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Back to Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan by The University of Tokyo

4.8
stars
718 ratings

About the Course

In their ambition to capture “real life,” Japanese painters, poets, novelists and photographers of the nineteenth century collaborated in ways seldom explored by their European contemporaries. This course offers learners the chance to encounter and appreciate behavior, moral standards and some of the material conditions surrounding Japanese artists in the nineteenth century, in order to renew our assumptions about what artistic “realism” is and what it meant. Learners will walk away with a clear understanding of how society and the individual were conceived of and represented in early modern Japan. Unlike contemporary western art forms, which acknowledge their common debt as “sister arts” but remain divided by genre and discourse, Japanese visual and literary culture tended to combine, producing literary texts inspired by visual images, and visual images which would then be inscribed with poems and prose. Noticing and being able to interpret this indivisibility of visual/literary cultures is essential in understanding the social and psychological values embedded within the beauty of Japanese art....

Top reviews

DP

Oct 8, 2020

Very interesting where I finished the whole course 2 weeks before the due date because I really enjoyed it. I have been a Japan fanatic since middle school so this course is really my cup of tea

YM

Nov 30, 2020

It was really fun to learn about the history of such art pieces as well as the notable people behind its creation and influence. Mr. Campbell discussed everything clearly as expected.

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1 - 25 of 227 Reviews for Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan

By jawaahir a

Dec 15, 2018

i loved it! it was very detailed in terms of historical literature and photographic culture and the narrator really explained everything very well.

By Steve B

Jun 10, 2018

I have learned more from this course than some whole degree programmes. Partly this is because Professor Campbell is the 'real thing' - an academic who invests himself in his interests. I imagine him in his serarch through antiquarian book and art shops - turning over photographs. He seems always to be thinking.Yet he has a great way of communicating.I will miss this course when it is finished.

By Katrina L

Oct 15, 2017

The material is interesting, but only a relatively small number of works are considered, and the professor repeats himself and uses filler words a lot that are distracting and slow things down.

By David B

Oct 22, 2020

The course content is interesting and educational.

Unfortunately, as a paid learner I have to rate it low because the course certificate issued shows the top half of the word “University” but cuts off the rest of “University of Tokyo”. Despite raising this with Coursera some time ago, it has not been fixed.

Considering the only point of paying for a course is the verified certificate, the failure to provide that certificate in a suitable form, means there Is no reason to pay for the course.

By Sandra C

Sep 6, 2019

It has expanded my views not only on Japan Visual and Literary Culture but also has open for me a new way of looking at portraits in different cultures and times. Thank you so much

By Vanice C

Jan 10, 2018

Very knowledgeable lecturer with a gentle humble voice. Much was learned about literary portraits from 18th/19th centuries to literary photographs in the early 20th century.

By Zongpu L

Jul 10, 2019

The course is very interesting. It not only introduces the traditional Japanese art with its comments but also talks about the photos and postcards.

By Amita K

Apr 15, 2019

Exceptional material and a great lecturer!!

By Philippe S

May 19, 2019

Interesting and unexpected

By Gene

May 7, 2020

This course is very useful for the one who interested in Japan's arts history and want to decipher the arts. I don't have basic information about this period of Japan, so it's very helpful. But I don't think it useful in my life. I just feel like the professor has something in his mind and not tell us and sometimes he can't explain all the things he want to explain into words. And I think he focus only on how men see women, and I think that's unfair, I also want to know how women see men, too. But I understand that maybe in that period, women is just men's.

By Jorjée W

Dec 3, 2017

It is a great course for those who seek to deepen their understanding of the Japanese Art History and its relation to social, political and overall cultural environment of the given period, as well as retrospective view of these periods. Analyses of concrete examples give definite insight into not only the image, written words and background of this image, but also the methodology, or tools with which this kind of analysis is possible. On top of that, I also would like to note a great attention to peculiar cultural elements, such as transformation of haiku or so-called pleasure districts, to name a few, which I find rather interesting.

