The strong and the weak in Japanese literature : discrimination, egalitarianism, nationalism / Fuminobu Murakami.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murakami, Fuminobu, 1951-

Series:

Routledge advances in Asia-Pacific studies ; 11.

Routledge advances in Asia-Pacific studies ; 11

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Japanese literature--History and criticism.

Japanese literature.

Literature and society--Japan--History.

Literature and society.

National characteristics, Japanese, in literature.

Power (Social sciences) in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (206 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Milton Park, Abingdon ; New York : Routledge, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book uses texts from classical to modern Japanese literature to examine concepts of 'respect for the strong', as a notion of an evolutionary society, and 'sympathy for the weak', as a notion of a non-violent and changeless egalitarian society. The term strong refers not just to those with strength and power. It also includes other ideal attributes such as beauty, youth and goodness. Similarly, the term weak implies not only the weak and infirm, but also the disadvantaged, the indecent, the unsophisticated and those generally shunned by society. The former are associated not only with t

Contents:

Book Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; Preface; 1 Introduction; 2 The strong and the weak in Japanese religious, philosophical and political writings; 3 Ugly ladies in The Tale of Genji; 4 Women, humble men and insulted people in The Tale of the Heike; 5 Sacrifice and revenge, love and war, and a world without violence in The Eight Dog Chronicles; 6 Dancing girl, geisha, mistress and wife in Kawabata Yasunari's stories: The Dancing Girl of Izu, Snow Country, Thousand Cranes and The Sound of the Mountain; 7 Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

1-136-97051-7

1-136-97052-5

1-282-62954-9

9786612629549

0-203-85159-5

9780203851593

OCLC:

642661676