A new kind of woman: Marriage and women as intertext in the works of Nogami Yaeko and Jane Austen

Nogami Yaeko (1885--1985) read and enjoyed Pride and Prejudice , written by Jane Austen (1775--1817). Scholars have noted that the plot of Nogami's novel Machiko (1928--1930) is similar to that of Pride and Prejudice (1813)---a connection they ascribe to literary influence. Despite the existence of incontrovertible evidence that Nogami read Austen, labeling the relationship between the authors and their works simply as influence unduly limits interpretations of Machiko and relegates Nogami to the role of imitator. This dissertation illustrates that Nogami Yaeko and Jane Austen have a far deeper connection than can be supported through claims of influence. Both writers are engaged in a dialogue with the literature and socio-political debates about women in their time and have created texts that illustrate these inter-relationships within these specific time frames and across time.; Following an introduction to the methodologies of influence, intertextuality, and new historicism, brief biographies explore the similarities between the lives of Nogami and Austen. An examination of Nogami's early writing shows that Machiko evolved from Nogami's early interest in the marriage plot---an interest that pre-dates her reading of Austen. A look at the influence of Natsume Soseki as Nogami's mentor provides insight about the trajectory of Nogami's literary career.; Through a comparison of Machiko and Pride and Prejudice, I discern that women's rights---particularly a woman's right to education and freedom in marriage---were issues that Nogami and Austen found compelling. I claim that Jane Austen was familiar with Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas on women and fictionalizes the kind of woman Wollstonecraft posits with her creation of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Similarly, I argue that Nogami Yaeko participated in debates on women by creating a new kind of woman as a heroine. The character Machiko succeeds where her literary precursors fail; she is the culmination of Nogami's New Woman characters and even surpasses Elizabeth, her literary sister. In summary, Machiko is much more than a copy of Pride and Prejudice, and when viewed intertextually, the merits of the text itself are clear.