Approaches to the Modern Japanese NovelEdited by Kinya Tsuruta and Thomas E. Swann

Excerpt

In recent years an increasing number of Japanese novels have become available in translation and have been widely read abroad. But however skillfully these works are rendered into English, Western readers, unfamiliar with the cultural heritage and literary tradition of Japan, may find it difficult to understand and fully appreciate the subtle imagery and nuances so characteristic of the best examples of Japanese fiction.

In Approaches to the Modern Japanese Novel, specialists in Japanese literature present essays which examine in detail the plot, themes, symbols and characterization of fifteen modern translated novels, ranging from Natsume Sōseki’s satirical Botchan (1906) to Abe Kōbō’s bleak Woman in the Dunes (1962).

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