ABSTRACT
MIYABI GOTO
“Maihime” and the Space of Criticism in Meiji Japan
Mori Ōgai’s short story “Maihime” (The dancing girl, 1890) is arguably one of the most read texts of modern Japanese literature, yet a debate between the author and his contemporary Ishibashi Ningetsu remains understudied. Divulging the permeable relationship between critical language and literary writing, this debate offered a crucial site in which the field of literature was cultivated. In addition, the writers’ missives engendered a moment that digressed from the historical context within which they were encapsulated. This essay provides a reading of that moment and meditates upon the intricate process of literature’s production.
Volume 46, Number 2 (Summer 2020)
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