2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Study of Mutual Influences of Elizabeth Bowen and Major British Writers : Literary and Cultural Aspects
| Project/Area Number |
14510535
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
英語・英米文学
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| Research Institution | Kobe City College of Nursing |
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Principal Investigator |
YAMANEKI Kanako Kobe City College of Nursing, Department of Nursing, Professor, 看護学部, 教授 (90295767)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KENMOTSU Yoshi Okayama University, Foreign Language Education Center, Associate Professor, 外国語教育センター, 助教授 (20178164)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Keywords | Elizabeth Bowen / big house / country house / Jane Austen / Virginia Woolf / E.M.Forster / Henry James / Maria Edgeworth |
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| Research Abstract |
This study examines the works of Elizabeth Bowen, an Anglo-Irish writer, and those of several British writers including Maria Edgeworth, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, and E.M.Forster. The culture and literature of the Anglo-Irish "big house" are characteristic of Bowen's art. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between "the culture and literature of the big house" and "the culture of the country house in British literature" in order to reassess Bowen's works, and to give a new frame of reference to the studies of Woolf, James, and Forster.
As Bowen has succeeded the two great traditions of Edgeworth's big house novels and Austen's novels of manners, the head investigator compares Edgeworth's and Austen's novels to discover the characteristics of the culture of the big house and that of the country house. It is argued that the country house in Bowen's literature symbolizes historical continuity, and that the country house in Woolf's literature is also of importance in her conception of history. The investigator demonstrates that James's and Forster's works show a sense of values similar to Bowen's consciousness of tradition and her affection for the tradition, which form a significant core of Bowen's art. She also argues that James could have the same idea as Bowen's in that "fantasies and recollections of the past make it possible for people to escape from cruel realities and fill their empty hearts with something," and that Forster recognizes "the power of the place," especially that of "the traditional countryside in England," as well as the power of an old house.
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Research Products
(12 results)
