The Abduction of the Imperial Princess: The Form of Narrative Counterpoint in <i>Utsuho-monogatari</i>

Hongu Hiroyuki

doi:10.20620/nihonbungaku.61.12_1

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

『うつほ物語』の内親王獲得
『うつほ物語』の内親王獲得 : 仲忠と祐澄の明暗
『ウツホモノガタリ』ノナイシンノウカクトク : ナカチュウトユウチョウノメイアン
――仲忠と祐澄の明暗――

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Description

<p>This article will examine the narrative structure of Utsuho-monogatari in the episode of Minamoto-no-Sukezumi's attempted abduction of Onna-Ninomiya. The well-constructed episode skillfully narrates how Sukezumi tries to commit such an extraordinary crime of kidnapping the imperial princess. By casting Fujiwara-no-Nakatada as a hero who saves the princess from the villain, the oldest full-length narrative showed a way of dramatically exploiting the pattern of narrative counterpoint that consists of good and evil or light and shadow.</p>

Journal

Japanese Literature

Japanese Literature 61 (12), 1-12, 2012

Japanese Literature Association