村上春樹論 ―「純文學」「サブカルチャ-」のワクを超えて

Abstract

In thinking about modern literature, is it possible to say that to categorise writers (or their works) by terms such as "polite literature" or "subculture" can have an effective meaning?In this paper, I considered this problem by focussing on two writers who represent modern-day Japan, Kenzaburo Oe and Haruki Murakami. When explaining the concept of "polite literature" defined by Oe, I examined it in terms of Murakami, who was judged as "subculture" outside the bounds of Oe's definition of "polite literature".By means of this consideration, I aimed to examine what is the difference between Oe and Murakami (or whether there is, or isn't, a difference), and also what kind of literature the two aspire to.