Twelve Centuries of Japanese Literature [Part 3]

The Meiji period marked the opening of Japan, Western culture flooded in, opening the era of Japanese literary modernization.

Meiji Literature

The Meiji period (starting from 1868) marked the opening of Japan, Western culture flooded in, opening the era of Japan's literary modernization; although not simple, because the process of literary modernization required a longer time than economic development.

To introduce science, technology and literature, the first thing the Meiji government did was to abolish the feudal order with its noble families, and raise the people's knowledge. As early as 1872, universities were developed, and translation was promoted ( political , scientific, philosophical, and literary books were translated in droves, some adapted from French writers V. Hugo and Jules Verne, stimulating the imagination of readers; great masters such as Shakespeare, Goethe, Tolstoy, etc. were all translated).

Literature has absorbed many Western literary and ideological trends: liberalism, romanticism, symbolism, realism, naturalism... This initial period of "Westernization" was relatively formal and widespread, so there was a trend of reaction, promoting traditional culture.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, senior writers of the Meiji period appeared, who were clearly influenced by four literary traditions: Russian, German, English and French, including: Futabatei Shimei; Mori Ōgai; Natsume Sōseki; Tōson Shimazaki.

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Writer, translator and critic Futabatei Shimei.

Futabatei Shimei (1864-1909) was a writer, translator and critic. He studied Russian, translated Russian novels and then wrote more or less autobiographical novels himself, depicting characters who were dissatisfied and confused by the times.

The work Ukigumo (Floating Clouds, 1887-1889) is the first modern novel, criticizing the ambitious Japanese society of that time: a young civil servant unfortunately loses his job, especially because he does not know how to flatter; his aunt immediately marries her daughter to him; this woman studies Western, later marries an opportunist official.

Some of his other major works: Foster Husband (Sono Omokage, 1906, novel); Heibon (Heibon, 1907, novel); History of Art (Bijutsu no Hongi, 1885, essay)...

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Mori Ōgai (1862-1922) was a physician, translator, novelist, and poet. He came from a family of physicians and became a military physician.

He is credited with introducing the medium-length novel into Japanese literature, beginning with Maihime (1890), which describes the broken love affair between a young Japanese man and a German girl.

The work opened the short-lived romantic period and the highly developed genre of autobiographical fiction (novel about the Self) in Japanese literature. The tendency to fight for personal freedom, against feudal shackles, was expressed in the novel Wild Goose (Gan, 1913 - translated into Vietnamese as Swallow), later adapted into a film as Mistress (Mistress, 1953).

His other major works include: The Tale of the Singer (Utakata no Ki, 1890), The Postman (Fumizukai, 1891), Long Live Sex (Wita Sekusuarisu, 1909), Youth (Seinen, 1910), The Silent Fortress (Chinmoku noTo, 1910), Dreams (Mōsō, 1911), The Last Letter of Okitsu and Goemon (Okitsu Ya Goemon no Isho, 1912)...

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Natsume Sōseki (1867-1916) was a writer. He studied literature and languages ​​in England. He had a broad understanding of European culture, and was also well versed in Zen and classical Chinese culture.

He taught English literature before becoming a professional writer. In a concise, elegant style, he wrote novels that went against the naturalistic tendencies prevalent at the time.

I Am a Cat (Wagahai wa Nekodearu, 1905-1906) is considered a profound social satire, criticizing the absurdity of the times; The Rich Boy (Botchan, 1908) humorously criticizes the hypocrisy of the teaching profession; the main character is a hot-tempered, straightforward young man who grew up in loneliness; he goes to teach, stumbles all over the place; this is the most widely read book of all time and is still a bestseller today.

In some other works, Natsume analyzes an ego, expressing the loneliness of intellectuals in capitalist society, the impasse of the individual, and skeptical thoughts.

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Tōson Shimazaki (1872-1943) was a writer who wrote romantic poetry before writing novels. He was a Catholic and lived in France from 1913 to 1916.

He initiated in Japanese fiction a critical realism trend, derived from naturalism and popular storytellers.

The novel The Seven Promises (Hakai, 1906), his first naturalistic work, was a literary event. Later, he wrote pessimistic autobiographical novels, rarely mentioning social issues. Influenced by the Japanese revolutionary proletarian literary movement in the late 1920s, he approached the historical materialist perspective.

In his outstanding work Before Dawn (Yoake Mae, 1929-1935), he wrote about social changes during and after the Meiji Restoration through the story of his family. His other major works include: A Collection of Young Herbs (Wakana-shū, 1897), Spring (Haru, 1908), New Life (Shinsei, 1919), The Life of a Certain Woman (Aru Onna no shōgai, 1921), The Storm (Arashi, 1926), The Eastern Gate (Tōhō no Mon, 1943)...

In addition, we must mention the poet Ishikawa Takuboku (1886-1912), who wrote Tanka poems with modern content, expressing his sufferings with the attitude of a person who is in opposition to the whole universe, knowing that he is defeated but not begging. In terms of form, in Meiji poetry, despite Western influence, many poets still used Tanka and Haiku forms.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/muoi-hai-the-ky-van-hoc-nhat-ban-ky-3-237102.html