Japanese and Western Literature. Armando Martins Janeira

      PRINTED IN JAPAN

TO INGRID AND MY JAPANESE FRIENDS

      Much I owe to friends who helped me by suggesting ideas, alterations, and corrections; by giving me, through interesting discussions, much matter for thought; and even by assisting me in reading and understanding Japanese texts. I want to thank particularly Professor Hideo Kobayashi of Waseda University for taking the trouble to read the entire manuscript, to give precious advice, and to suggest detailed corrections and ameliorations. Professor Hajime Nakamura of Tokyo University has kindly read Part Two and given me his valuable advice. Professors Rikutaro Fukuda of the Tokyo University of Education, Mr. Don Brown, and Mr. J. T. Rimers have read the manuscript and suggested amendments. To my secretary, Miss Misako Kobayashi, I am grateful for Having helped me in the translation of the modern poems and for having typed the entire manuscript; finally, to my wife I owe the preparation of the index and the constant patience and assistance during the four years it took to complete this work.

      Though the mistakes are solely my responsibility, I want to say that without the help of these friends and without the incidental help of many others, it would never have been possible for me to finish this work.

      For permission to quote certain books I wish to acknowledge the Kindness of the Columbia University Press; William Heinemann; Penguin Books; Routledge & Kegan Paul; McGraw-Hill Book Company; Stanford University Press; Appleton-Century; Harvard. University Press; Grove Press; East-West Center Press; New Directions; Williams and Norgate; Macmillan and Co., London; Macmillan Company of Canada; St. Martin's Press; John Murray; Harcourt, Brace & World; Princeton University Press; University of California Press; UNESCO, Paris; Faber and Faber; Edward Arnold Ltd.; Random House; Alfred A. Knopf; Secker and Warburg; Curtis Brown; and Prof, Ivan Morris.

       Preface

       Introduction: On the Universal Nature of Literature

      PART ONE. A WESTERN INTERPRETATION OF JAPANESE LITERARY CULTURE

      I. CLASSIC POETRY

      Introduction to Classic Literature. Form and Content in Japanese Poetry. The Classic Anthologies. The Concept of Poetry. Limitations. Basho: His Symbolic Poetry Confronted with Western Symbolism. The Concept of Nature. The Concept of Love. Significance of Japanese Lyricism in World Poetry.

      II. THE CLASSIC NOVEL

      The Beginning of the Novel in Japan. The Tale of Genji. The Concept of the Novel in The Tale of Genji and the Western Concept of the Novel. The Concept of Life. The Concept of Love: a Cult of Beauty. The Concept of Time. Two Great Symbols: Genji and Don Juan.

      III. THE DIARY

      The Heian Diaries. The Diary of Izumi Shikibu. The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu. The Diary of Sei Shonagon. The Notebooks of Kamo no Chomei and Kenko Yoshida. The Poetic Diaries of Basho and Issa. Confrontation with Western Diaries.

      IV. THE PICARESQUE NOVEL

      A Novel of the People. Saikaku Ihara. Kiseki Ejima. Ikku Jippensha. The Picaresque Novel and Ukiyo-e Painting. The Picaresque Novel in Japan and in the West.

      V. THE FANTASTIC STORY

      Characteristics of the Oriental and Western Fantastic Story. Akinari Ueda. Bakin Takizawa. The Fantastic Story, Ghost Story, and Murder Story. The Mechanical Void of the Murder Story. The Murder Story and the Nouveau Roman.

      VI. DRAMA

      Noh, Kabuki, and Puppet Theatre. Drama and Scenic Art. Monzaemon Chikamatsu. The Puppet Theatre. The Weight of Tradition. The Paradox of the Japanese Theatre Today.

      VII. THE GREATEST REVOLUTION IN JAPANESE HISTORY: CONTACT WITH THE WEST

      First Contact with the West. Second Contact with the West. Enthusiasm for Western Culture.

      VIII. WRITERS AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST LITERARY ENCOUNTER WITH THE WEST

      Western Influence in the Meiji Era. Ogai Mori. Soseki Natsume. Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

      IX. WESTERN INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE WRITERS

      A Challenge from the West. Two Main Trends of Thought: Marxism and Christianity. The New Poets: Inspiration from the West. Akiko Yosano. Takuboku Ishikawa. Bokusui Wakayama. The Novelists. Kafu Nagai. Naoya Shiga. Junichiro Tanizaki. Kan Kikuchi. Jiro Osaragi. Kojiro Serizawa. Yoichi Nakagawa. Masuji Ibuse. Yasunari Kawabata. Michio Takeyama. Tatsuo Hori. Fumio Niwa. Fumiko Hayashi. Yasushi Inoue. Shohei Ooka. Osamu Dazai. Taijun Takeda.

      X. THE