A Poetic Ideal in a Narrative Context: Fujiwara Teika and "The Tale of Matsura" ("Matsura No Miya Monogatari"). (Volumes I and II).

The Tale of Matsura, a courtly tale belonging to the tsukuri-monogatari genre of classical Japanese fiction, is unusual among works of its kind in several respects. It is set around the turn of the eighth century instead of in the Heian period (794-1185). It takes place mostly in China rather than in Japan. It encompasses political matters, including a violent succession struggle, along with the usual affairs of the heart. and in contrast to the essentially verisimilar nature of other extant courtly tales, it is informed by supernatural elements almost from beginning to end. This dissertation is a translation of the tale along with a discussion centering on two particular concerns: the question of authorship, and the role that the poetic ideal of yoen (ethereal charm or beauty) plays in the tale. The Mumyozoshi (ca. 1201) ascribes the tale to Fujiwara Teika (1162-1241), the most important poet at the turn of the thirteenth century. This ascription is widely accepted today, owing in large part to a study of the style of the poetry in the tale published by Ishida Yoshisada in 1940. Ishida's study leaves substantial room for doubt, however. The present study therefore undertakes a full review and assessment of all of the available evidence pertaining to the authorship of the tale, and exp and s upon it in several ways. The study finds that the evidence converges upon Teika with a consistency rarely encountered in investigations of this nature, and concludes that he must indeed have been the author of the tale. Qualities of the magical, mysterious, ethereal beauty that has been called yoen--a poetic ideal, in fact, that is linked more closely with Teika than with any other poet--can be seen prominently in the tale. The present study examines the role this ideal of beauty plays in the work, and discusses some of the differences between the effect that is achieved, or can be achieved, in an extended work of narrative fiction as opposed to a thirty-one syllable tanka.PhDAsian literatureUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161421/1/8712158.pd