This dissertation interrogates and explores the formation of literary modernity in Japan in the 1880s–1910s, a process fundamentally underpinned by translation and often attributed to the novelist and Russian–Japanese translator Futabatei Shimei (c. 1862/1864–1909), who has been acclaimed as one of the progenitors of modern Japanese literary language, modern Japanese literature, and modern literary translation in Japan. Drawing extensively on Russian texts, I revise the view of the literary modernization process by situating Futabatei’s translation practice in its historical context and reconstructing the reception and reading of his translations, showing what was at stake in both Russian and Japanese. I select two converging approaches to this end. First, I analyze the process of forming through translation and its evaluation the foundational concepts that define the contours of modern Japanese literature: the question of what is considered artistic, creative, Western, Japanese, foreign, local, real, and modern. Second, I examine how language reform, in particular the standardization of the Japanese language, led to the formation of a new literary language that continues to frame the way we interface with language in the present. While these two aspects—the evaluative concepts of modern Japanese literature and the language norms that underlie the modern Japanese language today—tend to be perceived linearly and teleologically and are often reduced to the development of the nationalization of Japan and its language, my analysis reveals that these two processes, fundamentally forged through translation practice, entailed extensive experimentations with language varieties in the midst of the changing linguistic sensibilities and evolving discursive imaginaries of the West, Russia, and Japan. The work of Futabatei, who engaged with the formative process of not only modern Japanese literature but of modern Russian literature, serves as a unique prism through which to view the formative process of modern literature, modern literary language, and modern literary translation—all of which emerged out of linguistic competition, experimentation, and hybridity. Chapter 1 examines the emergence of the concepts of artistic-literary creation and production in Japanese translations from the mid-1880s to the early 1890s. Drawing on the formation of modern Russian literature, I analyze Futabatei’s translation of texts written by Russian critics in the 1820s–1840s, the time of the formation of the concept of modern literature in Russian discourse. In doing so, I show how Futabatei’s translation practice transforms concepts of artistic production through translation. The chapter also introduces the issues of translatability and the linguistic specificity of aesthetic concepts. The transformations introduced into Russian texts by Futabatei posed fundamental questions about the concept of artistic creation and production itself, which foreshadowed long-lasting debates on artistic production in subsequent years. Chapter 2 focuses on the translations of Ivan Turgenev’s works, written around the 1850s, and examines how conceptualizations of Westernness and Western literature evolved in the period following the Sino–Japanese War (1894–1895). Impassioned calls for the standardization of literary language and the translation of Western literature into Japanese to create a “national literature” (kokumin bungaku) as well as the revision of the unequal treaties between Japan and major powers—including Russia, which was generally perceived as Western—led to the reconsideration and reimagining of what constitutes Westernness in literary translation. I show that the generalized sense of Westernness in literature at this time was intertwined with the competition among various writing styles and increased interest in the Edo or Tōkyō language, which was itself undergoing reconceptualization. I also argue that dialogue in novels represents a unique and important locus within which ideas about Westernized socialization and language standardization encountered each other generatively. Chapter 3 considers Futabatei’s translations at the turn of the twentieth century—some with source texts that I have newly uncovered—which have hitherto been largely understudied. My analysis focuses on translations of texts originally written by lesser-known writers in the 1890s, such as “Parent’s Heart” (originally written by Fritz Marti) and “Commune of Four” (originally written by Ignaty Potapenko). The differentiation between the concepts of “standard language” (hyōjungo) and “dialects” (hōgen), alongside the burgeoning attention paid to the representation of local languages in literature, led to a number of literary experiments that incorporated local elements and in the process constructed a new literary language as Futabatei did with countryside and regionally associated language. By analyzing the shifting evaluations of his translations in this period, I illustrate how the standardization process and the introduction of the local intervened in the shifting perspective of how foreignness should be conveyed in translation, with particular emphasis on how the awareness of the construction of literary language varieties is foregrounded, problematized, and obscured at different times with the emergence and development of the concept of dialect. Chapter 4 turns to texts from the post-Russo–Japanese War (1904–1905) period, specifically those pieces of literature related to war and madness—two major themes through which the relationship between “Western” literature, its translation, and the real came into question. By analyzing Futabatei’s translations of such stories, I argue that the establishment of views of language varieties in this period led to different ideas about the representation of Japanization in translation. I then illustrate the changing positionality of Russia and Japan in this period and the way that the representation of madness in literary texts complicated the sense of reality therein. I also explore how the emergence and prevalence of the concept of the “modern” was linked with the use of language varieties in translations. The integration of the overarching concept of the modern into literature and the existence of language varieties associated with specific social strata and localities tend to be considered unrelated or even mutually exclusive phenomena. However, I demonstrate that the concept of the modern was instead integrated into Japanese literary discourse by means of such language varieties. Ultimately, by reconstructing Futabatei’s translation practice and its reception and placing them back into their fluid historical contexts, my analysis reveals the fluctuations in collective linguistic sensibilities and the engravement into Japanese literary discourse of foundational conceptions, such as the artistic and the creative, the Western, the foreign and the modern, thus providing a new history of the formation of modern Japanese literature.

