The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania - 2025 Japan Lecture Series - What We (Don’t) Talk About When We Talk About Literature: The Visual Representation of Language and Why It Matters In Japanese

The three character sets used in Japanese - hiragana, katakana, and kanji - allow authors to create a dynamic visual representation of language, adding a unique layer to the reading experience. Poetry, advertising, and representations of dialect or internal dialog are just some of the areas where this creativity is expressed. Dr. Lowy will illuminate this aspect of Japanese literature that may be underappreciated by readers. Chris Lowy is an Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his PhD in modern Japanese literature from the University of Washington in 2021. He teaches courses on contemporary Japanese