ORIENT: Japan Centre Seminar (Friday, 12 May, 12pm): Sachiko Matsushita

[Shunichi Ishihara]

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Japan Centre Seminar Series
   - see: 
http://asianstudies.anu.edu.au/wiki/index.php/Japan_Centre_Seminars

   Friday, 12th May, 2006, 12pm
   ANU, Faculty of Asian Studies, BPB E2.12
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Title: The Overarching Theme of Parts 1-2 of The Tale of Genji

Speaker: Sachiko Matsushita, Faculty of Asian Studies, The Japna Centre

Abstract:: I investigate the overarching theme of parts 1 and 2 of The 
Tale of Genji (early 11th century), which is considered the best 
monogatari in Japan. The Tale of Genji has intrigued those who have read 
it, and it has inspired various categories of critical writing. However, 
there have been few studies on the theme of it, and no comprehensive 
study of the theme. In this presentation I review previous studies 
concerning the theme of Genji from the 12th century to the modern times. 
Simultaneously, I regard monogatari as the tale, which is narrated 
through stories about male-female relationships. The Tale of Genji 
depicts the inner life of characters, using interior monologue in 
particular. Interior monologue, a category of discourse to reveal 
characters  thoughts and emotions from characters  viewpoint, provides 
insights into the states of mind of characters. I pursue the theme, 
which is defined as what lies behind these relationships, exploring 
characteristics of the malefemale relationships woven by central 
characters defined as those with higher frequency of interior monologue. 
I propose the overarching theme of parts 1 and 2 of the tale.

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Shunichi Ishihara (PhD, MSc, MA)
The Australian National University
Faculty of Asian Studies, The Japan Centre
Canberra, ACT 0200

t: +61 2 6125 4656
f: +61 2 6125 3144
m: +61 415317574
w: www.anu.edu.au/~u9504440/
CRICOS: 00120C