Shikitei-Sanba's "Pretension" : His Style and Furai-sanjin's Influence(<Special Issue>Mimesis of Literature)

Abstract

Shikitei-Sanba repeatedly said that he had been much owed to Furai-sanjin (Hiraga-Gennai). Indeed, this is apparent everywhere in Sanba's works. It is in his literary style that, as his humorous stories show, Sanba was most influenced by his predecessor. In this essay, I will consider the humorist's style in terms of imitation or mimesis and his key-word "pretension".