A reader's guide to Japanese literature - Softcover

Rimer, J. Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 087011896X ISBN 13: 9780870118968

Publisher: Kodansha International, 1988

Synopsis

Familiarly known as "Rimer's Guide" since its publication in 1988, A Reader's Guide to Japanese Literature by J. Thomas Rimer has now been expanded and updated, keeping it abreast of the latest developments in Japanese literature. The specific aim of the guide is to introduce newcomers to individual literary works in such a way that they can judge for themselves what suits their tastes. Its broader aim is enjoyment--the enjoyment that comes from reading a good book. In keeping with that broader aim, Rimer's Guide is enjoyable to read in its own right, making it the perfect guide for readers who enjoy reading about literary masterpieces. Rimer's Guide begins in the eighth century and ends in the 1990s. Readers who read from beginning to end will gain a good overview of Japanese literature through their encounters with the individual books that comprise the guide. Those who wish to skip here and there, searching for the book meant especially for them, may do so with impunity. In either case, readers will come across a tremendous variety of literary styles and diaries, poetry, plays, essays, short stories, and novels. There are works of great subtlety, works that are boldly drawn, religious works, and secular works. There is something to suit every taste. Newly added to the original edition's twenty classical and thirty modern works are several new chapters. "After Oe," which covers younger contemporary writers coming after the 1994 Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, includes such writers as Haruki Murakami, Ryu Murakami, and Banana Yoshimoto. "Some New Translations'' presents translations of both classic and postwar works and writers who were discussed in the first edition but who are now represented by additional translations. "Another Classical Master. Buson" is a short chapter devoted to a newly translated volume of poetry by the haiku master Buson. "More Modern Masters" cites recently published translations of postwar writers who were not represented in the first edition because translations of their works were not yet available. "The Art of the Essay" comments on the few examples of this important genre that now exist in English translation. The guide ends with a substantial list of further readings for those who would like to pursue their studies in greater depth. Rimer's Guide thus continues to present Japanese literature in a most accessible manner, both fun to read in itself and rewarding in the suggestions it gives for more pleasurable reading in the days and years ahead.

About this title

About the Author

J. Thomas Rimer is Professor of Japanese Literature at the University of Pittsburgh. In acknowledgment of his cultural contributions on behalf of Japanese literature, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, by the Japanese government.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

[The following is the beginning of the chapter on "The Tale of Genji."]

The Tale of Genji Murasaki Shikibu Genji monogatari Novel. Eleventh Century

Kawabata Yasunari, in his 1968 Nobel prize acceptance speech, spoke of the influence on him, and on all Japanese writers, past and present, of Lady Murasaki's vast and moving Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari). "Genji is a miracle," he said, "and it is as a miracle that the book is known abroad." Some have compared the sophistication of Lady Murasaki's insights into the court society of her period with those of Marcel Proust's on French society at the turn of the century. Both created galaxies of characters who, in their comings and goings, their moments of personal insight, and their ambiguous feelings over their own worldly commitments, are absolutely authentic and, once the frames of reference are grasped, totally recognizable by modern readers.

Given the power of the tale and its influence on such diverse traditional Japanese arts as the No theater, painting, and waka poetry, to say nothing of the effect the text has had on such modern writers as Tanizaki and Kawabata, it is no wonder that the novel (to use our modern term, which can serve only as a rough and approximate means of identification) has spawned a whole tradition of literary criticism in Japan. Now that the book has become relatively well-known in the West as well, through translations into English, German, and French, the secondary literature in those languages is also growing apace. It is impossible to sum up all the critical points of view available; still, there is no question but that the subtle complexities of Lady Murasaki's conception certainly deserve extended commentary. The novel, however, can be fully enjoyed and savored without this body of knowledge, which may extend the significance of the text but can in no way replace it. Like all great w! orks of literature, The Tale of Genji is more moving than anything that can be said about it.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kodansha International
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 087011896X
• ISBN 13: 9780870118968
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1