This thesis investigates the formation of the Japanese nation-state from the angle of children’s literature. On the one hand, it elucidates how premodern warrior legends were canonized and adapted... Show moreThis thesis investigates the formation of the Japanese nation-state from the angle of children’s literature. On the one hand, it elucidates how premodern warrior legends were canonized and adapted in children’s literature and textbooks of the Meiji (1686-1912) and Taishō (1912-1926) period to shape the dispositions of young citizens according to various modern ideals. On the other hand, it analyses the role of children’s literature in Japan’s transition to modernity and the identity-formation of the adults involved. This thesis challenges the idea that ‘books for children’ did not exist before the Meiji period by placing the material within the contemporary context. Focusing on the work of the author Iwaya Sazanami (1870-1933), it consequently re-assesses the development of modern children’s literature in Japan through the lens of Yuri Lotman’s theory on cultural memory. The re-appropriation of warrior legends in a modern literary genre for young citizens contributed to the coherence of culture during Japan’s transition to modernity. The new genre moreover signified Japan’s status as a modern society that separates the sphere of childhood from adulthood, thereby providing the latter with a sense of Selfhood and the right to guide both real and metaphorical children in their development. Show less
This dissertation investigates memorisation strategies that were employed in the fields of painting and calligraphy in imperial China, with a focus on the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911)... Show moreThis dissertation investigates memorisation strategies that were employed in the fields of painting and calligraphy in imperial China, with a focus on the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Its core questions are: How do memory aids reflect the society that produced them? What role did they play in the transmission and codification of practical knowledge in the field of arts?With the expansion of the printing industry during the Ming dynasty, knowledge of artistic practices came to be valued not only by craftsmen, but also by editors, publishers and highly educated authors. By analyzing both publication context and practices of remembering recorded in works from the Ming and Qing, this study provides insight into the dynamic changes of social values attributed to crafts. It takes a socio-historical approach to analyse memory aids in textual and visual formats recorded in manuals, including formulae (jue 訣) and charts. It provides six case studies to discuss under which circumstances memory aids were composed and how they were received over time, laying a foundation for understanding how practical skills were taught and how new canons of artistic knowledge were constantly being negotiated. Show less
