>From the masks of the noh theater to science fiction fantasies of plastic surgery, this course examines the device of the mask in modern Japanese fiction and films, as well as some of their premodern antecedents. The fictional masks we will look at range from the traditional to the technological, from the actual to the metaphorical, from the physical to the purely psychological. But all of them are used by the authors to explore the nature of identity, and the significance of concealing or revealing the self, either in fiction or face to face. All texts are translated or subtitled in English. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: two short papers, a midterm exam, and a final exam. No prerequisites. No enrollment limit (expected: 15). Preference given to Japanese, Asian Studies, and Comparative Literature majors.