Japanese Gothic Tales

Kyoka Izumi

Published by University of Hawaii Press 1996

Japanese Gothic Tales

Kyoka Izumi
Translated by: Charles Shirō Inouye

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824863098

Overview
Contents

About this book

Resisting the various forms of realism popular during the Meiji "enlightenment," Izumi Kyoka (1873-1939) was among the most popular writers who continued to work in the old-fashioned genres of fantasy, mystery, and romance. Gothic Tales makes available for the first time a collection of stories by this highly influential writer, whose decadent romanticism led him to envision an idiosyncratic world--a fictive purgatory --precious and bizarre though always genuine despite its melodramatic formality.

The four stories presented here are among Kyoka's best-known works. They are drawn from four stages of the author's development, from the "conceptual novels" of 1895 to the fragmented romanticism of his mature work. In the way of introduction, Inouye presents a clear analysis of Kyoka's problematic stature as a "great gothic writer" and emphasizes the importance of Kyoka's work to the present reevaluation of literary history in general and modern Japanese literature in particular. The extensive notes that follow the translation serve as an intelligent guide for the reader, supplying details about each of the stories and how they fit into the pattern of mythic development that allowed Kyoka to deal with his fears in a way that sustained his life and, as Mishima Yukio put it, pushed the Japanese language to its highest potential.

Author / Editor information

Inouye Charles Shirō :

Charles Shirō Inouye is professor of Japanese at Tufts University.Charles Shirō Inouye is professor of Japanese at Tufts University.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction THE FAMILIARITY OF STRANGE PLACES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
The Surgery Room Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
The Holy Man of Mount Kōya Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
One Day in Spring Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
Osen and Sōkichi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Afterword: A DISCUSSION OF THE TALES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 214

eBook

Published: June 1, 1996
ISBN: 9780824863098