Japan has borrowed much from its continental neighbor, China: a writing system, ideas of government, religion and aspects of culture. The importation of Chinese exemplars and the strong sense of cultural indebtedness have been balanced by a belief in the modern period that China was somehow inferior, or had lost its claim to civilizational greatness. Japan's contradictory view of China continues to this day. In the post-war era, writers such as Inoue Yasushi, Takeda Taijun and Murakami Haruki have written about the legacy of World War Two and Japan's lingering guilt and concomitant revisionism. I intend to demonstrate, via an examination of these authors, how World War Two, specifically Japan's war-time activities in China and Manchuria, and its aftermath are portrayed in fiction.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-02, Section: A, page: 0863. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

The major purpose of this study was to identify the metaphorical language used in the Thai eleventh and twelfth grade literature textbooks. A secondary purpose was to compare Thai and English metaphors. / The sample was composed of two standard Thai eleventh and twelfth grade literature textbooks published and prescribed by The Thai Ministry of Education. / The following procedures were followed: (1) the Thai tropes used in the selected Thai literature textbooks were identified, (2) the tropes were classified by topic, (3) English translations were made, (4) the trope types were ranked according to their relative frequency, (5) comparisons were made of selected Thai and English metaphors. / The conclusions of this study were: (1) There are 85 topics of Thai tropes used in the eleventh and twelfth grade literature textbooks. The topics range from "Age" to "Words." There are two main divisions of the sources of the Thai tropes: tropes drawn from nature, and those drawn from human life. (2) Twelve types of tropes occur in the textbooks. The most frequently occurring tropes are hyperbole (20.00%), allusion (17.52%), and abstractionistic (12.37%). They represent 49.89% of the total metaphors found. The other types of tropes in rank order are: humanistic (9.66%), inanimate (9.00%), animal (8.37%), metonymy (8.11%), sense (6.44%), personification (4.51%), synecdoche (2.83%), animistic (1.15%), and litotes (.13%). (3) The most frequently occurring tropes representing 69.6% of the total number are derived from "Kings-Royalty" (37.6%), "Beauty-Endearment-Preciousness (21.2%), and "Longing-Passion-Rage" (10.8%). (4) Comparisons of the Thai and English metaphors revealed striking similarities in the descriptions of "Emotions." Other similarities occurred in "Endearment and Preciousness" and "Melancholy." Many differences between the Thai and English figurative language are accounted for by religion, mythology and politics. Therefore, most Thai tropes that were categorized under "Buddhism", "Hindu Mythology" and "Kings-Royalty" were not comparable to English metaphors. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-08, Section: A, page: 2672. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study provides the first complete translation into a Western language of a fairly unknown but yet important Chinese work, titled the Zhong tianzhu shewei guo qiyuan si tujing (Illustrated Scripture of Jetavana Monastery in the Sravasti Kingdom in Central India), which describes Jetavana Monastery through textual and diagrammatic representations. To understand better the background of the text, I first discussed the life and times of its author Daoxuan (596-667 C.E.), an important figure in the history of Chinese Buddhism particularly in relation to the formation of Chinese Buddhist monasticism. I also explored the scriptural and historical records which might have served as sources for Daoxuan's own portrayal for the history and myth of the Jetavana Monastery. Finally, I offered a synoptic analysis of the text itself. The significance of Daoxuan's representation of Jetavana lies precisely in its function as a blueprint of a utopian Buddhist monastery for the early Tang Buddhists rather than as a faithful reconstruction of the historical site in India. The spatial complex and architectural design of the monastery visibly appropriates the symmetrical structure of the Chang'an City. The monastic compound is spatially organized into specialized cloisters and halls for the Buddha, the various ranks of Buddhist saints, the immortals and heavenly beings, the different commoners and laity who are visiting or living in the monastery. The text interfuses fact and fantasy, historical reality and religious vision; its description of extraordinary artifacts, divine creatures, and plants certainly mirror the Buddhist paradisal representations in texts and art. It is equally important to realize that such imagery is also derived in part from the exotic products, cultural curiosities, fantastical creatures imported from foreign lands that pervaded the markets of the cosmopolitan Chang'an in the Tang. Further investigation in my study of Daoxuan's portrayal of Jetavana suggests that the influence of this text is not only found in the Chinese monastic setting and Dunhuang cave art in the later periods, but its impact is also visible in Japanese Buddhism.

