A History of Japanese Literature, Volume 1: The Archaic and Ancient Ages (Princeton Legacy Library, 5101)

This book, which covers the period from preliterate times to the beginning of the tenth century, is the first of five proposed volumes that will give an account of Japanese literature from its beginnings to the death of the modern novelist Mishima. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Contents 7 List of Tables and Illustrations 9 Author's Preface 11 Author's Acknowledgments 13 Editor's Foreword 15 General Introduction 23 Chapter 1. Primeval Chaos 99 Chapter 2. Toward the Differentiation of Genres 129 Chapter 3. The Character of the Ancient Age 219 Chapter 4. The Works, Their Reception, and Their Transmission 243 Chapter 5. The Definition of Genres 282 Chapter 6. The Study and Composition of Chinese 323 Chapter 7. Waka Expression 338 Chapter 8. Setsuwa Expression 379 Chapter 9. The Composition of Poetry and Prose in Chinese 389 Chapter 10. Waka Composition 405 Chapter 11. Setsuwa Composition 430 Chronological Table 443 Bibliography 451 Finding List for Japanese Poems 469 Index 473