Henry V, Throne of Blood
4/25 Modern pop culture heroes: from Arthur to Obi-Wan Kenobi (thesis and outline due)
4/27 Modern pop culture: samurai legacies (thesis and outline returned)
5/2 paper 3 workshop
5/12 final paper due 10 a.m.

Paper 3: Why is the warrior a popular figure
in literature, drama, and the arts?
What is the appeal, both then and now,
of warrior tales?

thesis and outline due 4/25, returned 4/27
first draft paper workshop 5/2
final paper due 5/12 10 a.m.