EA 120 Japanese Theater Assignment 2: Kyogen as Parody

First, read General Points About Papers. Make sure you follow the directions for formating, footnoting, etc., including providing a title page with names of the plays you are comparing. Remember to italicize or underline titles of plays!. FOR THIS PAPER, you can cite lines from the plays by simply giving the title and page number (eg. Thunderbolt, p. 62, or Sumidagawa, p. 255).

Assignment 2: Following the lead of Carolyn Hayne’s article on parody in Kyôgen, choose one of the Kyôgen plays listed below and discuss how it parodies the Noh. Consider as much of the following as you can: the plot structure; role reversal; allusions to poetry/Noh; word play/poetic techniques; dance and movement; costume/masks/props; use of music/song. (Not all of these aspects will be important for every play.) Make sure you don't simply compare and contrast the Noh and Kyôgen plays you write about, but rather focus on the parodic aspects of the Kyôgen (such as paradigmatic and syntagmatic types of parody), in the manner of Carolyn Haynes. In your discussion you should support your argument with concrete examples (quotations!!) from the plays. Minimum 2-3 pages, double-spaced. Suggested comparisons are given below:

Thunderbolt (Kaminari) [TJT, 61-67] and Kamo [TJT, 44-60]

Tsuen or The Cicada (Semi) [TJT, 284-91] and warrior noh such as Atsumori [TJT 126-42], Yashima or Yorimasa (note, every other page is in Japanese)

Fukuro Yamabushi (Owls) or Kusabira [TJT 245-254] and exorcism plays such as Adachigahara [English/Japanese] or Dojoji [TJT 193-206]

Setsubun (A Demon in Love) or Kanaoka [TJT, 276-83] and obsessed-woman plays such as Izutsu [TJT 143-157], Sumidagawa [JND, 254-63], Hanjo (Lady Han) [JND, 108-19], or Miidera [TJT, 158-178] [Note that Setsubun also has elements of exorcism plays, since it involves a demon]