Marvin Marcus

Paragons of the Ordinary: The Biographical Literature of Mori Ogai

Ogai, one of Japans most prominent writers and intellectuals, undertook a project during the years 1916-1921, to research and write about individuals who embodied exemplary traits and traditional values. This study focuses on those biographies, making accessible a previously obscure body of work th

The Impact of Western Autobiography on the Meiji Literary Scene

Japans confrontation with Western culture during the Meiji period (1868-1912) involved a quest for literary styles and techniques that would serve as models for a new generation of writers. What dominated this long-term experiment in literary modernization was an abiding interest in selfhood and self-representation. This paper explores the role of Western autobiography in the development of this literature.