Tokyo: The life of a literary giant begins with home self-defense!

Chapter 281: Becoming the Great Devil of Japanese Literature 5 (Happy New Year)
"Why are you suddenly silent?"

Mishima suddenly froze there, and Ryukawa Toru smiled.

“Are there any works in the history of modern Japanese literature that can represent traditional Japanese culture? When class literature is prevalent, are there any works that can clearly describe the withered and gorgeous beauty of Japan?”

Ryukawa Tetsu asked very clearly word by word, and Mishima Tsukasa wanted to open his mouth but couldn't say anything.

There are works that can clearly express the essence of Japanese mono no aware like The Tale of Genji, but he can't express it.

Because its author is Ryukawa Toru, the person who said that "The Tale of Genji" needs to be retranslated.

The author who best represents traditional Japanese aesthetics should retranslate the most classical cultural works.

Mishima Tsukasa's face looked as if he had eaten shit.

No one said a word.

Most of those present were elderly professors and scholars.

Yufu Kaga, Tsukasa Mishima, and a large number of foreigners.

At this time, everyone was listening to Longchuan Che's speech.

"The concept of "mono no aware" was first proposed by Motoori Norinaga, one of the four great masters of national studies during the Edo period of Japan."

"He proposed the concept of 'mono no aware' when he was studying Japanese classical works such as The Tale of Genji and Kojiki."

"And in the "Essentials of Purple Text", 'mono no aware' is briefly explained."

Mishima Tsukasa didn't answer, so Ryukawa Toru continued with his own work.

He simply disassembled mono no aware and then turned back to the works of modern literature.

"Japan's modern literature is headed by Hirohei's The Crab Cannery Ship, a kind of class literature that borrows a lot of concepts and trends from Western literature."

The current literary situation in Japan is quite strange.

Since the Great Kanto Earthquake, this country has been plagued by natural and man-made disasters.

Militarism, economic bubble.

Frequent disasters led Japanese scholars to take the path of defending the country and protecting lives.

Ryukawa Tetsu never said that class literature is bad, but this kind of reference comes from the critical realism literature that was born in France during the "July Revolution" in the mid-nineteenth century.

“It is part of world literature.”

Longchuan Toru looked at the large group of Japanese literati and smiled.

This group of Japanese literati who refused to reconstruct and translate "The Tale of Genji" have long become loyal supporters of Western literature.

Ryukawa Toru's words made Mishima Tsukasa and others turn pale.

Because of Monk Hirohei, class literature has become extremely important in the field of Japanese literature.

Normally speaking, literature is just a form, and it is impossible for a country's literary and cultural development to be unaffected by foreign cultures.

However, when Ryukawa Tetsu pointed out this point today in "Mutual Learning among Civilizations and the Reconstruction of World Literature", no one looked happy except for a large number of Western scholars who applauded enthusiastically.

The morning exchange session ended with Ryukawa Toru's speech "The prevalence of critical realism in Japan should not exclude the global reconstruction of The Tale of Genji."

While eating in the cafeteria of the University of Tokyo, a large group of Japanese scholars surrounded Ryukawa Toru.

His expression was displeased and there was a warning in his eyes.

“Why do you do this?”

The one who spoke was Kaga Yufu, who had met Ryukawa Tetsu several times.

The visiting professor from the University of Tokyo looked at Longchuan Che with confusion in his eyes.

Toru Ryukawa is an outstanding Japanese author.

This cannot be denied even in the eyes of this group of "upper-class" scholars and writers.

Whether it is "Snow Country" or "Golden Pavilion", even the "Youth Trilogy" with slightly inferior writing style is a rare excellent work.

But today, this top Japanese creator has thrown himself into the arms of another country, which is considered by people like Kaga Yufu to be tantamount to defection.

"What kind of thing is this?"

The place where Ryukawa Toru is located is the central cafeteria of the University of Tokyo.

The food here is famous for Todai's famous delicacy Akamon Ramen.

While eating ramen topped with mushrooms, braised pork, bean sprouts, black fungus and other condiments, Ryukawa Tetsu pulled the somewhat nervous Matsueda Muko and spoke calmly.