But beware, it's not a "monographic" type of work which will expose you to the complete set of all aspects of the knowledge, and neither this course will make you a specialist in this field, but nontheless it's a nice place to start if you have an interest in visual and/or literary culture of Japan in pre-modern and early modern times.

All in all, I may fairly satisfied with this course and would recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.

By Dominique P

Oct 9, 2020

Very interesting where I finished the whole course 2 weeks before the due date because I really enjoyed it. I have been a Japan fanatic since middle school so this course is really my cup of tea

By ZHOU G

May 6, 2019

Thank you Professor Robert. I enjoyed this course a lot. I came with the expectation of learning more about japanese culture, history and art. This expected is partly met. Yet, I feel like this course is too short and lack of depth. In addition, perhaps it can stress and introduce more about how those pieces of paintings and poems had impacted the contemporary society of Japan so as to contextualize and signify those arts. Anyway, thanks for the course.

By Tong J

Jul 15, 2019

Great subject and helped solving the modern Japanese esthetic puzzles. But I think Robert Campbell is not well-prepared in this course as a narrator. If could just use half of the "emm" in the lecture, the videos will sorter for sure, but still watching him talking about something he loves is extremely fascinating.

By Caelyn M

Apr 15, 2018

Very interesting material; but the course was too short. I wish it could have provided more background material and explored more examples.

By Ana S T P

Dec 9, 2017

Since I like Japanese Literature a lot, I found this course very interesting. I've seen so many pieces of Japanese art with the inscriptions, I imagined the words and the image were related but I had not idea how much related they were. I wish I could learn more about Japanese art and literature. This course was a nice opening!

By Myrna S

Feb 19, 2023

Gracias, conocí algo totalmente nuevo para mí, el uso literario de las imágenes en Japón en el siglo XIX y principios del siglo XX. También la manera artística de representación de las personas, hombres y mujeres, muy diferente a la estética de Occidente de ese momento. Muy buen instructor, gracias.

By Olga B

Aug 16, 2021

For me this course has been a first approximation to Japanese culture. I´m glad to be able to recognize the concepts learned here when encountering them, which happens surprisingly often!

By Yashmine P M

Nov 30, 2020

It was really fun to learn about the history of such art pieces as well as the notable people behind its creation and influence. Mr. Campbell discussed everything clearly as expected.

By Rinku P

Jul 5, 2020

The course took us through the evolution of the visual imagery in Japan right from sketches to paintings commissioned by people of status to arrival of photography. And how the various visual practices were accompanied by texts. Interestingly this helped Japan to develop a unique tradition in terms of visual practice. Not merely details of the image but evoking a relationship and meaning of the narrative to the image. I truly enjoyed engaging with the course and helps put into perspective Japanese finesse in the world of animation including Manga.

By Renee N

Apr 7, 2018

Very suitable as my first online course. The content was very interesting and taught me a new way to appreciate and learn from different pieces of art. Assignments were generally very light and could be completed very quickly. However, some parts of the lecture can be slightly hard to comprehend at first. I find myself reading through the transcripts (they're really helpful!) again sometimes just to try and let the content sink in further. Anyone interested in art/history/culture and how they intersect should definitely check this out!!

By Jesús F P H

Jan 28, 2020

Very good lecturer. Interesting.

As someone who has studied art before (and is acquainted with Japanese art, specially from the Edo period), the course doesn't evolve much; revolving all around the same thesis. However, the examples tackled are beautiful and greatly represent the popular Japanese art-culture of the time. Very satisfied, although I would've liked something new thrown into the table around the last module. Recommended.

By Father A

Nov 7, 2018

Good synopsis of the subject, accompanied by enough historical background information to understand the images and their captions. I only wish it would also provide a bit more philosophical and religious background.

By Michael K

May 2, 2021

Robert Cambell is clearly knowledgeable and very motivated to share his knowledge to others. Sometimes he deviates from his main topic and that makes it difficult to keep track of his main point.

By Giulia M

Sep 18, 2017

I found this course really interesting, but way too easy for people who appreciate, know and study Japanese history, art and literature.