Cultural Limitations And The Literary Achievement Of Post-war School Literature

Post-war school in Japanese literature originates from early days after World War II。The writers of this school depict the lives of Japanese people during and after WWII from three perspectives:"turning experience","war experience"and"defeat experience", which has some positive significance in exposing the wickedness of that war。Regretfully, they failed to make in-depth introspection about that war and unfold the nature of it due to their limited understanding to the nature of that war。Their anti-war limitations are in essence determined by the specific culture of their people。Therefore, it is necessary to explore this school from Japan's unique cultural perspective。This thesis aims to explore the literary limitations of its writers by employing the principles of Japanese culture。It first uses contrastive and inductive approach in social-cultural theory to put the study vision under the specific environment after the early days of WWII。Then it attempts to unravel motifs hidden beneath them starting from the classic works of early period and flourishing period of post-war school。The whole thesis can be broken into four chaptersChapter I literature of post-war school on stage。WWII brought enormous suffering to Japan。Having experienced the bitter sufferings with the common people, most writers of the post-war school reflected on the war with the ever unhealed spiritual wound and the writer's mission。They founded a unique literary school——post-war school by drawing on the heavy historical lessons。Chapter II the flourishing of post-war school and its position in anti-war movement.Born from long-term stifled literary arena, nationalist and post-war literary movement soon reached their zenith。They possess the strong social nature and self awareness through their description of the atrocity and the spiritual wound of the war from various angles, which derived from their own war experience and understandings。They have certain limitations to the nature of that war due to their inherent national mentality。Chapter III the decline of the post-war school.The outbreak of Korean war contributed to the development of Japan's economy.Japan has first seen its consumption boom after WWII。Serious literature was no longer welcome among the mass。Novels depicting secular life were more popular thanks to the fast development of mass media and the changes in conceptions and interests。Under the influence of this social trend post-war school began to diverge。Chapter IV cultural limitations and post-war school.Post-war school in Japan differs in essence from war literature in any other country。Despite anti-war tendency shown in their works writers of this school never truly reflect on the crime Japanese soldiers made during the war。This limitation is characteristic of island culture of Japan。...