Publication Date:
2017
abstract:
Nagai Kafū’s Soundscapes:
An Iconology of Sound in his early-Shōwa Writings
FOLLACO Gala Maria
It is very well known that urban spatialities play a crucial role in Nagai Kafū’ s oeuvre. As scholarship both inside and outside Japan has demonstrated, the world described by Kafū is first and foremost an urban world. Urban space, in his work, does not only encapsulate manyfold and deep meaning, but helps clarify important themes related to the broader one of “modernity”, such as “self”, “society”, and “identity”.
Further, the significance of sound ̶ especially music ̶ in his literature has been thoroughly discussed, showing to what extent this author valued music and incorporated it in his writing, from the juvenile years he spent abroad through his most representative novel ̶ "A Strange Tale from East of the River" (1937).
This paper draws on the 'Soundscape' theory formulated by R. Murray Schafer and others in order to analyze the form and function of urban sounds in Kafū’s representation of Tokyo in the fast-changing context of early-Shōwa Japan.
In particular, it focuses on the soundscapes described in “The Voice of the Bell”, “The Ditch” and “Notes from Terajima” (1936)with the aim of discuss- ing his literary influences and the relationship of these zuihitsu with "A Strange Tale", and to gauge the impact of modern urban transformations on Kafū’s writing.
An Iconology of Sound in his early-Shōwa Writings
FOLLACO Gala Maria
It is very well known that urban spatialities play a crucial role in Nagai Kafū’ s oeuvre. As scholarship both inside and outside Japan has demonstrated, the world described by Kafū is first and foremost an urban world. Urban space, in his work, does not only encapsulate manyfold and deep meaning, but helps clarify important themes related to the broader one of “modernity”, such as “self”, “society”, and “identity”.
Further, the significance of sound ̶ especially music ̶ in his literature has been thoroughly discussed, showing to what extent this author valued music and incorporated it in his writing, from the juvenile years he spent abroad through his most representative novel ̶ "A Strange Tale from East of the River" (1937).
This paper draws on the 'Soundscape' theory formulated by R. Murray Schafer and others in order to analyze the form and function of urban sounds in Kafū’s representation of Tokyo in the fast-changing context of early-Shōwa Japan.
In particular, it focuses on the soundscapes described in “The Voice of the Bell”, “The Ditch” and “Notes from Terajima” (1936)with the aim of discuss- ing his literary influences and the relationship of these zuihitsu with "A Strange Tale", and to gauge the impact of modern urban transformations on Kafū’s writing.
Iris type:
1.1 Articolo in rivista
Keywords:
Nagai Kafū, Modern Japanese Literature, Soundscape
List of contributors:
Follaco, Gala Maria
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