Natsume Sōseki’s address to the new generation of literary figures: The writer’s thoughts on literary movements

Abstract

This article analyzes two theoretical works by the writer Natsume Sōseki ( 夏目漱石, 1867–1916): the essay "Merits and Flaws of -isms" ( イズムの功過, Izumu-no Kōka , 1910), in which Natsume Sōseki called on adherents of naturalism, prevalent in Japan in the early 20th century, not to view Japanese literature through the prisms of “isms” and to go beyond the boundaries set by them; and the writer’s lecture on literary theory titled “My Individualism” ( 私の個人主義, Watakushi-no Kojinshugi, 1914). This lecture marked the culmination of the writer’s years-long theoretical inquiries, the most significant of which was his unsuccessful, as he later acknowledged, monograph “Theory of Literature” ( 文学論, Bungakuron , 1907). However, Russian literary studies did not show any serious interest in Natsume Sōseki’s theoretical works, despite the fact that Natsume Sōseki’s thoughts on the appropriateness of using Western terminology to describe the works of Japanese artists are extremely intriguing. The writer insisted that literary theory should take into account the context of a particular culture rather than seek universal paths of development, resorting to typologies of literary development, etc. Natsume Sōseki became the first Japanese literary theorist to argue that ideological and artistic trends that emerged in European and American cultures, bearing their imprint and conditioned by specific historical processes, cannot be transposed as a template onto Japanese soil simply because certain elements of Western artistic currents are evident in the works of Japanese writers. The present study raises the question of the value of studying Natsume Sōseki’s theoretical writings because they shed light on how he conceptualized, scientifically grasped the regularities, essence, and course of development of Japanese literature, being one of the most influential literary figures of the Meiji era (明治時代, 1868–1912).

Keywords

• 20th century japanese literature
• natsume soseki
• literary theory
• critique