Japanese Books: Exploring Manuscripts to Print

Melissa McCormick is a Professor of Japanese Art and Culture at Harvard University, specializing in the relationship between art and literature, as well as forms of visual storytelling in Japan. She earned her BA from the University of Michigan in 1990 and her PhD in Japanese Art History from Princeton University in 2000. Before joining Harvard in 2005, she served as the Atsumi Assistant Professor of Japanese Art at Columbia University. Her influential works include "Tosa Mitsunobu and the Small Scroll in Medieval Japan," which explores the emergence of a new picto-literary genre, and "The Tale of Genji: A Visual Companion," which provides a comprehensive visual analysis of this classic text. McCormick's research has focused on reconstructing the interpretive communities of female readers and artists in late medieval Japan, emphasizing alternative spaces for creative expression. In addition to her scholarly publications, she has curated exhibitions such as "The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Through her teaching and research, she continues to advance the understanding of Japanese art and its cultural significance across different historical contexts.