Description
Book SynopsisIntroduces the "Westernesque femme fatale," an alluring figure who is ethnically Japanese but evokes the West in her physical appearance, lifestyle, behavior, and, most important, her use of language.
Trade Review[An] insightful, carefully researched study... Highly recommended. Choice Richly textured... cogently argued, lucidly written, and offers the reader insights on both theoretical and biographical levels. -- Nanette Gottlieb Monumenta Nipponica Sirens of the Western Shore takes a fresh and detailed look at the topic of vernacular style in Meiji literature. -- Sarah Frederick Journal of Japanese Studies
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One Foreign Letters, the Vernacular, and Meiji Schoolgirls 1. Translation as Origin and the Originality of Translation 2. Meiji Schoolgirls in and as Language Part Two Tayama Katai and the Siren of Vernacular Letters 3. Portrait of the Naturalist as a Young Exote 4. Literary Desire and the Exotic Language of Love: From "Shoshijin" to Jokyoshi 5. Haunting the Laboratory of Vernacular Style: The Sirens of "Shojobyo" and Futon Part Three Staging the New Woman: The Spectacular Embodiment of "Nature" in Translation 6. Setting the Stage for Translation 7. Gender Drag, Culture Drag, and Female Interiority Final Reflections: Gender, Cultural Hierarchy, and Literary Style Notes Bibliography Index
