The Mother of Dreams: Portrayals of Women in Modern Japanese Fiction

by Makoto Ueda (editor)

To Lafcadio Hearn at the turn of the twentieth century, Japan's most priceless objets d'art were not the delicate masterpieces of its fine arts but its women. Today, the women of Japan are viewed with a mixture of old stereotypes and new misconceptions. The Mother of Dreams is an anthology of
modern Japanese fiction portraying Japanese women, arranged according to five the maiden, the mistress, the wife, the mother, and the working woman.

These short stories span a period that has seen great changes in the status of Japanese women. There has also been a transformation in women's expectations of themselves and of the people around them. Such changes are manifest in the treatment of the protagonists in this anthology, some of whom
adhere to traditional roles while others seek to find new functions and attitudes.

The young maidens in the three short pieces by Nobel laureate Kawabata Yasunari contrast sharply with the contemporary women, such as the ordinary housewife and budding actress portrayed by Mori Yoko. But just as significant as change is continuity. The mistress-turned-stripper-turned-prostitute of
Nagai Kafu's immediate postwar world has much in common with Kaiko Takeshi's virgin-whore from the period of the Korean War. Such images are in turn challenged by the middle-aged geisha portrayed by Enchi Fumiko and the young mother who abandons her child in Setouchi Harumi's piece, women whose
depth of emotion defies the stereotypes assigned to them by their class and their occupation.

Professor Ueda's anthology presents some of the finest work of Japan's major writers, both female and male, on a subject of truly universal significance. At a time when change and continuity pose problems as well as solutions in the search for identity and meaning in our lives, The Mother of Dreams
provides thought-provoking and meaningful material for us all.

Genres: Japan, Short Stories, Anthologies, Japanese Literature, Fiction, Womens, Literature

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Makoto Ueda (上田 真 Ueda Makoto, born 1931) is a professor emeritus of Japanese literature at Stanford University.

He earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature in 1961.

In 2004-2005 he served as the honorary curator of the American Haiku Archives at the California State Library in Sacramento, California. He was given that honor "in recognition of Ueda’s many decades of academic writing about haiku and related genres and his leading translations of Japanese haiku." The library added that "Ueda has been our most consistently useful source for information on Japanese haiku, as well as our finest source for the poems in translation, from Bashô to the present day." His work on female poets and 20th century poets "had an enormous impact".

He is an author of numerous books about Japanese literature and in particular Haiku, Senryū, Tanka, and Japanese poetics.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was my delight to come cross this fine collection of sixteen short stories at the DASA BookCafe in Bangkok early last month due to its subtitle, that is, as 'Portrayals of Women in Modern Japanese Fiction' while its title "The Mother of Dreams" has been taken from the eleventh story written by Ooka Shohei. I especially liked the idea on grouping the sixteen stories into five theme topics: The Maiden, The Wife, The Mistress, The Mother, and The Working Woman, presumably decided by its editor, Professor Makoto Ueda. Obviously, for some reason the editor has selected stories from eight male writers: Kawabata Yasunari, Inoue Yasushi, Dazai Osamu, Matsumoto Seicho, Nagai Kafu, Kaiko Takeshi, Ooka Shohei, and Abe Kobo vs eight women writers: Harada Yasuko, Tsuboi Sakae, Mori Yoko, Enchi Fumiko, Setouchi Harumi, Hirabayashi Taiko, Ariyoshi Sawako, and Hiraiwa Yumie.

As far as my Japanese novel/short story reading is concerned, I have read some by Kawabata Yasunari, Dazai Osamu, Nagai Kafu, and Abe Kbo; and a few by Enchi Fumiko, and Ariyoshi Sawako. Therefore, I don't claim I liked all writers or all stories because, for each one, it depends on familiarity, translation, authorcraft, etc. in which it again takes time, reflection and in-depth analysis to say why one liked or didn't like a particular writer or novel or short story and this might take a whole course of study, you know.

To continue . . .

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection.

[Sae-chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some are better than others, but all in all good stories. The working woman section was depressing, though.

Nagai Kafu's: wowza
Setouchi Harumi's: a very honest account of oneself. I so respected her for that.

[Ad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories by 16 Japanese authors with "portrayals of women", under the following themes: The Maiden, The Wife, The Mistress, The Mother and The Working Woman. The editor, Makoto Ueda, in addition gives a short overview in his introduction of how these theme have played out in Japanese literature in general. The short stories span a period that saw great changes in the status and lives of Japanese women. The stories have been translated by different translators, but all are new for this handsome book. We do not only find wel-known authors as Kawabata, Dazai, and Kafu, but also women writers like Ariyoshi Sawako, Enchi Fumiko, Setouchi Harumi and Hirabayashi Taiko. It is also nice that a genre fiction author as Matsumoto Seichi has been included (with a strong story "Wait a Year and a Half").

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of stories about women in Japan, broken up into five categories: the maiden, the wife, the mistress, the mother, and the working woman. I liked it, but since it was compiled (and primarily written) in pre-feminism times, several of the stories involve women in abusive or just neglectful relationships; and it's too frustrating to know that those were/are based on real life.

I liked it; but some of the stories left me too aggravated, not at the writing, but at the circumstances depicted, to say I really liked it.

[Serena Alibhai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing short story collection about the different roles women play.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, terse stories parsed to the most minimal expression, fraught with hidden desire and despair. So different.