The "Prophecy Fiction" of Medieval Times : From the Past to the Future(<Special Issue>The Medieval Bridge between the Past and the Future)

Abstract

In medieval literature there are several kinds of future-oriented texts such as oracles, dream tales, wills, and "okimon" manuals, all of which I want to categorize into a genre called "prophecy fiction." In prophecy fiction the future usually offers a vantage point from which to reflexively see the past and the present. In this sense they can be regarded as unique historical descriptions that dialectically connect the past, the present, and the future. Here I will also show that Konjaku-monogatari-shu and other major medieval works can be interpreted in terms of this genre that is peculiar to East Asia.