著者

飛ヶ谷 美穂子

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.7-21, 2013

---

<p> Penned at the end of 1904 and published in January 1905, 'The Carlyle Museum' (<i>CM</i>) is one of Soseki's earliest pieces in remembrance of his days in London. The work is said to be rather prosaic and personal, and less fascinating than 'The Tower of London', another London story with mysterious, dramatic visions. A great admirer of Carlyle, Soseki made his first visit to Carlyle's House on 3 August 1901, which served immediate material for <i>CM.</i> Also, preceding studies have revealed that a large part of detailed desciption is based on <i>Carlyle's House Catalogue,</i> a guidebook he brought home from London.</p><p> This paper aims to introduce hitherto unnoticed sources of <i>CM,</i> concerning the very beginning of the work. In the first passage the narrator tells an interesting episode called "the story of Carlyle and the speechmaker". The story has no relation either to Soseki's visit or to the guidebook, and has been considered to be a figment of his imagination. However, the present writer herein indicates a source book: namely, <i>Literary</i> <i>Geography(LG),</i> collected essays published by William Sharp in October 1904. In a chapter entitled 'The Country of Carlyle', the author recounts "an amusing story" which bears a striking similarity to that in <i>CM.</i> As to description of Carlyle's appearance, Soseki seems to have taken hints, not from <i>LG,</i> but from Carlyle's portrait by E. J. Sullivan in the illustrated edition of <i>Sartor Resartus.</i></p><p> Sharp had much in common with Soseki. He was closely connected with D. G. Rossetti, George Meredith, Watts-Dunton, and many other literary figures and artists related to the Pre-Raphaelites. Like Carlyle, he was a Scotsman, and had a traumatic, distressful time in London. As Flavia Alaya rightly put it, "they were all 'foreigners'" by nature.</p>