시마자키 도손의『어린이에게(幼きものに)』론- 충실한 부모로서의 출발 -

Abstract

This study examines the growth of Tōson as a parent beginning after his stay in France through 『To Children』(1917). Just before he fled to France, his wife suddenly died. As a widower, he had to take care of his young children in an unavoidable situation, and his early parental consciousness was immature and negative. However, through 『When the Cherries Ripen』(1917), he began to consider mother and maternity in a positive light in a distant country and, after returning home, started to rely on his mother as a parent. Thus, Tōson’s parental consciousness began to evolve around the mother. However, the ‘father’ as a parent appeared for the first time in 『To Children』, which was released during the same time period. The fact that ‘mother’ appeared at the same time reveals that he was trying to show a true parental affection, caring only about the comfort of his children without being biased. In other words, 『To Children』 was the first work in which Tōson showed the right concept of parents. Alongside his development and establishment of a parental consciousness as is shown in 『To Children』, Tōson also began to develop as a full-fledged parent in the 1920s. The short stories in 『Hometown』(1920), a collection of more than 200 fairy tales, 『Childhood stories』(1924), and『Storm』(1927) show his process of raising children as a faithful parent. As such, 『To Children』 demonstrates that Tōson became fully aware of ‘parental consciousness’, and it is the key to explain how Tōson’s literature in the 1920s developed.