최근 일본문학의 동향 - 하루키 소설을 그 연결고리로 하여

Abstract

This study discusses the recent trend of Japanese literature, especially Japanese novels from the formal aspect, thematic aspect and marketing aspect of approaching the readers in order to understand it. Raising objection to the distinction between pure literature and popular literature, recent Japanese literature moves to popular literature beyond pure literature, while influenced from subculture, it turns into light literature, centered around the enjoyers (readers) like communication literature rather than being reduced to literary history. First, from the formal aspect, Japanese literature, including Haruki Murakami's literature, which can be said to be a representative of it, was obtaining its own freshness from the Western style of writing. In addition, Japanese naturalism distorted since the acceptance of French naturalism popularized I-novels and first-person point of view in novels with the writers as protagonists with weapons of personal confession and revelation. I-novels continue evolving in modern novels, obtaining sociality beyond personal revelation. Moreover, recent young people's mobile phone novels were exhibiting their power as communication literature with characteristics of I-novel. From the thematic aspect, recent Japanese novels are prominently characterized by 'the absence of father’ centering around family romance. ‘The absence of the father’ may be interpreted as breaking the authority. In the meantime, along with the absence, the parallel world can be seen as a characteristic in Japanese literature, taking the opportunity of the recent Great Earthquake in East Japan on March 11. Literature of Haruki Murakami, who is emerging as a strong candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature contains formal and thematic features of Japanese literature as it is. Haruki’s literature that focuses on the marketing aspect of approaching readers leads a boom in East Asia, as the power of literature itself and entertainment factor of his literature gain popularity, while it stretches itself as a global literature.