Literary characters in early writings of Nagai Kafû (1879-1959): Character models in literary and historical context
Final Report Abstract
This research project focused on the analysis of literary characters in the early writings of´Japanese author Nagai Kafû (1879-1959). First of all, it was noted that the brevity of the texts which significantly determines the design of the literary characters, is typical for Kafûs early writings. One often finds typified characters, which are usually juxtaposed with a protagonist who appears far more individualized. With recourse to common theories on short stories, this observation was described as a phenomenon inherent to this particular genre. In a second step, we analyzed what exactly the frequent use of typified characters and the intentional juxtaposition of them with individualized protagonists means. For this purpose, we used cognitive-science-oriented approaches to the understanding of literary characters, which describe them as mental models that are formed by the recipient in the process of reading on the basis of textual information and inferences. According to these particular approaches, the understanding of typified characters is primarily based on the recognition of certain social stereotypes and literary conceptions of characters, which are part of the recipient’s discursive knowledge. In contrast, individualized characters are consciously written to contradict the recipient's knowledge structures. A deeper analysis of the discursive function of literary characters then followed by taking note of works on historical discourse analysis, which consider literature to be a counter-discourse with subversive potential. The thesis was put forward that it is the characters in particular through which literary texts position themselves within current social discourses. Applied to the subject of our research, this meant that it was assumed that the critical potential that can be observed in Kafû´s texts is to be sought primarily in the literary characters, who are always connected to central social discourses of the Meiji period (1868-1912) and, at the same time, play an active role in their formation. Summarizing the results, it can be stated that in a great number of Kafû´s texts, the protagonist stands between his own desires and the expectations imposed on him by society. In this way, a tension between reason (ri) and emotion (jō) emerges that runs through the majority of Kafû´s early narratives and that is also articulated on a textual level through the opposition of reality (genjitsu) and dream (yume). The standpoint of reason can often be associated with the hegemonic discourses of the time, whereas the standpoint of emotion is to be found on the side of a subversive counter-discourse that challenges the status quo. On a more abstract level, this means that in Kafû´s early work, the integration of hegemonic discourses into the literary text is often accompanied by a tendency toward the typified portrayal of characters, while the integration of subversive counter-discourses takes place through characters that appear individualized. Distinctive discourses of the Meiji period that were examined on the basis of the character portrayal in Kafû´s early writings included the discourse on careerism and social advancement, as well as those on the relationship between love and sexuality, on the social function of art and literature, on the gender roles of men and women, on the modernization of the country according to Western models, and on the proper upbringing of children. Not exclusively, but to a large extent, these discourses are negotiated through the inclusion of certain types of characters, which, depending on their function within the discourse network, are primarily perceived as individualized (counter-discourse) or typified (hegemonic discourse). Examples include the artist, the prostitute, the tyrannical father, the oppressed mother, the flaneur, and the traveler from abroad. By analyzing such social discourses and their relationship to the portrayal of literary characters, the project has, on the one hand, made a contribution to the academic scholarship on Kafû in general. This is based in particular on the fact that the different literary texts were not considered as singularities, as had often been the case in the past, but rather in their complex interplay, without being oriented merely to the chronological order of their creation. Moreover, the first-ever analysis of short stories that had not previously been received in academic research led to a reassessment of previous studies on Kafû. For example, it was possible to show that the motif of the returnee (kichōsha) was already present in Kafû's work before his travels overseas and did not emerge only as a result of his personal experiences abroad, as was often claimed before. Finally, by bringing together short story theories, literary discourse theories, and cognitive-science-oriented approaches to the understanding of literary texts, it was also possible to contribute to the general theory of literary characters by focusing specifically on the conditions of the discursive function of literary characters in short stories.
Publications
- „Literarische Figuren als Gegenstand narratologischer Textanalysen: Methoden und Modelle am Beispiel früher Erzählungen Nagai Kafūs (1879–1959)“, 6. Forum für literaturwissenschaftliche Japanforschung, 8.–9. Juni 2018, Universität Wien
Thomas, Martin
- „Zur Komplexität und Diskursivität literarischer Figurendarstellung in Kurzgeschichten: Das Frühwerk des japanischen Autors Nagai Kafū (1879–1959)“, Symposium „Wie erzählt die Welt?“, 15.–16. Juni 2018, Universität zu Köln
Thomas, Martin
- "Why Not Just Stay in Bed?’: Literary Characters Between Personal Fulfillment and Social Expectations in the Early Writings of Nagai Kafū“, Symposium „Crossing the Borders of Modernity“, 10.–11. Januar 2020, Universität zu Köln
Thomas, Martin
- Die Sandwüste [Sabaku]. Aus dem Japanischen übersetzt von Martin THOMAS und Stephan KÖHN. In: Hefte für ostasiatische Literatur 69. S. 102–115
Nagai, Kafü; Übers.: Martin Thomas und Stephan Köhn
- „New Images of Idealized Womanhood in the Early Work of Miyake Kaho“, Symposium „Crossing the Borders of Modernity“, 10.–11. Januar 2020, Universität zu Köln
Köhn, Stephan
