Something Forgotten : Reading of Saigo Nobutsuna's A Literary History of Old Japanese Literature, or On a Look Toward and From the Outside(<Special Issue>Reading and Teaching Ability-Reconsideration of Study and Education of Literature)

Abstract

I will discuss in this essay Saigo Nobutsuna's A Literary History of Old Japanese Literature to reconsider the studies and education of Japanese literature led by Nichibunkyo. I chose the book because it went through three revisions. By taking a closer look at each version, it will become clear that writing a literary history is a means of reinterpreting a text with a look toward and from the outside. I will focus on the interpretation of Genji Monogatari and argue for the evaluation of this book as a model for researchers of later generations.