This dissertation examines a cluster of texts centered on Hizakurige 膝栗毛, or Shank’s Mare, by Jippensha Ikku 十返舎一九 (1765-1831), the first eight installments of which were published annually between 1802 and 1809 in the city of Edo, now Tokyo. The series follows its ruffian protagonists Yajirobē 弥次郎兵衛 and Kitahachi 喜多八 on a picaresque journey, as they make their way down the Tōkaidō highway 東海道 (literally, “Eastern Seaboard Road”) on a largely spurious pilgrimage to the Grand Shrine at Ise. Hizakurige rapidly established Ikku as a major figure in the world of gesaku 戯作 (roughly, “vernacular popular writing”) at the turn of the 19th century, and remains one of the most famous, enduringly-popular pieces of gesaku ever written, known at least in passing to most people in contemporary Japan. Despite this, there has been no dissertation-length study of Hizakurige written in English until now. Accordingly, I investigate the roots of its immense popularity by examining the nuanced layers of laughter and enjoyment—or warai 笑い—that Yaji and Kita’s stories have brought to the readers of Hizakurige over the last two centuries. To do so, I explore a variety of sources, media, and genres that Jippensha Ikku drew upon to build the multifaceted and dynamic world of Hizakurige-related texts—or Hizakurigemono 膝栗毛物—with the groundbreaking first eight installments serving as the unifying nadir for my inquiries. I start with an in-depth introduction to Ikku’s life and his works, detailing his experiences as a writer, illustrator, playwright, poet, traveler, and, eventually, as a person with physical disabilities, which reveal much about the tone, style, and contents of Hizakurige. I examine scholarship on Ikku’s work has to date, and propose frameworks centered on the intertwined structural and compositional concepts of sekai 世界 (literally, “world”) and shukō 趣向 (roughly, “innovation”) in gesaku as conceptualized by Nakamura Yukihiko 中村幸彦 (1911-1998). The second chapter revolves around the role played by kyōka 狂歌 (comic poetry) in Ikku’s development as a creator of gesaku. Centered on two compilations of kyōka edited and illustrated by Ikku—Ikyoku suzukuregusa 夷曲十廻松 (Rustic Rhymes: Rustling in the Pines, 1799) and Ikyoku azuma nikki 夷曲東日記 (Rustic Rhymes: A Diary of Eastern Times, 1800)—the chapter makes use of a framework that hinges on shukō to analyze the structural and poetic techniques that kyōka poets had at their disposal to create meaning, develop narratives, and, ultimately, instill their poetry with wit and amusement. I take up the topic of Nansō kikō tabisuzuri 南総紀行旅眼石 (Travels to Nansō with a Glittering Ink-stone: The Gem-sights of the Journey, 1802) in the third chapter. Although it is an illustrated, kyōka-centric, two-protagonist travelogue written by Ikku in the same year as the first installment of Hizakurige, Tabisuzuri appears to have been a total flop. To discover why this might be, I examine the bibliographic and biographical context in which Tabisuzuri came to be written, explore how the poetically dense paratextual apparatus of its various prefaces function, and analyze a series of linked scenes from the main body of Tabisuzuri that are the direct progenitors for two of Hizakurige’s most infamous episodes. In the fourth chapter, I consider Hizakurige in the context of travel writing, beginning with the prefatory matter of Hizakurige, then discussing the influence of two groups of travel texts upon the development of Hizakurige: first, Chikusai 竹斎 (1621), by Toyama Dōya 富山道冶 (date of birth unknown -1634), and Tōkaidō meisho ki 東海道名所記 (Record of Famous Sites of the Tōkaidō, 1659), by Asai Ryōi浅井了意 (c. 1612-1691); and, second, a trio of illustrated guidebooks (Meisho zue 名所図会) written in 1780, 1796, and 1797 by Akisato Ritō 秋里離島 (fl. 1770-1830). In a comparative analysis, I show how the two-person protagonist structure of Hizakurige draws on models frequently seen in travel writing, and investigate how Yaji and Kita’s characterization is enlivened through their depiction both as equals and as lovers. I also investigate how and why Ikku makes increasingly extensive—but decreasingly innovative—use of motifs taken from the illustrations in Ritō’s Meisho zue series. Finally, in the fifth chapter I examine how Hizakurige is deeply influenced by shukō drawn from performative genres—particularly kyōgen—and how Hizakurige is imbued with a kind of “latent performativity” that offers a hybrid mode of engagement with the text that sits at the intersection between “reading” and “performing.” I contend that this latent performativity comes about through the operation of Hizakurige’s shukō, both as individual, discrete shukō that function in the context of a single moment of the text, and as more extended, structural “macro-shukō” that shape broader swaths of the text’s character and have a greater impact upon the development of Hizakurige’s sekai. Accordingly, I investigate how Ikku imitates and innovates upon shukō drawn from two kyōgen plays—Dobukacchiri どぶかっちり (“Kerplunk”) and Kitsunezuka 狐塚 (“Fox Mound”), exploring the key characteristics of these two kyōgen pieces, and carrying out comparative analyses of the relevant scenes in Hizakurige. Over the course of the dissertation, I attempt to offer a variety of answers to one central question: why does Hizakurige matter, and what is its significance for our understanding of the development of gesaku in the late Edo period (1603-1868)? I contend that Hizakurige is important not just because of its immediate success, or its subsequent influence on surrounding textual and dramatic genres, or its enduring popularity, but also because it demonstrates the need for a more fruitful approach for the study of early modern Japanese popular literature: one predicated not just on genre, but on the intertwined interactions of sekai and shukō.

