Adaptions of Western Literature in Meiji Japan
Author | : J. Miller |
Publisher | : Palgrave Macmillan |
Total Pages | : 180 |
Release | : 2002-02-08 |
ISBN-10 | : 0312239955 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780312239954 |
Rating | : 4/5 (55 Downloads) |
Download or read book Adaptions of Western Literature in Meiji Japan written by J. Miller and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2002-02-08 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines three examples of late nineteenth-century Japanese adaptations of Western literature: a biography of U.S. Grant recasting him as a Japanese warrior, a Victorian novel reset as oral performance, and an American melodrama redone as a serialized novel promoting the reform of Japanese theater. Written from a comparative perspective, it argues that adaptation (hon'an) was a valid form of contemporary Japanese translation that fostered creative appropriation across many genres and among a diverse group of writers and artists. In addition, it invites readers to reconsider adaptation in the context of translation theory.