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The Moon in the Water

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The Moon in the Water: Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima
AuthorGwenn Boardman Petersen
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherUniversity of Hawaii Press
Publication date
1979
Publication placeUnited States

The Moon in the Water: Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima is a 1979 non-fiction book by Gwenn Boardman Petersen, published by University of Hawaii Press. It discusses translated works by Junichiro Tanizaki, Yasunari Kawabata, and Yukio Mishima.[note 1]

The work was intended for readers in Western countries who had not studied Japan academically to the degree they were in Japanese studies.[1] It was not to discuss any critical theories.[2]

Thomas Cogan of Honolulu, Hawaii referred to the work as "a perceptive and critical guide to" these translations.[3]

Contents

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The initial chapter, which discusses Japanese literature in general, is called "contexts". Each subsequent chapter is about each of the three writers, so there are four chapters in total.[3]

The author compares and contrasts Japanese works to Western ones. The chapters discuss imagery and symbolism.[4]

Kinya Tsuruta of the University of British Columbia wrote that Peterson wishes to highlight intricacies in Japanese and "fiercely attacks translators' transgressions—real or imagined."[2] According to Tsuruta, Petersen "goes out of her way to hunt for 'hidden Japanese clues' and, of course, finds them."[2]

Reception

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Cogan "highly recommended" the book, and argued that the book was "well researched and crisply written" as well as "useful and stimulating", with special praise for the portion about Suigetsu, a work by Kawabata.[3]

Chieko Irie Mulhern of the University of Illinois stated that the book may be useful for the general public while it may cause controversies among people specializing in Japan.[4]

Robert Rolf of Fukuoka University of Education praised the "stimulating" reasoning in the book, and stated they would be the case even for people who disagree with Peterson's reasoning.[5]

Tsuruta criticized the author for having a "less than ideal" understanding of the culture of Japan and the Japanese language.[6]

References

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  • Cogan, Thomas (1981). "The Moon in the Water: Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima". World Literature Today. 55 (1): 179. doi:10.2307/40135938. JSTOR 40135938.
  • Mulhern, Chieko Irie (1980). "THE MOON IN THE WATER. Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima. By Gwenn Boardman Petersen (Book Review)". Pacific Affairs. 53 (2): 758. doi:10.2307/2757563. JSTOR 2757563.
  • Rolf, Robert (1980). "The Moon in the Water: Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima". Monumenta Nipponica. 35 (2): 245–247. doi:10.2307/2384342. JSTOR 2384342.
  • Tsuruta, Kinya (1981). "The Moon in the Water: Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima". The Journal of Asian Studies. 40 (2): 393–394.

Notes

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  1. ^ Mulhern, p. 758.
  2. ^ a b c Tsuruta, p. 393.
  3. ^ a b c Cogan.
  4. ^ a b Mulhern, p. 759.
  5. ^ Rolf, p. 245.
  6. ^ Tsuruta, p. 394.

On naming

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  1. ^ The work itself refers to the writers' names in Japanese order, as Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, Kawabata Yasunari, and Mishima Yukio.
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