Discourses and Literature of Sympathy--Exploring Social Thoughts in the Region of Literary Studies

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00409
• 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: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: OISHI KAZUYOHI 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (50348380)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ロマン主義 / 共感 / 慈善 / 女性 / 感情史 / 社会思想 / 博愛 / チャリティ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In modern England, "sympathy" was extolled as a social virtue facilitating acts of public charity in the age of Enlightenment. It was given moral value along with "pity," "compassion," and "benevolence" in the "culture of sensitivity,” and was incorporated into literary works. In Romantic literature, sympathy was initially associated with the concept of “philanthropy” or “universal benevolence" disseminated in the age surrounding the French Revolution. It was eventually positioned as a virtue that remedied the existential problems haunting individual Romantic poets and writers and even served as a critique of utilitarianism and liberalism, which contributed to the installment of the new poor law, while at the same time being presented as the foundation for a vision of ideal community and education. The Romantic definition of sympathy eventually feeds into Victorian literature.

Free Research Field

イギリス文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

「共感」を軸にしてイギリス1780-1850の文学を貧困や奴隷制、経済政策との関係を論じることで、文学テクストが持つ歴史的、社会的、文化的意義を横断的かつ斬新な形で提示できた。世界に貧富やジェンダーの格差問題が指摘され、グローバル化への反動から移民排斥を含む保守反動勢力の活性化も顕著な現代において、「共感」が包摂するさまざまな可能性と問題が18世紀後半から19世紀前半のイギリス文学にも看取できることを証明し、それが現代社会の「共感」の質とあり方にも関わる問題として論じた点でとくに意義がある。感情史研究の知見も組み込むことで新しい人文学研究として現代社会の問題につながる方法論も提示できた。