2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
A Study of the Discourse of the "Exotic"in English at the Turn of the 20th Century: From Italy to Japan
| Project/Area Number |
26370333
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Literature in English
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| Research Institution | Toyo University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | エキゾチック / 明治期日本滞在記 / イタリア旅行記 / ジャポニズム小説 / ヘンリー・ジェイムズ / メアリー・クロフォード・フレイザー / 英国外交官 / 日本人・日本文化表象 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This study focuses on the discourse of the “exotic” in English at the turn of the 20th century, exploring what kind of images of Japan and the Japanese were dominant in the Meiji era across various genres, including diaries by British diplomats (Alcock and Satow), travel writing (Bird), and fiction (Hearn and Mrs. Fraser). Before analyzing the representation of Japan and the Japanese, I examine the depiction of “Italy” in contemporary fiction and travel writing by Henry James, drawing a parallel between the “exotic” appeal of Italy and Japan for the West at this time, as the subtitle of this study suggests. In both fiction and nonfiction, Japan and the Japanese are represented by stereotypical signs such as “Fujiyama,” geisha, samurai, and so forth. At the same time, however, one can see that some writers, particularly novelists, tried to subvert such stereotypes and create new visions of Japan and the Japanese.
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| Free Research Field |
アメリカ文学、英語圏文学、アメリカ文化
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