The mid-T'ang literary arena is dominated by two influential figures; Han Yu and Po Chu-i and by the schools that formed around their poetry. These two prominent schools have developed very different poetic styles. Chang Chi is a major poet of the time who associates with both groups, yet he manages to retain his own uniqueness. Chang's poetic works include many yueh-fu titles with realistic themes, which display his profound thoughts and his elegant, crystalline style. He is particularly good at expressing intimate human concerns. By employing a simple yet refined poetic language, he has made clear and objective sketches of the hardships of common people's lives in the early ninth century. He has also left lucid and beautiful poems written in the "recent style," in which natural phenomena are strongly correlated with human feelings. My approach to Chang Chi's poetry is both historical and thematic. In studying the topoi of Chang's poetry, I first investigate the source and history of each theme and then compare Chang's works with his predecessors'. Chapter 1 provides a biographical study of Chang Chi's life, using available biographical and literary sources. In addition, I discuss the editions of Chang Chi's poetry collection. Chapter 2 deals with some of Chang Chi's major thematic concerns as reflected mainly in his yueh-fu poetry, such as social injustice brought on by incessant wars and repressive taxation. Chapter 3 analyzes Chang Chi's satires on Taoist religion, and poems on the carpe diem theme, as well as allegories and fables. Chapter 4 examines Chang's "frontier poetry" by tracing the origins of the "expedition and guard" theme. Chapter 5 explores the images of women in Chang's verse within the so-called "palace plaint" and "boudoir plaint" traditions. Finally, Chapter 6 offers a review of the critical reception of Chang's poetry throughout Chinese history, together with my own evaluation.

This thesis addresses a chapter titled Lienü zhuan, or Arrayed Traditions of Women from Fan Ye's (398-446) Hou Han shu, or Book of Later Han as starting point to challenge the prevailing image of early Chinese women as helpless victims of an oppressive Confucian society. The women represented therein behave as purposeful, active participants in the creation of Eastern Han social mores. Most remarkably, they can be interpreted as agents defining their social roles as wives and daughters. Chapter One focuses on the historiography of the Hou Han shu, generally, and the Lienü zhuan, in particular, and formulates some hypotheses about the extent of Fan Ye's own creative input in the process of compiling his Lienü zhuan. Chapter Two investigates previous scholarship on the genre of biographies of women and proposes a theoretical model for reading the biographies of women found in Hou Han shu based on notions of ritual discussed by Catherine Bell and by the collaboration between Seligman, Weller, Puett, and Simon. In order to gain further insight into the women represented in the text, Chapter Three analyzes the social, economic, and literary background of the seventeen women included in the text. These findings on the commonalities and differences in marital status, economic situation, political influence, literacy, and education are put to use in Chapter Four, which applies the ideas on ritualization to the social roles the women in Fan Ye's text perform as wives and daughters. The thesis ends with a partial translation of the Hou Han shu lienü zhuan chapter into English. / Cette thèse traite d'un chapitre intitulé Lienü zhuan, ou Traditions arranges des femmes, du livre de Fan Ye (398-446) Hou Han shu, ou le Livre de Han postérieur, comme point de départ utile pour défier l'image dominante des femmes de la Chine antique où elles sont perçues comme des victimes impuissantes d'une société confucéenne oppressive. Les femmes dépeintes dans ce texte adoptent une attitude déterminée, participant pleinement à la création des codes sociaux de la dynastie Han orientale. Fait remarquable, ces femmes définissent elles-mêmes leur rôle social en tant qu'épouses et filles. Le premier chapitre met l'emphase sur l'historiographie des Hou Han shu, en général, et le Lienü zhuan, en particulier. Il s'agit aussi d'émettre des hypothèses sur la démarche créative de Fan Ye dans sa compilation de biographies des femmes. Le deuxième chapitre s'attarde sur les études existantes concernant les biographies de femmes et suggère une approche théorique dans la lecture de ce genre littéraire dans Hou Han shu basée sur les notions de la ritualisation tel que discutées par Catherine Bell et par la collaboration de Seligman, Weller, Puett, et Simon. Le troisième chapitre analyse en profondeur le fond social, économique et littéraire des 17 femmes décrites dans le texte. Le quatrième chapitre met en évidence les différences et les similitudes entre le statut marital, la situation économique, l'influence politique, l'instruction aussi bien que l'éducation. Dans ce chapitre, on retrouve aussi les notions de rituel du rôle social des femmes en tant qu'épouses et filles. La thèse se termine par une traduction partielle en anglais du chapitre Hou Han shu lienü zhuan.

