Yukio Mishima was a brilliant Japanese novelist whose work began to thrive in the late nineteen forty's. His novels focused mainly on Eastern religion, homosexual eroticism and fantasies of death. These controversial themes seem to repel some readers (Magill); however, Mishima remained a dedicated literary artist. In his lifetime he wrote multiple volumes of literature, but only about six or seven earned him a great deal of attention from critics and readers in Japan (Yourcenar 24-25). However, he has earned himself the reputation of Japan’s greatest contemporary novelist (Gale, Magill). Every night Mishima dedicated the late hours to writing his novels. Mishima had been nominated for the Nobel Prize twice in his lifetime, but lost first to his friend Kawabata, and later to Miguel Asturias (Stokes 192). Yukio Mishima should be remembered for his great novels, Confessions of a Mask, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and The Sea of Fertility tetralogy.
Confessions of a Mask was a therapeutic effort for Mishima (Nathan 1057), but also a major artistic success in his career (1149). Confessions established Mishima as a star in Japan and revealed his individual case (Yourcenar 16). Mishima’s book caused many critics disgust by the explicit content of homosexuality (1155), still it was regarded as a work of genius (Scott-Stokes 120). His novel managed to sell twenty thousand copies in hardcover, and became a best seller in Japan, 1949 (Nathan 1155). After his success with Confessions he gave up the bureaucratic job his father insisted he pursue and began writing his novels and working part-time for pulp magazines (Yourcenar 22-23). It is dangerous to say that Confessions is a biography of Mishima himself (Nathan 963), but we do learn ...
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...established Mishima as one of the greatest Japanese writers of the twentieth century and gave insight to the beliefs and troubles of Mishima’s personal experiences.
Works Cited
"Mishima, Yukio." Magill's Survey of World Literature, Rev. ed. Ed. Steven G. Kellman. Vol. 4. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2009. 1732-1734. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 May 2011.
Nathan, John. Mishima: A Biography. Vol. 1. N.p.: Da Capo Press, 1974. 1 vols. Print.
Scott-Stokes, Henry. The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima. First ed. Vol. 1. Toronto: Doubleday Canada Ltd, 1974. 1 vols. Print.
"Yukio Mishima." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 54-55. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 Mar. 2011.
Yourcenar, Margurite. Mishima: A Vision of the Void. Trans. Alberto Manguel. First ed. Vol. 1. Toronto: Collins Publishers, 1986. 1 vols. Print.
Royall, Tyler. ""I Am I": Genji and Murasaki." Monumenta Nipponica 54.4 (1999): 437, 475-476. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb. 2011.
Nō drama plays an important role in Japanese literature. It was an important entertainment in the old days. It also was significant in reflecting the Buddhist view of existence.1 Most of the Nō dramas were written according to popular novels or prose works. In this essay, I would like to introduce two Nō dramas, Atsumori and Nonomiya, as well as the respective sources references.
Keiko, Matsu-Gibson. 1995. “Noma Hiroshi’s Novelistic Synthesis of Buddhism and Marxism.” Japan Quarterly v.42, Apr/June p. 212-22.
On the other hand, Mishima in his war to revive the traditions of Japan conducted a revolution and took his own life driven by the need of the heroic death that Ryuuji had dreamed of but had been denied. Mishima’s carefully staged death was his final defiant move against westernization as he voluntarily chose to die with honor rather than succumb more and more to Western influence in his war with himself.
"Kagero Nikki." Anthology of Japanese Literature. 'Comp' . Donald Keene. New York: Grove Press, 1955. Print.
Yet Ryuji’s masculine desire, his ‘dark longing’, for what we can only presume is a heroic death at sea is made impossible by his decision to marry. It is difficult to ascertain where the author’s allegiance lies. A few years later, after attempting a fascistic coup d’état, Yukio Mishima committed Seppuka (ritual suicide) after his own deranged, sentimental, archaic notions on the progression of Japanese society were rejected. With the benefit of hindsight, this fact of his biography may suggest that the author’s own end was a realisation of his character’s
• Mishima, Yukio. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. Trans. John Nathan. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1965.
LaFleur, William R. The Karma of Words: Buddhism and the Literary Arts in Medieval Japan. 1983: University of California Press, Berkeley.
Lutz, R. C. "Kazuo Ishiguro." January 2009, Magill’s Survey of World Literature Revised ed.: 1-7. 16 11 2013. .
One of the defining characteristics of the Japanese is their outstanding ability to assimilate foreign culture, refine it and then transform it into something completely unique. Perhaps the best example of this is Noh drama which became popular in the 14th century during Japan’s so-called medieval period. Noh, which can be translated literally as ability, represents the historical culmination of Japan’s literary tradition which began with the importation of Chinese poetry during the Heian period. In this sense, Noh drama is aptly named because it clearly symbolizes the pinnacle of the Japanese ability to assimilate culture. Within a single Noh drama, countless references to earlier works from the Japanese literary canon can be found. These references are in turn based on even older works from the Chinese literary tradition. Thus the intertextuality of Noh is demonstrated through its unique tapestry of literary references. Yet, it is not absolutely necessary to be familiar with the works referenced as Noh itself is an entirely unique cultural production. One might say that Noh is the fine juice extract squeezed from the thousand year old fruit of Japanese literature. Everyone can drink it but to some the taste will not be so sweet. In other words, an understanding of the many references found throughout Noh drama will lead to a much greater appreciation of the art itself. Thus, when analyzing a work of Noh it is essential to also look at the sources of the references found within it. In order to demonstrate this fact an analysis of the Noh drama Hanjo will be presented.
Separation between lovers, sisters, or close friends can instill vivid emotions from characters in a novel. Emotions are often evoked through the sense-impressions, thoughts and memories of principal characters. At the same time, departure develops characterization, placing emphasis on a medley of styles and voices employed by writers. Both The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea (hereafter referred to as Sailor) by Yukio Mishima, translated by John Nathan, and Like Water for Chocolate (hereafter referred to as Chocolate) by Laura Esquivel, translated by Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen, reveal a stark contrast between characters’ departures. In Mishima’s novel, departing is an emotionally painful affair between Ryuji and Fusako; whereas through magic realism in Chocolate, departure acts as a release from a tyrannical household, taking readers to a more personalised understanding of characterisation and gender stereotypes central to the narratives. This essay will compare the importance and consequences of departures in both novels.
Mishima, Yukio. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. New York: Knopf, 1965. Print.
Griffith’s study also includes four different appendixes. The first is A Note from Wu Ch’I, the second is titled Sun Tzu’s Influence on Japanese Military Thought, the third is Sun Tzu in Western Languages, and the fourth appendix is Brief Biographies of the Commentators.
Throughout history, there has been an inescapable struggle between instilling ancestral customs and following the path of progress through adaptation. Author Yukio Mishima experienced this struggle during the time he wrote the novel The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea as his political ideology leaned towards conservatism and preserving traditional Japanese beliefs such as the samurai lifestyle. Post World War II was a transitional period for Japan as it started embracing the Western mannerisms of the Allied countries. Mishima’s internal conflict between this dichotomy -- westernization and traditionality -- is represented in the novel through the character of Noboru. Noboru struggles between his immersion in traditional
Mishima, Yukio. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. Trans. John Nathan. New York: Wideview/Perigee, 1965.