소세키 문학 속 재해

Abstract

This study examines the aspects and characteristics of disasters depicted in Souseki’s works. Souseki’s works depict fires, earthquakes, storms, and epidemics, among other disasters. Fires are featured prominently in “Sanshirō” and “Mon,” earthquakes in “Sorekara,” storms in “Koujin”, and epidemics in “Sorekara” and “Kokoro”. Souseki effectively inserts the descriptions of various disasters that occurred in society at the time of writing into his works, but does not directly depict the damage caused by the disasters or the lives of the victims. The disaster brings out the personalities of characters such as Daisuke and Kenzo clearly, and it has a major impact on the fates of Sousuke, Zirou, Sensei, and Michiyo. Disasters not only reflect the state of the Meiji era and people’s lives, but are also keywords that effectively convey a series of themes that run through Souseki’s works, such as anxiety, loneliness, and distrust. This study is significant in that it focuses on the keyword “disaster” to analyze Souseki’s works.