TTLV: The Body and National Identity in Junichiro Tanizaki's "Foolish Love" and "General Shigemoto's Mother"

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS

1. Student's full name: NGUYEN THI MINH THUY 2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: January 20, 1994

4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Decision on student admission No. 2279/2022/QD-XHNV dated August 22, 2022, by the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in the training process: Extension of the training period according to Decision No. 3845/QD-XHNV dated August 1, 2024 and Decision No. 940/QD-XHNV dated February 17, 2025.

7. Thesis title:The body and national identity in Junichiro Tanizaki's "Foolish Love" and "General Shigemoto's Mother".

8. Major: Foreign Literature; Code: 8229030.03

9. Scientific supervisor: Dr. Nguyen Phuong Lien, University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

10. Summary of the thesis results:

- Theoretically, the thesis points out the role of the body in constructing national identity, showing that the process of building a body model representing a nation will not simply exploit the intrinsic values ​​of that nation but will always be within a dialogue with "others," other nations. In addition, the thesis shows the necessity of considering interlayered structures (especially the intersection with issues of race and gender) in studies of the body and national identity.

- Through an examination of the relationship between national body image and racial issues in two works by Tanizaki Junichiro, this thesis points out the manifestations of physical inferiority complexes among Japanese people in the first half of the 20th century when confronted with Westerners who were considered superior in terms of skin color, height, physique, etc. Along with this, it clarifies the strategy of constructing a Japanese body image based on traditional aesthetics to dispel inferiority complexes and create equality between Japan and the West.

- Through examining the relationship between national body imagery and gender issues, the thesis points out the correlation between dualistic pairs: West - East, masculinity - femininity. It shows that, with his cultural nationalist perspective, Junichiro Tanizaki, while still clearly defining the different roles of men and women in the national project, has also somewhat overcome rigid dualism, exploring unconventional masculinity and femininity to create unique Japanese identity in the context of East-West interaction.

11. Practical applications: This thesis can be used as a reference for studies on the body and national identity in literature, specifically on the works of Tanizaki Junichiro and modern Japanese literature in general.

12. Further research directions: The topic could be expanded to explore other aspects of Junichiro Tanizaki's entire body of work that this thesis has not addressed or has not explored in depth, such as imaginary geography, the relationship between queer and traditional art, etc. In addition, groundbreaking translations by Tanizaki, such as the translation of...Genji monogatariThis could also yield interesting findings when examined under translation theory.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None.

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: NGUYEN THI MINH THUY 2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: January 20, 1994 4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Admission decision number: 2279/2022/QD-XHNV Dated August 22, 2022

6. Changes in academic process: Extension of training period according to Decision No. 3845/QD-XHNV dated August 1, 2024 and Decision No. 940/QD-XHNV dated February 17, 2025.

7. Official thesis title: The body and national identity in "Naomi" and "Captain Shigemoto's mother" by Tanizaki Junichiro.

8. Major: Foreign Literature 9. Code: 8229030.03

10. Supervisors: PhD Nguyen Phuong Lien - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi

11. Summary of the findings of the thesis:

- Theoretically, the thesis elucidates the role of the body in the construction of national identity, demonstrating that the process of building a bodily model representative of a nation does not merely draw upon that nation's intrinsic values, but is always situated within a dialogue with 'the Others', with other nations. Furthermore, the thesis underscores the necessity of incorporating an intersectional perspective (especially the intersections with race and gender) into studies of the body and national identity.

- Through an examination of the relationship between the image of the national body and the issue of race in two works by Tanizaki Junichiro, this thesis reveals the manifestations of physical inferiority complex among the Japanese in the first half of the twentieth century when confronted with Westerners, who were perceived as superior in skin color, height, body shape, and other aspects of beauty. At the same time, it elucidates the strategy of constructing an ideal of Japanese bodily beauty grounded in traditional aesthetics, aiming at dispelling this sense of inferiority and establishing an equal footing between Japan and the West.

- Through an examination of the relationship between the image of the national body and the issue of gender, this thesis identifies the correlations between such binary oppositions as West–East and masculinity–femininity. It shows that, from his vision of cultural nationalism, Tanizaki Junichiro, while still delineating rather clearly the distinct roles of men and women within the national project, nevertheless to some extent transcends rigid binaries by engaging with non-normative masculinities and femininities, which contributes to the uniqueness of Japanese identity in the context of East–West encounters.

12. Practical applicability, if any: This thesis may serve as a reference for studies on the body and national identity in literature, particularly in relation to the works of Tanizaki Junichiro, and more broadly, to modern Japanese literature.

13. Further research directions, if any: The topic may be further extended to explore other aspects of Tanizaki Junichiro's oeuvre that this thesis has not addressed or has only touched upon briefly, such as imagined geographies, relationship between queerness and traditional arts. In addition, Tanizaki's unconventional translations, such as his rendition ofGenji monogatari, may also yield intriguing insights when examined through the lens of translation theory.

14. Thesis-related publications: None.