Retrospections and Fictions in Diary Literature : Focusing upon Kenrei-Mon'in Ukyo-Dayu Shu

Abstract

Diary literature is not merely records of an author's life, but creative works in which the author attempts to express the sifted part of her "self" based on her experiences of loss. As the author writes her memories, their chronological order is broken up and they are reconstructed according to their significance to the author. Her memories become more and more enriched and fabritcaed. I have analyzed Kenrei-Mon'in Ukyo-Dayu Shu in terms of the characteristics I mentioned above, to discuss diary literature.