A Study of Ooka Shohei and his Japanese Female Readers

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K02258
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese literature
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: TAKEUCHI Kayo 日本大学, 文理学部, 准教授 (40334560)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-10-21 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 大岡昇平 / 三島由紀夫 / 女性誌 / 女性読者 / 婦人公論 / 戦後日本

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focuses on novel serialization in women's magazines and examines both the contexts and works by writers Ooka Shohei and Mishima Yukio. Ooka Shohei was deeply involved with Fujin Koron, a magazine primarily for women of the intellectual class. In this study, I examine and analyze Fujin Koron and show that in his serialized novels, Ooka consciously incorporated the idea of "women's liberation" (josei kaiho) that was promoted in the magazine. In contrast, Ooka's friend and fellow writer Mishima Yukio was well aware of Ooka's publications in these magazines and also serialized widely and diversely in them. In the analysis of Mishima's publications, I reveal that, in contrast to Ooka, Mishima was conscious of yet mocked and deviated from the "enlightened" ideas of these magazines in his serialized novels.

Free Research Field

日本近代文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、これまでの大岡昇平研究や三島由紀夫研究で看過されてきた、大岡と三島の、女性読者向けの小説連載の様相を調査し解明したものである。大岡は従来『武蔵野夫人』を除けば、戦争体験を基にした『俘虜記』や『野火』等の小説ばかりが社会的にクローズアップされ、研究の対象ともなってきた作家である。また三島については一般的にも研究においても、文芸誌連載のいわゆる「純文学」としての小説ばかりに焦点が当てられてきた。しかし本研究を通じて、彼らがともに1950年代から60年代にかけて連載女性誌の特色を熟知し、それらを採り入れつつ、女性読者向けに積極的に創作を行ってきた様子を初めてまとまった形で浮かび上がらせた。