有島武郎論 : 特に彼におけるキリスト教の問題
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概要
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Takeo Arishima (1878-1923) was a famous novelist and thinker, and is still widely read among the Japanese people. The dissertation consists of two parts. The first part deals with the influence of Walt Whitman on Takeo Arishima, and the second part is devoted to some problems concerning his life as a Christian - the problems of his conversion to Christianity, his doubts about Christian faith, and his final perversion. It may be questionable whether he really became a Christian or not. But there is no doubt that Christian dualism did strike its roots so deep down into his heart that, though he could become an artist by becoming an apostate, he could not avoid, finding dualism everywhere, struggling with it, and treating it in all kinds of his writings. It seemed to him that the encounter with Walt Whitman was a "revelation" to him and Whitman released him from his heart-rending struggle. Tor a while, "the Soul" or "Myself", as Whitman called it, took the place of "God" in his inner life, and gave him a new faith in life. His remarkably energetic literary activities came directly from this new conviction. But the illumination was brief, his spiritual energy quickly dwindled, his pessimism deepened year by year, to his tragic death. He can be said to be a Christian writer in the sense that Andre Gide was a one. His is a unique case among the modern Japanese novelists. Thus his significance in modern Japanese literature should be sought in his relation with Christianity.
- 東京女子大学の論文