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Manga Afterlives of Ogura hyakunin isshu: The Case of Chihayafuru

Stirek, Lindsey
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1185-1893
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1652057082364464

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
Classical literature does not live purely within the confines of its own pages, but lives on through its many afterlives, whether those are adaptations, parodies, allusions, etc., which become part of the history of the work and influence how readers interact with the text. At the present moment, manga about or containing classical literature are studied mainly as derivative adaptations or pedagogical tools rather than as texts in their own right contributing to the afterlife of the source text. Few scholars specialize in both classical literature and manga or comics, and as a result, there are very few studies that treat both the literary and visual aspects of the text with equal attention. Therefore, texts like Chihayafuru, a manga which incorporates classical Japanese poetry into its plot, have been overlooked despite their potential to contribute to the continuing legacy of the source text while also creating a separate and unique narrative. I aim to address this gap by providing a case study applying the techniques of close reading from classical literature and multimodal (visual and linguistic) analysis from comics studies to Chihayafuru; by combining the two, I examine the interplay of word and image and how it affects the reading of the manga itself as well as the interpretation of the source text. My findings indicate that through manga, poetry interpretation can be accessed through multiple modes, often working in tandem, and education about classical poetry is attainable without explicit instruction or even an educational aim. Readers do not learn only when they are cognizant of being taught, and indeed the ways in which Chihayafuru educates readers encourage an emotional connection to classical poetry over an academic one. Further, manga like Chihayafuru provide an important function that many other approaches to interpreting and engaging with classical literature do not: it provides a model for how readers can and should interact with the source text in their real lives. By presenting many different instances of poetry being used to convey messages to other characters and the readers, Chihayafuru not only lessens the distance between modern readers and classical poetry, but it also hearkens back to some of the original functions of poetry–conveying messages and emotions. While Chihayafuru does also depict characters studying poetry and suggests that this is a positive endeavor to undertake, it does not limit poetry to an academic pursuit and thus breathes new life into poetry as practically applicable to daily life in modern times. Chihayafuru is not designed for readers who are looking to study the poetry, but nonetheless provides readers with an understanding of the poems of Ogura hyakunin isshu. Thus, this case study shows that manga can go beyond simply serving as intersemiotic translations or teaching materials to create new ways for readers to engage with classical Japanese poetry in an entertaining way, and that this, in turn, contributes to the ever-evolving afterlife of Ogura hyakunin isshu.
Naomi Fukumori (Advisor)
Charles Quinn (Committee Member)
Frederick Aldama (Committee Member)
Shelley Quinn (Committee Member)
364 p.
Asian Literature; Literature
manga; premodern Japanese literature; Ogura hyakunin isshu; waka; poetry; karuta; literary analysis; comics; adaptation; intersemiotic translation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Stirek, L. (2022). Manga Afterlives of Ogura hyakunin isshu: The Case of Chihayafuru [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1652057082364464

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Stirek, Lindsey. Manga Afterlives of Ogura hyakunin isshu: The Case of Chihayafuru. 2022. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1652057082364464.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Stirek, Lindsey. "Manga Afterlives of Ogura hyakunin isshu: The Case of Chihayafuru." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1652057082364464

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1652057082364464
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.