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Arranged marriage and household system of Japan described in “Angel” -Participation of readers extended to the colonies-

Seo-Yeong Shin 1

1도쿄대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines that Yokomitsu's novel “Angel,” which revolves around the issues of marriage and divorce, is deeply rooted in the Japanese household system. The “Angel” is the only Yokomitsu novel to be serialized in the colonial daily newspapers GyeongseongIlbo and Taiwan Daily Newspaper against a background of Gyeongseong. The characters in “Angel” agonize over the problem of arranged marriages between families. It was argued that the agony of these characters serves as a guide to help readers understand the novel and induces them to expand their participation to the colonies. In addition, attention was paid to the fact that “Angel” was published at a time when discussions on women’s marriage and social activities became more publicized. Furthermore, there was an attempt to clarify the double meaning of Gyeongseong at the time of the Sino-Japanese War, which is related to arranged marriage and induces the participation of colonial readers. As a result, the Japanese household system, centered on the head of the family, spread beyond Japan to the Japanese colonial state, thus promulgating the idea of ​​family nationalism, in which the emperor, the head of the Japanese state, and the people became one. Yokomitsu uses a character named Akashi, who was expelled from Japan's household system, as a guide to recognize the contradictions of Japan’s household system to readers living in colonies. This is why “Angel” should have been serialized in newspapers of colonial countries, and not Japan.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.