The Appearance of the New Man and His Cultural and Historical Significance in Nineteenth-Century English Literature and Journalism

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02458
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Osaka City University
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Takanobu 大阪市立大学, 大学院文学研究科, 教授 (20171770)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 19世紀英文学 / ジャーナリズム / 新しい男 / 新しい女 / セクシュアリティ / ジェンダー / セツルメント / 帝国

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The radical New Man appeared with the emergence of the feminist New Woman at the fin de siecle. He is best understood as a political ally to her, supporting and aiding her attempts at social and political liberation; yet he is also her romantic partner. While his archtype can be found in mid-century fiction, the fin-de-siecle fiction describes his conflicting emotions between maintaining the position of the New Man and retreating to an adherent of the conventional patriarchy. Though he may be merely an ideal figure, it is true that the New Man contributed to the emancipation not only of women but also of men themselves, who were bound by the then ideological masculinity. Furthermore, the New Man assumes the potential possibilities of constructing democratic and equal relationships with class-based and racial others through "friendship-love," a word connoting homoerotic feelings.

Free Research Field

人文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の特色としては、国内外の英文学・英国文化研究ではほとんど顧みられることのなかった〈新しい男〉の生成過程と社会的反応を、文学とジャーナリズムとの関わりの中で、19世紀全体を俯瞰して捉え論じた点、及び〈新しい男〉を〈新しい女〉や反フェミニズムの女性だけでなく、階級的他者や人種的他者との関係からも捉えた点が挙げられる。結果として浮かび上がってきた〈新しい男〉の複層性は、西洋の影響を受けた明治期日本において文学やメディアが作り出す〈新しい男〉像への関心をも喚起する。それは現代の若者像に目を向けることにもつながり、地球規模で様々な境界が曖昧化する社会において、境界の持つ意味を再考する契機となる。