Pictures of the Heart : The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image

Michigan Classics in Japanese Studies No. 26 "A close reading of the Hyakunin isshu is a good way to begin a study of Japanese classical poetry, and Pictures of the Heart is an indispensable introduction to both its philological problems and broader interpretative concerns. Mostow stimulates us to find fresh meaning in the texts and images of a venerable anthology whose very familiarity is the greatest obstacle to full appreciation." --John T. Carpenter, Monumenta Nipponica "Pictures of the Heart is a rigorous and engaging study of an extremely important Japanese text. It is filled with information and shows a real appreciation for the often unarticulated assumptions that lay behind certain understandings--both Japanese and Western--concerning meaning and significance in a work of literature. The study breaks still further ground by articulating, and in the most persuasive fashion, issues relating to text and image that are central to the Japanese arts in virtually all periods. Professor Mostow has written a book that should interest not only specialists in the fields of Japanese literature and fine arts, but virtually anyone who enjoys reading poetry in an active and thoughtful fashion." --J. Thomas Rimer, University of Pittsburgh "Joshua Mostow's book is a truly impressive study and would make a valuable addition to any Japanologist's library." --Rein Raud, Journal of Japanese Studies "This book provides, for the first time in English, the kind of information that allows an accurate appreciation of the meanings and quality of Japanese poems. . . . Mostow's reception-oriented approach in this poem-by-poem discussion inspires an excellent essay on the history of English translations of this collection." -- Choice "Joshua Mostow offers a brilliant and multifaceted exploration of Japanese poetics through translations, commentaries, and both literary and visual readings of the most influential of all poem anthologies. This book penetrates to the heart of traditional Japanese aesthetics." --Stephen Addiss, University of Richmond