Studies in the Comic Spirit in Modern Japanese Fiction

Erscheinungsjahr 1998
ISBN: 978-0-674-84711-8
Verlag: Harvard University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 41, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 237 mm, Gewicht: 490 g

Reihe: Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series

Unlike traditional Japanese literature, which has a rich tradition of comedy, modern Japanese literature is commonly associated with a high seriousness of purpose. In this path-breaking study, Joel R. Cohn analyzes works by three writers—Ibuse Masuji (1898-1993), Dazai Osamu (1909-1948), and Inoue Hisashi (1934- )—whose works constitute a relentless assault on the notion that comedy cannot be part of serious literature. Cohn focuses on thematic, structural, and stylistic elements in the works of these writers to show that modern Japanese comedic literature is a product of a particular set of historical, social, and cultural experiences. Cohn finds that cultural and social forces in modern Japan have led to the creation of comic literature that tends to deflect attention away from a human other and turn in on itself in different forms.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cohn, Joel R.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Sport | Tourismus | Freizeit Humor
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Gattungen
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturen sonstiger Sprachräume Ost- & Südostasiatische Literatur

Über Autor(innen)

Cohn, Joel R.
Joel R. Cohn is Associate Professor of Japanese at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.