著者

Vos Frits

出版者

国文学研究資料館

雑誌

国際日本文学研究集会会議録 = PROCEEDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON JAPANESE LITERATURE (ISSN:03877280)

巻号頁・発行日

no.9, pp.70-88, 1986-03-01

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The contents of the Ochikubo monogatari (late 10th century) have often been related to folk tales of the Cinderella type. The oldest story of this type in the Far East is included in the sequel ( hsü-chi) to the Yu-yang tsa-tsu, compiled by Tuan Ch'eng-shih (d.863). Its heroine is Yeh-hsien, who is badly treated by her stepmother but eventually marries the ruler of an island kingdom. The story probably originated in Vietnam or Southern K wangsi. In modern Vietnam we find a folk tale called Tâm Cám, an obvious `descendant' of the Yeh-hsien story. Tâm and Cám are the daughters of different mothers. Their father is dead and so is the mother of Tâm. Tâm is treated cruelly by her stepmother and stepsister, but again there is a happy ending: Tâm becomes queen, and her stepmother and Cám are severely punished. In Korea the Cinderella motif is most strikingly represented by the K'ongjwi P'atchwi tale.In this paper, the Cheju-do version of the tale has been summarized. Here the stepdaughter eventually becomes the consort of the Son of Heaven. In Japan we find a great many Cinderella - type stories. A résumé of the Awabuku Komebuku tale from Northern Honshū has been included. The typical Cinderella type of folk tale―in the Far East as well as in Europe―has a fixed order of features. The stepmother is always a second wife. She has a daughter of her own whom she treats very nicely. The father of the stepdaughter is either dead or has a weak character. Before the stepdaughter is allowed to attend a festival she has to perform nearly impossible tasks. In fulfilling them she is usually helped by birds. Having accomplished her work she puts on finery, obtained from a supernatural being (in Vietnam and South China from the buried remains of a fish; in that case she follows instructions of a Buddha, Kuan-yin or an immortal). Then she goes to the festivities. After a test (ususally consisting of trying on very small shoes) she marries a king, a prince, scholar or rich man. The stepmother and her daughter are severely punished. The speaker points out that a comparison of the Ochikubo monogatari to the Far Eastern Cinderella tales seems attractive, but is actually far-fetched. In every history of Japanese literature the realism of the Ochikubo monogatari is stressed as one of its characteristics. The unlimited fantasy, the curious jumble of reality and the supernatural and the inapplicability of natural law which are typical of fairy tales, are completely absent in this monogatari. In the speaker's opinion, the author has simply been inspired by existing conditions in 10th century Japan, where polygamy-at least in the higher strata of society-was the rule rather than an exception.A definition of the concept `novel', roman, is given, and it is demonstrated that the contents of the Ochikubo monogatari satisfy the standards required of this literary genre.A survey of several classical works, usually called `novels', in the Far East, Europe and India follows. It is shown that in several countries (China, Korea and the European countries) the novel appears much later in history than in Japan, and that in other countries (ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, India and Vietnam) we can only speak of a so-called novel. The Utsuho monogatari, another work of the late 10th century and considered by every specialist to be of a somewhat earlier date than the Ochikubo monogatari, may not be considered as a novel in the true sense of the word, since the contents of the first of its 20 scrolls are in the nature of a fairy tale.Because of its structure and contents the Ochikubo monogatari occupies a unique place in world literature, in other words: Japan was the first country to produce a novel.