Book chapter
The Rise of Women Writers, the Heisei I-Novel, and the Contemporary Bundan 1
Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature, pp.316-329
Routledge, Second edition
2025
DOI: 10.4324/9781003508229-28
Abstract
This chapter examines the evolution of the Japanese bundan (literary establishment) and the rise of women writers during the Heisei era (1989-2019). It highlights how, despite extraordinary changes in the literary world since the term held sway in prewar Japan, the concept of the bundan continues to be useful in defining the structure of the literary establishment. The discussion focuses on the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes as key gateways to literary recognition - albeit in very different ways - emphasizing the way that the increasing prominence of women as editors and judges has had a positive effect on the prominence of women writers. Next, through a close reading of works by Tsumura Kikuko (b.1978), Nishimura Kenta (1967-2022), and Nakajima Kyōko (b.1964), the chapter demonstrates how women writers have reinvigorated the male-dominated I-novel tradition, turning tropes of alienation, gendered labour, and the male gaze on their heads.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Rise of Women Writers, the Heisei I-Novel, and the Contemporary Bundan 1
- Creators
- Kendall Heitzman
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publication Details
- Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature, pp.316-329
- Edition
- Second edition
- DOI
- 10.4324/9781003508229-28
- Publisher
- Routledge; Abingdon, Oxon
- Alternative title
- The Rise of Women Writers
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2025
- Academic Unit
- Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures
- Record Identifier
- 9984944724102771
Metrics
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