Serious Novel - Shinkoku Shosetsu

A novel that focuses on depicting the misery and serious dark sides of life and society. It is also called a "tragic novel." In the history of modern Japanese literature, this type of novel was popular for three or four years from 1895 (Meiji 28) after the Sino-Japanese War. In other words, in 1895, Hirotsu Ryuro's "Black Lizard" and "Mr. Turtle", Goto Chugai's "Ant's Sabbath", Emi Suiin's "Wife Murder", in 1896 Ryuro's "Imado Shinju" and "Kawachiya", Kitada Usurai's "Nursing Nurse", Oguri Fuyou's "Kikkouzuru", and Ryuro's "Chikusho-hara" in 1897, all of which depicted suicide, suicide for love, and the depressing circumstances of desperate poverty, and were considered to have taken realistic novels a step deeper than their predecessors. However, the subject matter was biased and the characters unnatural, so they were soon replaced by "illuminating novels" and "family novels".

[Yasushi Oka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

人生、社会の悲惨、深刻な暗黒面の描写に主眼を置いた小説。「悲惨小説」ともいう。日本近代文学史では、日清(にっしん)戦争後、1895年（明治28）から3、4年間流行したこの種の小説群をさす。すなわち、95年の広津柳浪(りゅうろう)『黒蜥蜴(くろとかげ)』『亀さん』、後藤宙外(ちゅうがい)『ありのすさび』、江見水蔭(すいいん)『女房殺し』など、96年の柳浪『今戸(いまど)心中』『河内(かわち)屋』、北田薄氷(うすらい)『乳母(うば)』、小栗風葉(おぐりふうよう)『亀甲鶴(きっこうづる)』、97年の柳浪『畜生腹』などで、いずれも自殺や情死、絶望的な貧苦による暗澹(あんたん)たる境遇などを描き、写実主義の小説を前代よりも一歩深めたものとみなされた。が、その題材が偏り、人物も不自然に陥ったので、やがて「光明小説」「家庭小説」にとってかわられた。

［岡　保生］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例