日系アメリカ文学のジャポニズムとアメリカニズム : 人種と世代を超えて

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This paper examines Japanese-American literature as a cultural bridge from a Japanese point of view, and evaluates representative texts in view of the achievements of post-modernist fiction. I first introduce Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day and his representation of the Japanese as a reference point, and proceed to review Nisei Daughter (1953) by Monica Sone and No-No Boy (1957) by John Okada, and point out evidence of Japonism and Americanism in the two texts. Then I proceed to more recent works, such as Polite Lies (1997) by Kyoko Mori and The Legend of Fire Horse Woman (2003) by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, and analyze remnants of Japonism and Americanism in the context of immigrant literature, including the social and economic actualities surrounding Japanese-American literature. Based on the evidence in these texts, I conclude by arguing for the necessity for a more informed and balanced representation of Japan and its culture.