Fate, Nature, and Literary Form: The Politics of the Tragic in Japanese Literature

Kinya Nishi

Published by Academic Studies Press 2020

Fate, Nature, and Literary Form

The Politics of the Tragic in Japanese Literature

Kinya Nishi

In the series Studies in Comparative Literature and Intellectual History

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781644690697

Overview
Contents

About this book

A theoretical reexamination of the concept of the “tragic” combined with detailed analyses of Japanese literary texts. Inspired by Western critical theory, the author unveils a rich tradition of tragic literature in Japan that has registered the unbridgeable gap between universal ideals and social values at a historical moment.

Author / Editor information

Nishi Kinya :

Kinya Nishi is a professor of aesthetics and intellectual history at Konan University, Japan. He has published books and articles exploring the discursive formation of cultural tradition in the context of modern Japan. He has held visiting research positions at the University of Sussex and Queen Mary, University of London.

Kinya Nishi is a professor of aesthetics and intellectual history at Konan University, Japan. He has published books and articles exploring the discursive formation of cultural tradition in the context of modern Japan. He has held visiting research positions at the University of Sussex and Queen Mary, University of London.

Reviews

“Fate, Nature and Literary Form is a concise and engaging book about how tragic art manifests in different times and places and what role critical theory can play in our understanding of this genre’s power and appeal… In this compact yet powerful work, Nishi argues that great art can never be merely the expression of the timeless essence of a particular culture but must be part of a forward movement leading to enhanced human relationships…[The book] offer[s] a unique and innovative blend of theoretical musings and provocative insights into the contributions of several major Japanese literary figures whose work cannot be meaningfully interpreted apart from the historical context in which they are rooted. I applaud this effort and find the book both rewarding and stimulating.”

– Ronald P. Loftus, Japanese Language and Literature (Vol. 56, No. 1)

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
A Note on Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Names Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	viii
Part One—The Historical Development of the Tragic in Japanese Literature
Chapter 1: Approaching the Idea of Tragedy in the Non-West Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2: Tragic Dramaturgy in Classical Japanese Theater Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
Chapter 3: Tragic Individualism in Modern Japanese Fiction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	34
Part Two—The Dialectics of Nature in Japanese Intellectual History
Chapter 4: The Dilemma of Multicultural Aesthetics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
Chapter 5: Japanese Modernity and the Cultural Configuration of Nature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Part Three—Social Crisis and Literary Form
Chapter 6: Matsuo Bashō’s Realism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
Chapter 7: Hiroshima and the Poetics of Death Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
Chapter 8: Narrative after Fukushima Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Index of Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Index of Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147