500彩票网

Comparative Literature became an academic discipline in nineteenth-century France; its history spans more than 130 years. Having begun as the study of influence and reception that transcended linguistic and national divisions in Europe, it became mainstream after World War II, particularly in the United States, and introduced a series of critical theories to the humanities in general. In Japan, the Japan Comparative Literature Association was founded after the war, in 1948, and postgraduate level education began at the University of Tokyo in 1953.
 
In Japan, it was realized early on that the study of comparative literature was inseparable from the study of culture, its context. As research flourished, its scope was not confined to relationships with Europe and America but expanded to include East Asia. As ties were formed with research on translation and comparative studies of the arts, the range of topics grew wider. However, as the field’s boundaries expanded, introducing the field to newcomers became more difficult.
 
The several dozen contributors to this unprecedented handbook write for those new to the field, introducing basic concepts, academic terminology, the history of the discipline, and what current trends suggest about the future of comparative research in literature, the arts, and culture. Part I, “Comparative Research: Theory and Essential Concepts,” provides the fundamentals. The eighty-eight individual items are divided into seven categories: “History and Concepts,” “Methods,” “Translation,” “Genres in Comparative Literature,” “Comparative Art,” “Comparative Culture,” and “Comparative Literature and Comparative Culture in East Asia.” Part II is a beginner’s annotated bibliography designed to point newcomers to books that suit their specific interests.
 
Papers that target researchers (histories of comparative literature in various countries, social surveys related to comparative education, etc) can be found at
 
These articles are freely available, accessible via QR codes. Their purpose is to contribute to the advancement of comparative literature and cultural studies in the twenty-first century.
 
To be clear, however, comparative literature is not a simple “comparison” of A and B. After its approximately 130 years of history, comparative literature in the twenty-first century can be broadly described as “the study of literature, art, and culture that questions existing boundaries such as national borders, languages, and genres.” Thus, for instance, the significance of Natsume Sōseki’s works is not confined to modern Japan or the Japanese language alone. Their relationships with foreign books that influenced Sōseki, with thinkers who influenced him, and with his own experiences abroad are also important. If, for example, we view the femme fatale motif as our key, we may discover links with works unknown to Sōseki himself. Studies of the beautiful books resulting from Sōseki’s friendships with artists, of texts and illustrations in terms of the comparative arts are also significant. While tracing Sōseki’s deepening reflections on Japan’s rapid modernization and Westernization, one might also consider, in terms of comparative culture studies, his stance toward the colonies annexed by Japan. The comparative literature perspective can open new ground in that area. Sōseki was an author who wrote only in Japanese, but during the same period there were authors who wrote in both Japanese and Korean. How should we read their works? In this way comparative literature becomes the study of not just literature alone but also the arts and culture. It is the first step towards the realization that humans and their societies are not discrete and isolated entities but share a mixture of diverse elements. This book is based on that concept and is the first handbook in Japan compiled on comparative literature, comparative art, and comparative culture. It is our heartfelt hope that this handbook, the first in Japan to include comparative art and comparative culture as well as comparative literature, will serve as a guide and companion for those embarking on the vast sea that is research and reading in this domain.
 

(Written by IMAHASHI Eiko, Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences / 2025)