This volume surveys major writers and works in Japanese literature from the 712 CE publication of The Kojiki to contemporary authors. It focuses on key themes and qualities, particularly the lyrical nature of Japanese literature and the local qualities of a work in the Japanese context in comparison to its universal qualities, as well as how Japanese traditionalism intersects with foreign influences, the group context for premodern literary production, and the relationship between literature and other disciplines of art, narrative performance, and other areas. It describes the rise of Japanese literature in the context of Chinese borrowing in the sixth and seventh centuries, focusing on Buddhism and Confucianism, and their interaction with the native Shinto-based culture and belief system; the literature of the Heian period, including Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji; writing inspired by the samurai class in the medieval period, focusing on The Tale of the Heike; Tokugawa period literature, including popular fiction involving money and sex, and haiku by Basho and other poets; the prewar period, including novels by Natsume Soseki, historical stories by Mori Ogai, and short stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke; the transition from postwar literature focusing on defeat and recovery to works reflecting the vibrant and creative literary scene of the 1950s and 1960s, including those by Mishima Yukio, Ooka Shohei, Abe Kobo, Kawabata Yasunari, and Oe Kenzaburo; and the literature of the 1970s and 1980s, including works by Murakami Haruki. Annotation 2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
