Study Document
Japanese Literature the Stories of Traditional Japanese Essay
Pages:2 (738 words)
Sources:2
Subject:Literature
Topic:Literature
Document Type:Essay
Document:#83405056
Japanese Literature
The stories of traditional Japanese literature contributed to the creation of Japan's cultural identity, just as all national literature contributes to the country of their origin. There are specific characteristics of a nation which influence and are influence by the psychological and sociological setting in which they were created. In the Japanese culture, there is a high emphasis placed both on nature and the natural world. What is granted to humanity by a higher power must be protected, preserved, and appreciated. This love and care for the natural world is evident in many pieces of Japanese literature, particularly in the short stories "The Lady who Admired Vermin" and "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter."
In the story "The Lady Who Admired Vermin," the main character is interested in vermin, rather than butterflies or flowers as other young women care about. The reason for this is that she finds caterpillars and insects to be more fascinating. Although flowers and butterflies are also part of the natural world, everyone chooses to admire them while being reviled by other bugs. This woman loves worms and caterpillars because they are of nature and because few else would deign to love them. She also detests makeup or other means by which a person could hide their true self. The author writes that she "never plucked her eyebrows, and never applied took blackening because she thought it was bothersome and dirty" (Lady 257). Women in Japan would wear makeup and do other cosmetic things to make themselves seem more appealing to men. This is counter to the Japanese promotion and preference of nature and being natural. In this, even though the woman is different from her peers, she is actually a closer version of the ideal Japanese aesthetic than other flower-loving women.
Nature also presents itself as a theme in traditional Japanese literature in the short fairy tale "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." In this story, a young girl named Kaguyahime is born of nature, rather than man. Her father figure discovers her while toiling in his bamboo cutting. His child is extremely beautiful and wins the love of wealthy young men, princes, and even the emperor of Japan. However, this girl…
Sample Source(s) Used
Works Cited:
Abe, Hajime. "The View of Nature in Japanese Literature." Nagareyama, Chiba, Japan: Toyo
Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: a Very Short Introduction. New York, NY: Oxford
University. 1997. Print.
"The Lady Who Admired Vermin." Classical Japanese Prose: an Anthology. Ed. Helen
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