Beyond Nation : Time, Writing, and Community in the Work of Abe Kōbō / Richard Calichman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Calichman, Richard, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Abe, Kōbō, 1924-1993--Criticism and interpretation.

Abe, Kōbō.

Identity (Psychology) in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 p.)

Place of Publication:

Stanford, CA : Stanford University Press, [2020]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In the work of writer Abe Kōbō (1924–1993), characters are alienated both from themselves and from one another. Through close readings of Abe's work, Richard Calichman reveals how time and writing have the ability to unground identity. Over time, attempts to create unity of self cause alienation, despite government attempts to convince people to form communities (and nations) to recapture a sense of wholeness. Art, then, must resist the nation-state and expose its false ideologies. Calichman argues that Abe's attack on the concept of national affiliation has been neglected through his inscription as a writer of Japanese literature. At the same time, the institution of Japan Studies works to tighten the bond between nation-state and individual subject. Through Abe's essays and short stories, he shows how the formation of community is constantly displaced by the notions of time and writing. Beyond Nation thus analyzes the elements of Orientalism, culturalism, and racism that often underlie the appeal to collective Japanese identity.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

ONE. MARKINGS IN THE SAND

TWO. THE TIME OF DISTURBANCE

THREE. THE LURE OF COMMUNITY IN TANIN NO KAO

FOUR. INTERVENTIONS

EPILOGUE

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jul 2020)

ISBN:

9780804797559

0804797552

OCLC:

1178770037