The Hirabayashi Hatsunosuke Reader
Mass Culture and Intermediality in Imperial Japan
The Hirabayashi Hatsunosuke Reader
Mass Culture and Intermediality in Imperial Japan
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Description
This edited volume brings a wide array of writings by Hirabayashi Hatsunosuke, one of 20th-century Japan's most important intellectuals, into the English language for the first time. Part One contains translations of Hirabayashi's fiction that embody the diversity of his work, including science fiction ('The Artificial Human'), detective fiction ('The Apartment Murder'), and more idiosyncratic works such as 'Demon at the Pulpit', an antitheist and anticlerical story.
In Part Two, The Hirabayashi Hatsunosuke Reader also provides a range of invaluable auxiliary critical essays which are written by expert scholars based in the USA, the UK, Australia, Italy and Japan. These essays examine Hirabayashi's views on numerous topics, including the emerging women's movement, popular politics, Marxist theory, filmic and literary trends, and the relationship between mass production and modern aesthetics.
Sometimes referred to as 'Japan's Walter Benjamin', Hirabayashi is widely known in Japanology, but has remained inaccessible to the English-speaking world until now. This book reveals how his varied literary texts and essays capture the rapid transformation of Japanese society and culture before World War Two in a way that makes them an integral part of the history of global modernity.
Table of Contents
Part One - Short Fiction
1. 'The Artificial Human' Seth Jacobowitz (Texas State University, USA)
2. 'The Discipline of Steel' James Dorsey (Dartmouth College, USA)
3. 'Demon at the Pulpit' Rebecca Suter (University of Sydney, Australia)
4. 'Woman of Mystery' Gabriel Fernandes (Independent Scholar, USA)
5. 'An Adventure on a Summer Night' James Dorsey (Dartmouth College, USA)
6. 'The Apartment Murderer' Gabriel Fernandes (Independent Scholar, USA)
7. 'A Night at the Zoo' Seth Jacobowitz (Texas State University, USA)
8. 'Two Blind Men' James Dorsey (Dartmouth College, USA)
9. 'This Is How I Died!' Seth Jacobowitz (Texas State University, USA)
Part Two - Critical Essays
10. The Technological Revolution in Literature and the Arts Seth Jacobowitz (Texas State University, USA)
11. Film as a Mechanism of Americanization William Huber (Abertay University, UK)
12. On Popular Literature Gala Maria Follaco (Università degli Studi di Napoli 'L'Orientale', Italy)
13. On the Current State of Japan's Literary Elite Aaron William Moore (University of Edinburgh, UK)
14. The Genius of Popular Literature Gala Maria Follaco (Università degli Studi di Napoli 'L'Orientale', Italy)
15. The True Nature of Literature, Parts 1 and 2 James Dorsey (Dartmouth College, USA)
16. Political Value and Artistic Value James Dorsey (Dartmouth College, USA)
17. On Professionalization in the Arts Gala Maria Follaco (Università degli Studi di Napoli 'L'Orientale', Italy)
18. The Professionalization of Fiction Writing and the Problem of Poor Manuscripts Gala Maria Follaco (Università degli Studi di Napoli 'L'Orientale', Italy)
19. On Reality in the Arts Giuseppe Strippoli [PhD student] (University of Edinburgh, UK)
20. On the Power of Expression in the Novel Aaron William Moore (University of Edinburgh, UK)
21. The Modern Novel as Commodity Nathan Shockey (Bard College, USA)
22. The Embodiment of the Modern Era Yingzi Feng [PhD student] (University of Edinburgh, UK)
23. What Is Developmental Thought? Federico Marcon (Princeton University, USA)
24. Psychological Descriptions in the Novel Aaron William Moore (University of Edinburgh, UK)
25. Introduction to the Theory of Social Science Methodology Federico Marcon (Princeton University, USA)
26. Problems in Cultural Science Christopher Perkins (University of Edinburgh, UK)
27. Self-Reflection Christopher Perkins (University of Edinburgh, UK)
28. Social Criticism Yingzi Feng [PhD student] (University of Edinburgh, UK)
29. The Objective of the Women's Movement Aaron William Moore (University of Edinburgh, UK)
30. The Social Task of the Youth Corps Aaron William Moore (University of Edinburgh, UK)
31. Agrarian Literature: A Personal View Seth Jacobowitz (Texas State University, USA)
32. The Social Basis of Modernism Yingzi Feng [PhD student] (University of Edinburgh, UK)
33. Literature Fifty Years in the Future Aaron William Moore (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Afterword Sugamoto Yasuyuki (Fuji Women's University, Japan)
Index
Product details
| Published | 21 Aug 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 256 |
| ISBN | 9781350378162 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 10 bw illus |
| Series | SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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