"World literature encourages the diversified development of literature in various places. Isn't it a good thing to reconstruct The Tale of Genji?" Ryukawa Toru said this a bit naively. The encouragement of diversified development by world literature is just a high-sounding excuse for them to refuse reconstruction on the grounds that Western scholars cannot understand traditional Japanese culture.

"Why are you talking so much nonsense to him?"

In the crowd, Mishima Tsukasa, who had just been told by Ryukawa Tetsu that "please list some works that can exemplify traditional Japanese aesthetics", spoke out angrily.

"I think he just ran into trouble recently and wanted to use today's exchange meeting to establish his position in the orthodox literary world, so he ran to the Western side."

Longchuan Che was in trouble, and many people present knew it.

It would be difficult to reverse the accusation of cheating if he was just attending the meeting on behalf of the University of Tokyo, but it would be difficult to reverse it if it was admitted by a large group of senior scholars.

It’s different if Ryukawa Toru’s works are the best at writing about traditional Japanese culture.

The centripetal force and national pride will all be concentrated on this young man.

He will become the representative of Japanese culture in a certain period of time.

At that time, I am afraid that people will have the halo perspective of "Will the author who can represent Japanese traditional culture really be partial to others and commit fraud?"

There was Chinese oil in the middle of the Akamon ramen, and Ryukawa Tetsu seemed not to hear what the other person said.

He ate the noodles leisurely, and from time to time patted his girlfriend who was planning to pull him away if things went wrong.

It's so scary to be surrounded by a large group of professors from the University of Tokyo.

These people are at the top of the country in terms of social status and wealth accumulation. Miss Muzi has entered the state of a tense little cheetah.

"If that's the case I can help you."

Looking at the silent Longchuan Toru, Kaga Youfeng sighed. He explained to him as if he was afraid that Longchuan Toru didn't know the seriousness of today's exchange meeting.

"The Tale of Genji is Japan's first novel. Reconstructing and retranslating it is equivalent to tearing our national culture to pieces."

This reconstruction of "The Tale of Genji" is not a simple translation.

The University of Tokyo and Princeton University jointly initiated a project to translate a large number of Western documents.

“Once the translation is completed, the history of Japanese literature becomes only a part of the history of world literature.”

The integration of national literary and cultural elements is a process of losing independence.

No Japanese scholar wanted to see this, so Kaga Yufu gave the condition of helping Ryukawa Toru to clarify the matter after the exchange meeting.

A visiting professor from the University of Tokyo came to the platform to clarify the matter, at a time when Longchuan Che was covered in mud.

Longchuan Che wiped his mouth and said nothing. In the afternoon, he still stood on the podium representing Princeton.

[The Japanese literary world, led by The Crab Cannery Ship, has long begun the process of integrating into world literature]

This topic continued when Ryukawa Toru took the stage.

"'Snow Country'."

If this continues, this literary exchange meeting might really end with the reconstruction of "The Tale of Genji".

In the crowd, Kaga Youfeng raised his hand.

"In addition to the class literature "The Crab Cannery Ship", the new sensationalist "Snow Country" can also represent Japanese literature. Japanese literature is not completely dominated by Western thoughts as you said."

Kaga Yufu looked a little helpless. It was not that Japan could not find works in recent years that could reflect the Japanese aesthetics of mono no aware, but that the Snow Country was too impressive.

The snow-covered world and the long county tunnel.

'I didn't expect that a young author's work would make a comeback at an international exchange forum.'

While many top scholars were lamenting, Longchuan Che on the podium still did not show much expression.

While having dinner, Mishima Tsukasa said that he wanted to rely on the recognition of a large number of Japanese scholars in order to achieve the goal of reversing public opinion.

However, this young man in a coat with red lips and white teeth raised his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

The frame was pure black, with only one or two places wrapped with golden threads.

"Well."

Ryukawa Toru nodded and said something that caused a stir in the Japanese literary world for decades.

“Since my Snow Country is the modern work that best represents Japanese culture.”

"Then I think you will have no objection to my reconstructing The Tale of Genji."

(End of this chapter)