The image of China in the short stories of Akutagawa Ryunosuke

Abstract

One of the promising directions in modern comparative studies is imagology, which examines literary ethno-images, encompassing both the self-image (auto-image) and the images of other ethno-cultures in national literature (hetero-images). This research aims to trace the features of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s complex and multifaceted attitude towards China, as embodied in his short stories, and to identify the main features of the ethno-image of China in his works. Chinese literature, history, philosophy were significant components of the education for aristocrats in the early 20th century, the period during which the writer lived and worked. Consequently, the image of China, as a cultural donor to the Far Eastern region for centuries, is imprinted in the writer’s mentality and his literary works. The article examines the views of Chinese scholars who study Akutagawa’s work through the lens of reflecting the image of China in them. Our research focuses on several key issues: the Chinese component in the intertextuality of Akutagawa’s works, the forms of adaptation of Chinese plots, the writer’s reflection on the historical influence of Chinese culture on Japan, and the author’s understanding of contemporary China and the Chinese, formed as a result of his visits to this country in 1921. The analysis of the writer’s literary works reveals that the Chinese component, manifested through quotations, allusions, references to mythical or historical figures of ancient China, references to literary works, is significant as an intertextual component. As a writer who often reinterpreted ancient plots, Akutagawa incorporated ancient Chinese short stories into his oeuvre. Regarding Japanese-Chinese relations at that time, the writer sharply condemned the war, showing the grief and death it brought to the common people of both countries. His personal impressions from the trip to China were largely negative. We consider the study of the image of the Other, namely the image of
China and the Chinese, in Japanese literature to be relevant and promising. In particular, this includes a deeper study of the Chinese component in the intertextuality of Akutagawa’s works.