Progress toward the completion of Hermann Hesse Memories of Youth and its Interpretation from the perspective of creative transformation of the author

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00487
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02040:European literature-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu Kyoritsu University
• Principal Investigator: YAMAMOTO Yoichi 九州共立大学, 経済学部, 教授 (90268780)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ヘルマン・ヘッセ / 少年の日の思い出 / クジャクヤママユ / 改作 / 国語教科書 / 受容 / 新解釈 / Global Impact

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Although it was difficult to conduct a survey on the understanding of "Memories of Youth" in educational settings due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, I was able to find various ways to improve the understanding of the work and analyze the problems of its interpretations caused by translated literature through the lesson plans and interviews with teachers. And I summarized them in some research papers. Furthermore, it has been decided that a co-authored book will be published in the UK at the end of 2024, which describes the impact of Hesse on Japanese readers and the possibilities for its interpretation, based on the actual situation of Hesse's reception in Japan. In addition, in a survey of adaptations of “Nachtpfauenauge”, the original text of “Memories of Youth”, I discovered 11 adaptations. And in order to explore the relationship with the author's creative transformation, I have also begun a detailed comparative examination of its changes.

Free Research Field

German Literature

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、日本の中学校の国語教材として長年読まれてきた『少年の日の思い出』の作品理解の実態を客観化し、場合によってはそこに内在する作品理解の問題点も顕在化させることをひとつの目的としてきたが、いずれの点でも予測に沿った結論を見出すことができた。さら同研究は、同作品の原典『クジャクヤママユ』の諸改作の変遷と作者ヘッセの創造的変革の関連性に依拠した、『少年の日の思い出』の登場人物の性格理解などに関する新たな解釈の可能性にも繋がるものと期待していたが、これも今後の国語の授業構築の一助となりうる、ある程度予想通りの成果が得られたと考えている。