2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
A Study on Self-Help Literature in America
| Project/Area Number |
16K02488
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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 | Aichi University of Education |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | 自己啓発本 / 精神療法 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
I did a research study on the history and development of Self-Help literature which has been very popular in America and Japan, and the report I made on this topic is now posted in the internet encyclopedia called Oxford Research Encyclopedias under the title of “American and Japanese Self-Help Literature.”
In addition, I contributed 4 articles on this topic to some academic journals. The titles of the ariticles are as follows: “Christian Science and the Tradition of the “Mind-Cure Literature””, “Emerson: Copied Pasted and Retweeted”, “A Study of the Transitions in Development of American Self-Help Literature for Women”, “Three Legendary Figures in American Self-Help Literature, Andrew Carnegie, Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill”. All of those articles can be accessed on the Internet.
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| Free Research Field |
アメリカ文学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
通常、サラリーマンの勤労意欲向上のための通俗本であり、文学的・学術的にはまったく価値がないと思われている「自己啓発本」に焦点を当て、その誕生経緯や発展過程を詳細に検討することによって、自己啓発本に価値がないどころか、むしろ自己啓発本の存在がアメリカと日本の近代化と経済発展を促進してきたことを明らかにした。さらにそうした国家的発展の陰に取り残され、自信を失くした個々人の心身のダメージを救済する役割すらも、自己啓発本が引き受けてきたことを明らかにするなど、従来、過小評価されてきたこの文学ジャンルを再評価する視座を定めた点に、本研究の学術的・社会的意義がある。
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