Inventive Fiction in Meiji Period Literature: A Re-reading of Mori Ogai’s “The Great Discovery”
Abstract
This article presents an analysis of “The Great Discovery” (大発見), one of Mori Ōgai’s little-known short stories that was first published in the Kokoro no hana magazine in 1909. The story consists of a fictionalized version of some of Ōgai’s experiences as an exchange student in Germany from 1884 to 1888. The story’s narrator problematizes the term 発見 (hakken) and puts it in contrast with its English equivalent “discover”, beginning the tale with a thorough meta-linguistic consideration of said concept by which he proposes that the terms “discover” and “invent” are actually ambiguous within the Western system of thought.
In literature, contrasts between the West and Japan abound during the Meiji period due to an individuation vs. assimilation dilemma regarding foreign influences. Both through the story’s writing style and themes, Mori Ōgai offers us a glimpse into his own political posture regarding this conundrum.
Following said analysis, I intend to explore a new reading of the story that sheds light on the way humor operates within the narration and the values and ideals it subverts. To this end, I shall compare the story’s structure with the popular theater form of rakugo and analyze in more detail the parody that Ōgai builds around the scientific method and European positivist thinking.
Downloads
Article download
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Mirai. Estudios Japoneses is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
