1st Edition

The Strong and the Weak in Japanese Literature Discrimination, Egalitarianism, Nationalism

By Fuminobu Murakami Copyright 2010
208 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

208 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

208 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

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.... Read more

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

Biography

 Fuminobu Murakami is Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies, University of Hong Kong. He is author of Postmodern, Feminist and Postcolonial Currents in Contemporary Japanese Culture (Routledge, 2005), and co-editor of Reading The Tale of Genji (Global Oriental, 2009).