Rereading Herman Melville

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00428
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02030:English literature and literature in the English language-related
• Research Institution: Chuo University
• Principal Investigator: Fukushi Hisao 中央大学, 人文科学研究所, 客員研究員 (80096164)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: メルヴィルの Irish matters

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During the period of my research project I wrote five articles, all of which but one are partially or totally concerned with exposing or explicating the social or historical phenomena directly or indirectly connected with Ireland, the Irish, or Irish emigrants/immigrants which Melville entered into his works. The result of my research project can, therefore, be said to lie in having realized or discovered a large subject matter or vein in what may be called Melville's Irish matters, one that has not been duly or adequately investigated or explored in Melville studies at home and abroad to date. While the four articles mentioned above cover Mardi and Redburn only, I have ascertained through my research that certain descriptions associated with the above mentioned subject matter or vein can also found in Moby-Dick, Pierre, The Confidence-Man, a poem called "The House-Top" included in The Battle-Pieces and Aspects of War, Billy-Budd, and so on.

Free Research Field

アメリカ19世紀文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ハーマン・メルヴィルの諸作品の中に埋め込まれている、アイルランド／アイルランド人／アイルランド人移民にかかわる、メルヴィルのIrish matters とでも呼びうるかもしれない1つの大きな主題の発見、あるいはその剔抉と解明という研究成果は、当の主題がこれまでのところ内外のメルヴィル研究において十全に追究されてきたとは言い難い主題であるだけに、小さくない学術的意義を有している。Irish mattersを論ずることは植民地主義、帝国主義、戦争、飢饉あるいは飢餓、移民問題などを論ずることでもある限りにおいて、本研究成果は、今日的な社会的意義も有していよう。