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Adaptations of Western Literature in Meiji Japan PDF

185 Pages·2001·4.568 MB·English
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Adaptations of Western Literature in Meiji Japan This page intentionally left blank Adaptations of Western Literature in Meiji Japan J. Scott Miller ADAPTATIONS OF WESTERN LITERATURE IN MEIJI JAPAN © J.Scott Miller,2001 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2001 978-0-312-23995-4 All rights reserved.No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any man- ner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published 2001 by PALGRAVETM 175 Fifth Avenue,New York,N.Y.10010 and Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE is the new global publishing imprint of St.Martin’s Press LLC Scholarly and Reference Division and Palgrave Publishers Ltd (formerly Macmillan Press Ltd). ISBN 978-1-349-38707-6 ISBN 978-0-230-10755-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230107557 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller,J.Scott (John Scott) Adaptations of western literature in Meiji Japan / by J.Scott Miller p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-349-38707-6 1.Japanese literature—Meiji period,1868-1912—History and criticism 2.Literature—Adaptations—History and criticism. I.Title. PL726.55 M465 2001 895.6'090042—dc21 2001021793 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Westchester Book Composition First edition:December 2001 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Judy,Michela,and Joseph This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface and Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Chapter I: Toward a Theory of Adaptation:Hon’an in Meiji Japan 9 Chapter II: More Romance than Reality:Ulysses S.Grant as Japanese Warrior 23 Chapter III: From Madness to Murder:Victorian Novel as Ninjôbanashi 77 Chapter IV: A Visible Poetics:American Dime Novel as Paradigm for Theater Reform 111 Conclusion 141 Notes 145 Bibliography 169 Index 177 This page intentionally left blank Preface and Acknowledgements A n esteemed colleague,Gary Williams,often begins an annual sem- inar we team-teach by discussing Ye xian,a Chinese version of the Cinderella tale that appeared in the late Tang Dynasty.Each year I marvel at the way fundamental elements of this ubiquitous story of mis- placed inheritance and triumph,like water in a vessel,manage to remain constant while conforming to the surrounding cultural milieu.Of course, an adapted story does not transform itself into the shape of its respective cultural vessel; it is the teller who makes the cultural accommodations, trimming here,expanding there,until the borrowed tale is refit to suit its new surroundings. The present study has emerged from my ongoing interest in the related, and equally intriguing,phenomenon of literary adaptation,which,unlike literal translation (which seeks to transport stories from other cultures in relatively correspondent shape),has as one of its fundamental prerogatives the transformation of the original to fit the particular conventions of the target culture.In my research of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Japanese literature I have been amazed at the variety and breadth of liter- ary adaptations from foreign (both Chinese and Euro-American) sources. These transmutations often reflect contemporary attitudes,ideologies,and fears in concrete, if metaphoric, ways, and I have always felt that they deserved much greater attention by literary and cultural scholars for the wealth of perspectives—not to mention the strident and at times bizarre eclecticism—they contain. Since very few formal studies of Japanese adaptations exist, either in Japanese or in English,much of what follows represents a rough pioneer- ing foray into new territory.Accordingly,I warn the reader in advance that

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