No description available.

No description available.

This report includes my translation of the short story “Tread on a Snake” (Hebi o Fumu) by Kawakami Hiromi, which is presented here as a significant contribution to modern Japanese literature in translation. The story received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1996, although support for it was not unanimous as seen in my translation of the judges’ comments offered here as well. Following the translation of the story itself is an essay that discusses my personal experiences translating the story. I discuss elements that may be unique to the experience of translating Kawakami’s works, but also many that are applicable more broadly to issues of translation that go beyond her works and even Japanese literature as well. Challenges included maintaining the author’s tone and voice, the appropriate use of notes to provide cultural background, and the deliberate use of non-translated terms in a translation. / text

The images of Japanese women in the Japanese contemporary literature (1935-1975) — Short-stories crowned with the Akutagawa Prize Japanese women carry with them the myth to be Japanese. But is it a reality? How were their lives before the Second World War, after it and during the economic growth until 1975? Were they unhappy submitted to this myth? I try to present the contemporary history of Japanese women through a research on the short-stories crowned with the Akutagawa Prize from 1935 to 1975. These short-stories are autobiographic, journalistic or documentary, and they are a true reflection of their time. Also, the female characters give witness of Japanese women’s lives in each period through literature, that is the most active, direct, touching and understandable form for the reader. Thus, I intend to contribute to a larger understanding of the Japanese society and culture. The first chapter is devoted to the period of war between 1935 and 1945. And the second chapter is about the period of rapid economic upturn, starting with the ruins and famine of the post-war years from 1945 to 1955. Indeed, the post-war years end in 1955 in Japan. Then, the third chapter is about the dazzling economic growth between 1955 and 1970. And finally in the fourth chapter, during the period going from 1970 to 1975, most Japanese people think they are now out of misery, being part of the middle class and happy about the situation. In total, I examine 57 short-stories : 18 in the first chapter, 10 in the second chapter, 21 in the third chapter, and 8 in the fourth chapter. Also, there are 112 female characters to analyse in all : 41 in the fist chapter, 18 in the second chapter, 33 in the third chapter and 20 in the fourth chapter. Through the evolution and changes along this period of time, the lives of our heroines change too. First, they are kept under the strict respect of social rules. And during the war, they suffer from poverty and misery. Then, the time comes for the share of tasks between women and men. From then on, women take mostly care of their homes. Besides, let us note that the importance of the education of girls is continuously stressed, even if the main aim is to make them “good wives and good mothers”. Finally, Japanese women’s morale stays intact during the period chosen for our research. A significant change seems to happen thereafter. / Images de femmes dans la littérature japonaise contemporaine (1935-1975) — cas des nouvelles couronnées par le prix Akutagawa Les Japonaises portent en elles le mythe de la Japonaise. Mais est-ce une réalité ? Quelle était leur vie pendant la période de l’avant-guerre, de l’après-guerre et de la croissance économique jusqu’en 1975 ? Étaient-elles malheureuses en étant soumises à ce mythe ? Nous avons tenté de transcrire l’histoire contemporaine des Japonaises à travers une recherche sur les nouvelles couronnées par le prix Akutagawa entre 1935 et 1975. Les œuvres sont autobiographiques, journalistiques ou documentaires, ancrées dans chaque époque et leurs personnages féminins témoignent des vies des Japonaises de leur temps sous forme littéraire, c’est-à-dire la forme la plus active, la plus directe, la plus touchante et la plus compréhensive pour le lecteur. Ainsi contribuons-nous à la