Dances with Sheep

"As a spokesman for disaffected youth of the post-1960s, Murakami Haruki has become one of the most important voices in contemporary Japanese literature, and he has gained a following in the United States through translations of his works. In Dances with Sheep, Matthew Strecher examines Murakami’s f...

Volledige beschrijving

Bewaard in:
Bibliografische gegevens
Hoofdauteur: Strecher, Matthew
Formaat: Online
Taal:Engels
Gepubliceerd in: University of Michigan Press 2020
Onderwerpen:
Online toegang:ONIX_20200903_9780472902026_17
Tags: Voeg label toe
Geen labels, Wees de eerste die dit record labelt!
_version_ 1869522601038053376
author Strecher, Matthew
author_browse Strecher, Matthew
author_facet Strecher, Matthew
author_sort Strecher, Matthew
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description "As a spokesman for disaffected youth of the post-1960s, Murakami Haruki has become one of the most important voices in contemporary Japanese literature, and he has gained a following in the United States through translations of his works. In Dances with Sheep, Matthew Strecher examines Murakami’s fiction—and, to a lesser extent, his nonfiction—for its most prevalent structures and themes. Strecher also delves into the paradoxes in Murakami’s writings that confront critics and casual readers alike. Murakami writes of “serious” themes yet expresses them in a relatively uncomplicated style that appeals to high school students as well as scholars; and his fictional work appears to celebrate the pastiche of postmodern expression, yet he rejects the effects of the postmodern on contemporary culture as dangerous. Strecher’s methodology is both historical and cultural as he utilizes four distinct yet interwoven approaches to analyze Murakami’s major works: the writer’s “formulaic” structure with serious themes; his play with magical realism; the intense psychological underpinnings of his literary landscape; and his critique of language and its capacity to represent realities, past and present. Dances with Sheep links each of these approaches with Murakami’s critical focus on the fate of individual identity in contemporary Japan. The result is that the simplicity of the Murakami hero, marked by lethargy and nostalgia, emerges as emblematic of contemporary humankind, bereft of identity, direction, and meaning. Murakami’s fiction is reconstructed in Dances with Sheep as a warning against the dehumanizing effects of late-model capitalism, the homogenization of the marketplace, and the elimination of effective counterculture in Japan."
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-28496
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2020
publishDateRange 2020
publishDateSort 2020
publisher University of Michigan Press
publisherStr University of Michigan Press
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-284962025-03-12T21:31:08Z Dances with Sheep Strecher, Matthew Society and social sciences "As a spokesman for disaffected youth of the post-1960s, Murakami Haruki has become one of the most important voices in contemporary Japanese literature, and he has gained a following in the United States through translations of his works. In Dances with Sheep, Matthew Strecher examines Murakami’s fiction—and, to a lesser extent, his nonfiction—for its most prevalent structures and themes. Strecher also delves into the paradoxes in Murakami’s writings that confront critics and casual readers alike. Murakami writes of “serious” themes yet expresses them in a relatively uncomplicated style that appeals to high school students as well as scholars; and his fictional work appears to celebrate the pastiche of postmodern expression, yet he rejects the effects of the postmodern on contemporary culture as dangerous. Strecher’s methodology is both historical and cultural as he utilizes four distinct yet interwoven approaches to analyze Murakami’s major works: the writer’s “formulaic” structure with serious themes; his play with magical realism; the intense psychological underpinnings of his literary landscape; and his critique of language and its capacity to represent realities, past and present. Dances with Sheep links each of these approaches with Murakami’s critical focus on the fate of individual identity in contemporary Japan. The result is that the simplicity of the Murakami hero, marked by lethargy and nostalgia, emerges as emblematic of contemporary humankind, bereft of identity, direction, and meaning. Murakami’s fiction is reconstructed in Dances with Sheep as a warning against the dehumanizing effects of late-model capitalism, the homogenization of the marketplace, and the elimination of effective counterculture in Japan." 2020-09-03T13:55:06Z 2020 book ONIX_20200903_9780472902026_17 ONIX_20200903_9780472902026_17 OCN: 1184508227 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/41572 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/28496 eng Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies open access image/jpeg image/jpeg image/jpeg image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/41572/1/9780472902026.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/41572/1/9780472902026.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/41572/1/9780472902026.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/41572/1/9780472902026.pdf University of Michigan Press U of M Center For Japanese Studies 10.3998/mpub.18278 10.3998/mpub.18278 b7359529-e5f7-4510-a59f-d7dafa1d4d17 National Endowment for the Humanities 0314e571-4102-4526-b014-3ed8f2d6750a U of M Center For Japanese Studies 255 [grantnumber unknown] open access
spellingShingle Society and social sciences
Strecher, Matthew
Dances with Sheep
title Dances with Sheep
title_full Dances with Sheep
title_fullStr Dances with Sheep
title_full_unstemmed Dances with Sheep
title_short Dances with Sheep
title_sort dances with sheep
topic Society and social sciences
topic_facet Society and social sciences
url ONIX_20200903_9780472902026_17
work_keys_str_mv AT strechermatthew danceswithsheep