Modernism and Japanese Culture - Softcover

Starrs, R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0230346448 ISBN 13: 9780230346444

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Synopsis

Offering an in-depth and comprehensive account of the complex history of Japanese modernism, in this book Roy Starrs considers the concept of modernism as encompassing not just the aesthetic avant-garde but a wide spectrum of social, political and cultural phenomena. He looks at Japanese modernism from the mid-19th century 'opening to the West' until the 21st-century, globalized world of 'postmodernism'; from the early Meiji 'cult of modernity' to the early Showa attempt to 'overcome modernity'. In this way, the book presents the history of Japanese modernism not as a straightforward, linear narrative of progressive acceptance and adaptation but more as a dialectical, back-and-forth oscillation between the two poles of acceptance and rejection, modernism and anti-modernism. Furthermore, Starrs shows that Japanese modernism was not simply the outcome of the passive reception of a unidirectional modern Western influence but of a complex cross-cultural interchange between East and West, modernity and tradition. In particular, he shows that traditional Japanese culture was very much part of that cultural mix, and a prime source of inspiration for modernists in both Japan and the West. Thus the book also convincingly demonstrates that Japan served as an active agent at certain key moments in the history of world modernism.

About this title

Product Description:

Modernism and Japanese Culture

Review:

'With this, Starrs has picked up where he left off from his previous trilogy on Japanese literature, providing readers with another informative and challenging study. In so doing, he provides us with fresh insights into a topic that has been restored to a leading place in a variety of debates in recent years: Japan's approach to the modernist agenda when reassessed against the backdrop of postmodernist discourse. Once more, we are indebted to Starrs for his clear and concise analysis and attention to detail.' - Mark Williams, Chair, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Leeds, UK

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0230346448
• ISBN 13: 9780230346444
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 342