The Tiananmen Incident in 1989 triggered the process during which Chinese society evolved from so-called "high modernism" to vague "postmodernism". The purpose of this thesis is to examine and evaluate the gender representation in Chinese male intellectuals' writing when they face the aforementioned social evolution. The exemplary writer from the band of Chinese male intellectuals I have chosen is Yu Hua, one of the most important and successful novelists in China today. Coincidently, his writing career, spanning from the mid-1980s until present, parallels the Chinese intellectuals' pursuit of modernism and their acceptance of postmodernism. In my thesis, I re-visit four of his works in different eras, including One Kind of Reality (1988), Classical Love (1988), To Live (1992), and Brothers (2005), to explore the social, psychological, and aesthetical elements that formulate/reformulate male identity, male power and male/female relation in his fictional world. Inspired by those fictional male characters who are violent, anxious or even effeminized in his novels, one can perceive male intellectuals' complex feelings towards current Chinese society and culture. It is believed that this study will contribute to the literary and cultural investigation of the third-world intellectuals. / Les événements de la Place Tiananmen en 1989 a déclenché le processus durant lequel la société chinoise a évolué d'un soi-disant "haut modernisme" vers un vague "post-modernisme". Le but de cette thèse est d'examiner et d'évaluer la représentation des sexes dans l'écriture des intellectuels chinois mâles quand ils font face à l'évolution sociale mentionnée ci-dessus. L'auteur qui exemplifie bien le groupe d'intellectuels masculins chinois que j'ai choisi est Yu Hua, un des romanciers les plus importants et prolifiques de la Chine d'aujourd'hui. Bonne coïncidence, sa carrière d'écrivain qui couvre la période commençant au milieu des années 1980 jusqu'à maintenant, trace des parallèles entre la poursuite du modernisme des intellectuels chinois et leur acceptation de post-modernisme. Dans ma thèse, je revisite quatre de ses travaux dans des périodes différentes, y compris One Kind of Reality (1988), Classical Love (1988), To Live (1992) et Brothers (2005). Le but est d'explorer l'aspect social, les éléments psychologiques et esthétiques qui formulent/reformulent l'identité masculine, le pouvoir masculin et la relation homme/femme dans son monde fictif. Inspiré par ces personnages masculins fictifs qui sont violents, anxieux ou même effeminés dans ses romans, on peut percevoir les sentiments complexes des intellectuels masculins envers la société et la culture chinoise actuelle. Je crois que cette étude contribuera à l'enquête sur la littérature et la culture des intellectuels des pays du Tiers-Monde.

In Bungakuron (Principles of Literature), Natsume Sōseki applies concepts of evolution to dynamics in literature, consciousness, and society. Although he posits that transformations occur in literature and literary movements in a largely contingent and non-teleological manner, he also suggests that development and progress occur in these domains in the direction of ever-increasing differentiation and complexity. In response to the alienating effects of such differentiation and individualization over the course of modernization, he explores the potential for other relations to arise. Such potentiality is largely conceived in terms of affective processes, including forms of "pure experience." This thesis explores Sōseki's theory and works of literature including Wagahai wa neko de aru (I am a Cat), Koto no sorane (Hearing Things), Shumi no iden (The Heredity of Taste), and Kusamakura (Grass Pillow), considering ethical questions raised in the context of themes of war, trauma, and the relation between subjects and the nation-state. / Dans Bungakuron (Principes de littérature) de Natsume Sōseki, il s'agit d'une dilatation des concepts d'évolution aux domaines de la littérature, de la conscience et de la société. Bien que Sōseki souligne que certaines transformations prennent place dans les domaines de la littérature et des mouvements littéraires de façon largement contingente et non-téléologique, il suggère également que le développement et le progrès effectués dans ces domaines sont orientés vers une différentiation et une complexification grandissantes. En réponse aux effets aliénants de la différentiation et de l'individualisation qui accompagnent la modernisation, il explore les possibilités pour que d'autres types de relation émergent. Ce potentiel est largement exploré en termes de processus affectifs, incluant des formes d'expériences pures. Ce mémoire amorce une série d'analyses des théories et des travaux littéraires de Sōseki incluant Wagahai wa neko de aru (Je suis un chat), Koto no sorane (Entendre des choses), Shumi no iden (L'hérédité du goût) et Kusamakura (Oreiller d'herbe) en considérant les questions éthiques soulevées dans le traitement des thèmes de la guerre, du traumatisme et du rapport entre sujets et l'état-nation.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4336. Adviser: Jed Esty. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-228) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This dissertation argues that Du Fu’s (712-770) ascent to the pinnacle of the Chinese literary pantheon was bound up with a revolution in the ways poetry was understood to be a serious endeavor. In Du Fu’s time, poetry had been valued for sustaining a time-transcending ritual institution descended from the ancient sages. Those later critics who placed Du Fu at the center of the poetic canon, by contrast, have generally located the his verse’s “serious” value in its embodiment of admirably accurate and appropriately felt perceptions of the precise historical circumstances that occasioned its composition. Although these latter critics have often claimed great antiquity for this latter vision of poetry’s moral significance, I argue that it was not an intellectual possibility in the Tang, and that it only came to be broadly persuasive when Du Fu’s collection was extensively remade through the addition of commentarial and contextualizing paratexts that were previously unprecedented within the Chinese critical tradition. Placed back into its original intellectual and material context, then, Du Fu’s poetry reads very differently than it has to post-medieval critics. It was, however, no coincidence that Du Fu was chosen as the center of this radical reinvention of the Chinese poetic tradition. It is possible to trace in the poet’s early collection a process of divergence from the norms of his time, leading ultimately to the creation of a new poetic language that does in fact raise many of the questions that Du Fu’s most influential critics have sought to answer. Yet this new poetic language never fully delivers the reassuring claim that these later critics have seen in his collection: that the good man will always be able to understand and movingly convey the moral truth of his experience. Instead of demonstrating the poet’s apprehension of such natural and given truth, Du Fu’s mature verse dramatizes itself as within the process of seeking for sense, a process that it leaves always open and unfinished. / East Asian Languages and Civilizations