The Novels of Oe Kenzaburo

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Asian, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies
Cover of the book The Novels of Oe Kenzaburo by Yasuko Claremont, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Yasuko Claremont ISBN: 9781134118335
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 1, 2008
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Yasuko Claremont
ISBN: 9781134118335
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 1, 2008
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Ôe Kenzaburô was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994. This critical study examines Ôe’s entire career from 1957 – 2006 and includes chapters on Ôe’s later novels not published in English. Through close readings at different points in Ôe’s career Yasuko Claremont establishes the spiritual path that he has taken in its three major phrases of nihilism, atonement, and salvation, all highlighted against a background of violence and suicidal despair that saturate his pages. Ôe uses myth in two distinct ways: to link mankind to the archetypal past, and as a critique of contemporary society. Equally, he depicts the great themes of redemption and salvation on two levels: that of the individual atoning for a particular act, and on a universal level of self-abnegation, dying for others. In the end it is Ôe’s ethical concerns that win out, as he turns to the children, the inheritors of the future, ‘new men in a new age’ who will have the power and desire to redress the ills besetting the world today. Essentially, Ôe is a moralist, a novelist of ideas whose fiction is densely packed with references from Western thought and poetry.

This book is an important read for scholars of Ôe Kenzaburô’s work and those studying Japanese Literature and culture more generally.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Ôe Kenzaburô was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994. This critical study examines Ôe’s entire career from 1957 – 2006 and includes chapters on Ôe’s later novels not published in English. Through close readings at different points in Ôe’s career Yasuko Claremont establishes the spiritual path that he has taken in its three major phrases of nihilism, atonement, and salvation, all highlighted against a background of violence and suicidal despair that saturate his pages. Ôe uses myth in two distinct ways: to link mankind to the archetypal past, and as a critique of contemporary society. Equally, he depicts the great themes of redemption and salvation on two levels: that of the individual atoning for a particular act, and on a universal level of self-abnegation, dying for others. In the end it is Ôe’s ethical concerns that win out, as he turns to the children, the inheritors of the future, ‘new men in a new age’ who will have the power and desire to redress the ills besetting the world today. Essentially, Ôe is a moralist, a novelist of ideas whose fiction is densely packed with references from Western thought and poetry.

This book is an important read for scholars of Ôe Kenzaburô’s work and those studying Japanese Literature and culture more generally.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Architecture History and Theory in Reverse by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Georg Simmel: Rembrandt by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book The Advertising Agency (RLE Marketing) by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book The Business of the Novel by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Human Learning by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Debating Human Rights by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book The Tôkaidô Road by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Castro by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Americans with Disabilities by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book The Special Theory of Relativity by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Reader's Guide to Literature in English by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Nationalism In Uzbekistan by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Communities of Women in Assam by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book The Architecture of Information by Yasuko Claremont
Cover of the book Finance in Developing Countries by Yasuko Claremont
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy