The Art of Retelling and the Universality of Literature
The Art of Retelling and the Universality of Literature

The Case of Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Author(s): Katarzyna Sonnenberg-Musiał
Subject(s): Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Akutagawa Ryūnosuke; universality of literature; Kumo no ito, Hankechi; Butōkai
Summary/Abstract: As illustrated by "Noroma ningyō" ["Noroma Puppets"] (1916), Akutagawa Ryūnosuke was very much aware of the tension between the historical and the universal as far as the reception of art is concerned. The article focuses on three of his short stories: "Kumo no ito" ["The Spider’s Thread"] (1918), "Hankechi" ["The Handkerchief"] (1916), and "Butōkai" ["The Ball"] (1919) in relation to the question of how he responded to this tension. It argues that while the use of archetypal themes and motifs may illustrate Akutagawa’s belief in the universality of literature, his playing with perspectives and the antithetical structure of some of his works simultaneously question the possibility of a common understanding between different readers across cultures.

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