ラフカディオ・ハーンと繋がりの意識 : 『怪談』における再話の方法について

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  • ラフカディオ ハーン ト ツナガリ ノ イシキ カイダン ニ オケル サイワ ノ ホウホウ ニ ツイテ
  • Lafcadio Hearn and His Sense of Continuity : On How Stories are Retold in Kwaidan

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Abstract

Lafcadio Hearn is a writer who has brought his genius into full play on the subject matters of intercultural differences. Although Hearn was attracted to the social differences between Old Japan and New Japan, American subcultures and Creole culture, he also harboured a deep-seated interest in the possibility of a principle which may subsume all living creatures into one huge community. I have tried to show in this essay that he found such a principle in Herbert Spencer's philosophy on evolution and the Buddhist doctrine of transmigration. However, I also indicate that Hearn's sense of continuity is an extremely emotional one and it is impossible to contain his love towards all living things into a prescriptive way of thinking such as Spencerianism and Buddhism. I have paid great attention to how Japanese original stories are retold in Hearn's Kwaidan (1904). Giving consideration to his thoughts displayed in some of his essays in Kotto (1902) and Exotics and Retrospectives (1898), I analyse several stories in Kwaidan and discuss how his sense of continuity functions in them. I examine 'Oshidori' and 'Ubazakura' from the viewpoint of Hearn's respect for the power of love beyond the difference of species. I discuss 'Mujina' so that I can show Hearn's intention to sublimate the trauma he experienced in his boyhood. Finally I discuss 'The Story of O-Tei' and 'The Story of Aoyagi' to show how Hearn was attracted to the power of love which connects man and woman beyond time and space.

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