World within walls: Japanese literature of the pre-modern era, 1600-1867

A History of Japanese Literature #2

by Doanld Keene

The Tokugawa family held the shogunate from 1603 to 1867, ruling Japan and keeping the island nation isolated from the rest of the world for more than 250 years. Donald Keene looks within the "walls" of isolation and meticulously chronicles the periods vast literary output, providing both lay readers and scholars with the definitive history of premodern Japanese literature.

Genres: Japan, Literature, Japanese Literature, Japanese History, Nonfiction

606 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good survey. Many summaries of important works requiring some background to appreciate. Interesting biographies. Origins of haiku and kabuki especially interesting to me.

[Paul Kerschen]

Literary history through a reflecting telescope: genres cohere and then hollow out, what moves are possible when.