Rakugo and Humor: The Art of Storytelling

Course Description

Summary

Rakugo is one of Japan's traditional art forms and a storytelling entertainment that became extremely popular during the Edo period (1603-1868). Rakugo is a unique storytelling performance because a storyteller sits on a seat called “kooza" on stage and tells humorous stories without standing up. Additionally, the storytellers narrate and play various characters by changing their voice, pitch, tone, facial expressions, and physical movements. 

In this intermediate-level Japanese course, students will 1) research the history and key elements of rakugo, 2) examine several rakugo scripts to learn new grammar points and kanji characters, and 3) analyze how speech patterns vary based on age, social status, gender, occasions, and situations. They will also explore cultural aspects reflected in the rakugo scripts. As part of the course, students will practice rakugo performances and write their own scripts to perform. Intermediate level. Conducted in Japanese.