| NOTA |
(★)(To Lafcadio Hearn at the turn of the twentieth century, Japan´s most priceless objets d´art were not the delicate masterpieces of its fine arts but its women. Today, the women of Japan are viewed with a mixture of old stereotypes and new misconceptions. ´The Mother of Dreams´is an anthology of modern Japanese fiction portraying Japanese women, arranged according to five categories : the maiden, the mistress, the wife, the mother, and the working woman.／ These short stories span a period that has seen great changes in the status of Japanese women. There has also been a transformation in women´s expectations of themselves and of the people around them. Such changes are manifest in the treatment of the protagonists in this anthology, some of whom adhere to traditional roles while others seek to find new functions and attitudes.／ The young maidens in the three short pieces by Nobel laureate Kawabata Yasunari contrast sharply with the contemporary women, such as the ordinary housewife and budding actress portrayed by Mori Yoko. But just as significant as change is continuity. The mistress-turned-stripper-turned-prostitute of Nagai Kafu´s immediate postwar world has much in common with Kaiko Takeshi´s virgin-whore from the period of the Korean War. Such images are in turn challenged by the middle-aged geisha portrayed by Enchi Fumiko and the young mother who abandons her child in Setouchi Harumi´s piece, women whose depth of emotion defies the stereotypes assigned to them by their class and their occupation.／ Professor Ueda´s anthology presents some of the finest work of Japan´s major writers, both female and male, on a subject of truly universal significance. At a time when change and continuity pose problems as well as solutions in the search for identity and meaning in our lives, The Mother of Dreams provides thought-provoking and meaningful material for us all.／ ◆Makoto Ueda is Professor Emeritus of Japanese at Stanford University. He has served as Chairman of the Department of Asian Languages and Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the university. Professor Ueda´s numerous publications in English include ´Literary and Art Theories in Japan (Western Reserve University Press)´, ´Matsuo Bashoo (Kodansha International)´, ´Modern Japanese Writers and the Nature of Literature (Stanford University Press)´, ´Modern Japanese Haiku (University of Toronto Press)´, ´Modern Japanese Tanka (Columbia University Press)´, and ´The Path of Flowering Thorn : The Life and Poetry of Yosa Buson (Stanford University Press)´.／ ▼CONTENTS／ ●THE MAIDEN／THREE VERY SHORT STORIES(Tanagokoro no shoosetsu, 掌の小説, Kawabata Yasunari)／Autumn Rain(Aki no ame, 秋の雨)／Socks(Tabi, 足袋)／Beyond Death(Fushi, 不死)／ A MARRIAGE INTERVIEW(Miai no hi, 見合いの日, Inoue Yasushi)／ EVENING BELLS(Banshoo, 晩鐘, Harada Yasuko)／ ●THE WIFE／THE LADY WHO ENTERTAINED(Kyoo-oo Fujin, 饗応婦人, Dazai Osamu)／ UMBRELLA ON A MOONLIT NIGHT(Tsukiyo no kasa, 月夜の傘, Tsuboi Sakae)／ WAIT A YEAR AND A HALF(Ichinenhan mate, 一年半､待て, Matsumoto Seichoo)／ TWO BEDTIME STORIES(Beddo no otogibanashi (ベッドの御伽噺), Mori Yooko)／Be It Ever So Humble(Sasayakana koofuku, ささやかな幸福)／Spring Storm(Haru no arashi, 春の嵐)／ ●THE MISTRESS／NUDE(Ratai, 裸体, Nagai Kafu)／ A CERTAIN VOICE(Aru koe, ある声, Kaikoo Takeshi)／ BLIND MAN´S BUFF(Mekura oni, めくら鬼, Enchi Fumiko)／ ●THE MOTHER／THE MOTHER OF DREAMS(Haha rokuya, 母六夜, Oooka Shoohei)／ PHEASANT(Kiji, 雉, Setouchi Harumi)／ A WOMAN TO CALL MOTHER(Haha to iu onna, 母という女, Hirabayashi Taiko)／ ●THE WORKING WOMAN／SONG OF A DEAD GIRL(Shinda musume ga utatta..., 死んだ娘が歌った, Abe Kobo)／ THE TOMOSHIBI(Tomoshibi, ともしび, Ariyoshi Sawako)／ LADY OF THE EVENING FACES(Yuugao no onna, 夕顔の女, Hiraiwa Yumie)) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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