Breaking into Japanese Literature/Identity: Tatemae and Honne

Abstract

Due to the application of Euro-centered methods of interpretation, literary criticism hasoverlooked key social aspects that are characteristic of Japanese literature. Among these much-neglectedcharacteristics one can include the paired concepts tatemae and honne. By incorporating those conceptsinto a reading of Japanese texts, the reader can discover social issues previously unseen. BananaYosimoto’s novel Kitchen is used to illustrate the different interactions of tatemae and honne.

Keywords

• Japanese
• literature
• interpretation
• tatemae
• society
• Banana Yoshimoto.