研究発表(1)　挿詩文の系譜　―日本文学史試論―

In a number of the acknowledged masterpieces of Japanese literature, such as Ise monogatari, Genji monogatari, and Oku no hosomichi, we find a curiously consistent mode of expression: every work is composed of prose and verse (waka or haiku). The verse is inserted in the prose. If we call this mode sōshibun （挿， \u27insert，\u27詩，\u27poem,\u27and 文，\u27prose\u27）， a good many Japanese literary works of major importance may be designated by a single term. Thus, sōshibun can be regarded as a constant presence in Japanese literature. By considering its ups and downs, in quality and quantity of production, we can clarify one of the central characteristics of the Japanese literary tradition. My tentative outline:EARLY PERIOD 712 Kojiki 古事記 ～ ?900 Ise monogatari 伊勢物語FLOWERING ?900 Ise monogatari 伊勢物語 ～ 1223 Kaidōki 海道記STAGNATION AND POPULARIZATION 1223 Kaidōki 海道記 ～ 1686 Nozarashi-kikō 野ざらし紀行RESTRATION 1686 Nozarashi-kikō 野ざらし紀行 ～ 1820 Ora ga haru おらが春DECLINE 1820 Ora ga haru おらが春 ～ (Personal attempt at revival on the part of Nagai Kafū, early twentieth century)Paul Valéry once compared prose to walking and poetry to dancing. In sōshibun as well, to be sure, prose can be likened to walking, but poetry in this mode is not so much dance as a symbolic posture, much like the mie, a pose struck and held at climactic moments in Kabuki plays. Furthermore, the relationship of verse to prose in sōshibun can be described in functional terms as one of misogi, or "ritual purification.