近代における貞操論争と小町像 －二つの短編を中心に－

Abstract

This paper analyzes modern novels tagged with the motif of Ono no Komachi to consider how they reflect the modern age. In the 1920s, the controversy about chastity had been actively discussed in women’s magazines such as Seito. Various opinions were expressed on this subject, and one of the most widely accepted opinions among women was that the idea of chastity is based on love for love’s sake. As part of that discussion, an iconic Japanese woman from an ancient era was re-evaluated. Ono no Komachi, a woman who fell in love with many men while refusing to marry a man, was praised as a woman who retained her chastity all her life.　Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Futari Komachi, displaying the motif of Ono no Komachi, depicts women’s sexual independence, which was overlooked in the chastity controversy. On the other hand, Kanoko Okamoto’s Komachi no Shakuyaku depicted Komachi as a hero who is oriented toward spiritual romance and reminds us of the intellectuals of the Meiji period who were ruined. Thus, in modern times, Komachi is linked with a new sexual ideology, and serves as a symbol for various discourses around it.