James Reichert | Literature for the Masses

Please enjoy James Reichert speaking on his new book, "Literature for the Masses: Japanese Period Fiction, 1913–1941."

"Literature for the Masses" is the first English-language book on popular stories known in Japan alternatively as period fiction or mass literature. It highlights the important cultural and ideological work performed by this ubiquitous, yet overlooked, literary form. Focused on the years 1913 to 1941, which coincide exactly with the rise of industrial capitalism and mass culture in Japan, the book challenges the conventional wisdom that period-themed entertainment was an anachronistic holdover from the past. Through a close analysis of well-known examples of the genre, such as Nakazato Kaizan’s "The Great Buddha Pass" (1913–1921), Yoshikawa Eiji’s "Miyamoto Musashi" (1935–1939), and Mikami Otokichi’s "The Transformation of Yukinojō" (1934–1935), James Reichert shows how these materials were thoroughly integrated into both the modern media ecosystem and the creative sphere of the written arts.

About the Speaker:

James Reichert is Associate Professor of Modern Japanese Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University. He has written on representations of male-male sexuality in Meiji-era literature, silent Japanese film, 19th-century illustrated books, newspaper novels, and the role of fetishism in the writing of Tanizaki Jun’ichirō.

Видео James Reichert | Literature for the Masses канала Stanford Humanities Center