著者

助川 幸逸郎

出版者

物語研究会

雑誌

物語研究 (ISSN:13481622)

巻号頁・発行日

no.10, pp.18-34, 2010-03-31

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In 1985 Murakami Ryu published a book entitled The Spleen of a Man Called Tennis Boy depicting the shift in Japanese society when a large number of people began to regard themselves as middle class and lead luxurious life. This change was related to the decline of the USA manufacturing industry. The author provides a substantial amount of false information on popular brand names that appear in this text due to lack of exposure to such goods and knowledge of their proper use. As such he comes to represent the typical "new middle-class Japanese" because few people were accustomed to such merchandises in the mid-80s. In this paper, I discuss the changes within Japanese society in 1980s and reflect on the significance that year 1983 had for the history of modern Japan. By doing so, I hope to cast light on the new path that Japanese society may embark on in the 2010s.