compréhension de la société et de la culture japonaises. Le premier chapitre est consacré à la période de la guerre entre 1935 et 1945. Le deuxième chapitre concerne l’époque de la remontée économique rapide, partant des ruines et de la famine de l’après-guerre entre 1945 et 1955. En effet, 1955 marque la fin de l’après-guerre au Japon. Le troisième chapitre porte sur l’époque de la croissance économique fleurissante entre 1955 et 1970. Et le dernier et quatrième chapitre parcourt la période entre 1970 et 1975. C’est la période où quasiment tous les Japonais se croient sortis de la misère, ils se considèrent appartenir à la classe moyenne et ils s’en réjouissent. Quant au nombre de nouvelles, nous analysons en tout cinquante-sept nouvelles : dix-huit œuvres dans le premier chapitre, dix dans le deuxième, vingt-et-une dans le troisième et huit dans le quatrième. Et nous comptons au total cent-douze personnages féminins à étudier, soit quarante-et-un dans le premier chapitre, dix-huit dans le deuxième, trente-trois dans le troisième et vingt dans le quatrième. À travers l'évolution et les bouleversements dans le temps, les vies de nos héroïnes se modifient. D’abord, elles vivent dans la stricte obéissance de la règle sociale. Ensuite, elles tombent dans la pauvreté et la misère à cause de la guerre. Et puis arrive le temps du partage des tâches entre les hommes et les femmes et ces dernières se retirent presque complètement dans leur foyer. Néanmoins, l’éducation des filles est renforcée régulièrement, même si la raison principale est d'en faire de « bonnes épouses et bonnes mères ». Nous remarquons que la morale des Japonaises ne se transforme pas pendant la période concernée par notre recherche. Un changement significatif semble intervenir par la suite.

This study of atomic-bomb literature on Hiroshima will be through a critical lens, largely through postcolonial theory and reader-response criticism. It will be a discussion on the social and political implications behind the popularization of certain works. The discussed texts will not necessarily be written by the Japanese or by survivors of the atomic bomb: in the first case, I will be examining authorial intent and its relation to the intended reader responses from the implied American audience to study perpetuations of propaganda after the war. This paper will also be examining the interlingual translatability of psychological and physical trauma surrounding the atomic bomb and will be exploring the capacities of language to express an emotional and often sensitive topic.

Vít Ulman Reflection of Changes in Japanese-Chinese Cultural Relations in Shōkenkō and Bingashū Anthologies Abstract The main topic of this master thesis is the change in the approach to Chinese culture of Japanese medieval monk-poets as seen through the Bingashu and Shokenko anthologies written by the abbots Sesson Yubai and Zekkai Chushin. This work contains their short biographies. However, the main part of this thesis consists of an analysis of their representative poems.

The thesis is focused on a literary theoretical debate between two outstanding Japanese writers: Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Tanizaki Junichiro. As a reaction to this debate, Akutagawa wrote a literary critical essay Bungeitekina, amarini bungeitekina (Literary, All Too Literary) which contains Akutagawa's considerations on literature and which is analyzed in this thesis. I have also devoted my thesis to other literary theoretical essays written by Akutagawa. The goal of this thesis is to follow the influence of Akutagawa's literary considerations of his works and also to set his work into the wider context of Japanese literature. Hermeneutics is the methodology chosen for this work. To achieve the set-out goal, biographies on Akutagawa and other literary studies focused on Akutagawa were studied.

This thesis is concerned with several novels published in the 1930s by the authors Yoshiya Nobuko and Saijō Yaso. First, I introduce short summaries of the authors' lives and general overview of their work in historical context. In the next part, I present the methodological base which will be used for study and comparison of four novels, originally published serially in the Shōjo Kurabu magazine.