Literary Influences

Tales of Moonlight and Rain

• Ueda Akinari• 1734-1809• Famous for tales of the supernatural“They subtly merge the world of reason with the realm of the uncanny and exemplify the period's fascination with the strange and the grotesque”

• Collection of 9 gothic tales• Spirits, ghosts• demons, fiends, goblins, strange dreams, and

other manifestations beyond all logic and common sense.

1953 UgetsuDirected Mizoguchi Kenji

Oedipus• Written by Sophocles• Great Greek tragedian• Lived through Age of Pericles and

the Peloponnesian War.

• Prophesised to kill father and marry mother

• Runs away to avoid prophesy• Kills father• Marries mother• Blinds himself

Haiku• Japanese poetry• Three non-rhyming lines• 17 syllables arranged so they follow the pattern 5,7,5• Originally meant as objective description of nature• Object: to convey as much as possible in few words• Used by Imagists in West in 1912• Became especially popular outside Japan in WWII

I am tired and stressed

I want to sleep forever

and never wake up

5

7

5

worker bees can leave

even drones can fly away

the queen is their slave

Haiku• Taneda Santoka: famous haiku poet• Abandoned customary form and subject

of Haikus• Focused on human experience as subject• Emphasised qualities of Zen Buddhism in

his life• Simple life• Spirituality• Human melancholy

Tanka/Waka• Literally translated as “short poem”• Basic form of Japanese poetry• Used in 6th-14th century in courts• Used previously to Haikus• 31 syllabols in 5 lines in the pattern of:• 5• 7• 5• 7• 7

• Sometimes written by 2 poets, challenging each other

• Too short so often used choka as alternative

Tanka/Waka

my fantastic life!rainbows and unicorn pissso much love to giveeverything, so beautifultoo many smiles for one gal

Blue violins playmelodies in minor keys

for unfortunatesouls bathing in desires

dissolved in downgraded dreams.

Thank you!