This study is a theoretical reconsideration of the concept of the "tragic" combined with detailed analyses of Japanese literary texts. Inspired by contemporary critical discourse (especially the works by such thinkers as Theodor Adorno, Fredric Jameson and Raymond Williams), the author challenges both exotic and postmodern representation of Japanese culture as "the other" of the West. By examining the social backgrounds of artists' endeavors to create new literary forms, the author unveils a rich tradition of tragic literature that, unlike the dominant local tradition of naturalism, has registered the unbridgeable gap between universal ideals and social values at a particular historical moment.
- ISBN10 1644690691
- ISBN13 9781644690697
- Publish Date 14 July 2020
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Academic Studies Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 168
- Language English