In Place of a Conclusion
In Place of a Conclusion
Kokoro and the Age of Melodrama
This chapter argues that Natsume Sōseki's novel Kokoro can be considered as an ending of the melodramatic imagination. It explains that this work invoked melodrama in order to examine it as a historically indispensable mode for understanding human experience and describes the portrayal of fictive families and the ie-seido ideology. This chapter also argues that Kokoro muted the consideration of social and gender differences that had animated Meiji melodramatic fiction and that its posture of telling a story of national significance went hand in hand with the portrayal of a less contested social space.
Keywords: Kokoro, Natsume Sōseki, melodramatic imagination, fictive families, ie-seido, social differences, gender differences, national significance
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