- 著者
-
佐藤 光
- 出版者
- 日本比較文学会
- 雑誌
- 比較文学 (ISSN:04408039)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.55, pp.22-35, 2013
<p> It has already been noted that Yanagi's book entitled <i>William Blake</i> (1914) gives proper explanation in Japanese about idiosyncratic features of Blake's philosophy, such as his emphasis on energy, passion and imagination and his unique form of antinomian Christianity. However, one of the characteristics of Yanagi's studies on Blake, which has so far been overlooked, is that he frequently uses the term 'temperament' to describe Blake's art. According to Yanagi, Blake fully expresses his 'temperament' in his poetry and paintings, and his philosophy is also based on his 'temperament', derived not from abstract reasoning but from careful introspection of his everyday experience. 'Temperament', Yanagi says, plays a significant role in the process by which one establishes one's sense of values, and Blake was faithful to his 'temperament'.</p><p> Yanagi used the word 'temperament' without translating it into Japanese because he learned the concept by reading English books about religion, psychology, philosophy and fine arts in which 'temperament' was used as a crucial keyword. The list of the authors that Yanagi must have referred to includes William James, James Huneker, A. C. Swinburne, Arthur Symons and Laurence Houseman. It is most likely that Yanagi interpreted Blake under the influence of the philosophical theory of 'temperament' by James, as well as contemporary Blake studies. In this sense <i>William Blake,</i> the book that Yanagi published in 1914, is a composite result of his studies of religion, philosophy and Blake's art.</p>