Thesis (doctoral)--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, 202. / Includes bibliographical references.

Rozprawa habilitacyjna--Uniwersytet Warszawski. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-231) and index.

Rozprawa habilitacyjna--Uniwersytet Warszawski. / Includes index. Bibliography: p. [227]-231.

Thesis (B.A.)--Bi-College (Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges) Dept. of East Asian Studies, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis deals with the storytelling art of Tanizaki Jun'ichirō. An esthete par excellence, this prolific writer produced for over half a century a string of works that are essentially dedicated to the glorification of art and beauty. This glorification in turn enhances the quality of life which, also in the author's view, is both a dream and a game. Art and beauty, dreams and games are virtually the building blocks of Tanizaki's fictional universe in which illusion and reality are meant to be complementary rather than opposing forces that govern human existence. Transplanting this fabulous world into the reader's heart is the result of Tanizaki's special skill in storytelling. An analysis of his four major works will hopefully bring this skill into full view. Chapter One examines Tanizaki's early short story "Shisei" that marks his brilliant debut. Though marred by technical flaws, "Shisei" succeeds remarkably in luring the reader into a fairy-tale atmosphere where art and beauty are the only raison d'être. A sensuous style characterizes this lively tale and between the lines flows a life force that will become Tanizaki's trademark. The theme of art and beauty is brought to a climax in "Shunkinshō" which is analysed in Chapter Two. The simple perspective of "Shisei" is now abandoned, giving way to a maze of multiple viewpoints that are there for the single purpose of hypnotizing the reader. The ultimate goal is to make the reader share the passion and devotion of an artist in the pursuit of the Ideal. The monogatari style is a feature of this novella and helps generate the ambiguity needed for the narrative. Chapter Three deals with "Yume no ukihashi," a tale of dream and sensuality. Man's ambition to create and perpetuate dreams is given full treatment in this story in which illusions are the name of the game. Incest is also a thorny issue but Tanizaki seems to consciously skirt the problem with various devices. Fùten rōjin nikki, Tanizaki's crowning novel, is the subject of Chapter Four. Everything that the author stands for in his writing is now brought into focus. Using the casual form of a diary, art motifs and erotic scenes are placed at well-calculated points so that structural balance is maintained throughout the story. A game-playing spirit and the overwhelming life force which starts with "Shisei" embody this last tour-de-force that proudly consolidates the author's fame. This thesis, through the four works that are examined, can be considered an attempt to shed some light on the question of why and how Tanizaki fascinates the reader. / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

This thesis traces the growth of Tanizaki Jun'ichiro as a narrative artist through the three stages of his long career. A number of representative works are studied, with varying emphasis on narrative perspective, structure, character creation, and style, depending on the prominence.of these aspects of fiction in each work. Underlying the individual analyses is the basic question: how does the author resolve the problem of rendering himself in his fiction? Chapter I, covering the initial period (1910-1928), first deals with a split in the author's sensibility. The emerging storyteller is most successful as an anti-realist, in a small number of stories with idealized, remote settings, such as "Shisei." In contrast, he fails when seeking to represent himself and his immediate environment in the shi-shosetsu. Near the end of this period, with Chijin no ai , Tanizaki begins to reconcile his need for illusion with the rendering of mundane experience. Tanizaki's technical skills are in germ in this period. The author often demonstrates an ability to build firm structures, and to forge an elaborate style. He also establishes a conception of characters as powerful psychic forces, not as pedestrian, "realistic" creations. Chapter II shows the fully mature artist, in his second period (1928-1950), which contains most of his major achievements. The author's continuing attachment to distant, illusory worlds is fully expressed in works drawing on Japanese tradition, such as Momoku monogatari, a romance. He also resolves the dichotomy between the demands of the imagination and those of external realities; he projects himself into his fiction with complete success. He is able to represent everyday experience in Tade kuu mushi and Sasameyuki, but these are not novels of bourgeois realism. Idealization still moves below the surface, creating a balance between versimilitude and fantasy. The rendering of the characters as idealized types is explored particularly in the study of Sasameyuki. Tanizaki's enormous advances in method include an intricate treatment of narrative viewpoints, as in "Shunkinsho," a subtle approach to structure, notably in "Yoshino kuzu," and a new style unique in its fluidity and amplitude, as in "Ashikari." Chapter III treats the last phase of Tanizaki's writing (1951-1965), a period of renewal and purification. Abandoning the filter of history and romance, he now tends to observe and record contemporary circumstance. He also returns to the concerns of his first phase, most significantly the shi-shosetsu, fictionalizing himself in Futen rojin nikki; in the forceful portrayal of the protagonist of this novel Tanizaki reaches the climactic point in his characterizations. Sobriety of manner marks the writing of this phase. The characters often appear in distilled, stylized form, most remarkably in Kagi. The rich, full style of the second period disappears; instead, the author often uses notations, as in the diary form. He loses none of his skill in structure, as the two contrasting novels using the diary genre show: while Kagi is an obvious craftsman's triumph, Futen rojin is constructed with equal care but deceptive naturalness. It is hoped that this study, concentrating on the development of Tanizaki's techniques and of his outlook, helps to account for his singularly strong grip on the reader. / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-51).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-51). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Iowa, 1992. / Typescript (photocopy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Iowa, 1992. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117).