On the Concept of “Sympathy” in Sōseki Natsumeʼs Theory of Literature:

A Rhetorical Analysis of Landor’s and Tennyson’s “Godiva”

Abstract

In his Theory of Literature, Sōseki Natsume classifies the “internal psychological processes” that constitute the content of literature as fear, anger, sympathy, self-concept and sexual instincts, among others. This classification is based on Théodule-Armand Ribot’s The Psychology of the Emotions. In this category, the term “sympathy” literally means “sym=together, pathy=feeling,” and Natsume defines it as “sharing feelings with others.” “Sympathy” in this sense is a central theme in Natsume’s literature, as he frequently describes people suffering from an inability to share their feelings with others. This paper first examines the concept of sympathy and the theories of sympathy of Natsume and Ribot, and then analyzes Walter Savage Landor’s prose “Leofric and Godiva” and Alfred Tennyson’s poem “Godiva,” which Natsume chose as examples of “sympathy.” The former is scrutinized from a prosopopoeia perspective and the latter from a personification perspective. The paper elaborates on how these rhetorical devices evoke sympathy, and discusses the meaning of “fiction” and its connection to Natsume’s criticism and works.