Women and Marriage in Early Twentieth Century Japan as Depicted in the Novels of Tanizaki Junichiro and Natsume Soseki

This thesis is a study of women in early twentieth century Japan, and how they dealt with changes that affected the traditional concept of marriage. Women living during the late Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa eras- a period encompassing the first half of the twentieth century were members of a changing society. From the time of the Meiji Restoration of 1868, there was an influx of new ideas and material goods that affected the attitudes and daily life of the average Japanese citizen. The conflict between preserving the traditional Japanese way of life and value system and adopting the ways of the West became an important issue. In this thesis, I look at how two novelists, Tanizaki Junichiro and Natsume Soseki, addressed this conflict as it concerned the institution of marriage. Specifically, I analyze the way women in their novels are portrayed as dealing with a concept of marriage that, though remaining traditional, was slowly changing