Ars Vivendi and literature

It is not difficult to find themes related to injured and damaged lives in literary works. In the 2010 academic year, several graduate students of the Global COE Program Ars Vivendi launched a scientific enquiry on the theme labeling the object of research the “awkward body”. The forth issue of “Ars Vivendi” was a special issue on the theme, and two prepublication papers were published in the fifth issue of the same magazine. Up to now, contributors have all been mainly literary researchers, but a number of members are graduate students engaged in research in other areas who became interested in literature as a side subject. People of diverse backgrounds have thus conducted interdisciplinary research in the study group, sharing the common point of literary works being the object of inquiry.
This group has a two-year track record and is submitting its application this time with a view to promote the initiative further. By inviting Professor Narumi Nakagawa of the Graduate School of Letters, we intend to accentuate the aspect of guidance offered to the graduate students participating in the meetings, at the same time ensuring that it is the graduate students who shall spearhead the research.