太宰治「清貧譚」論 : 新体制下における太宰の俗との関わり方に着目して

“Seihintan” by Osamu Dazai is based on “Huang Ying,” which is an adaptation novel of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio written by Chinese writer Pu Songling of the Qing dynasty. This paper will begin with the background of the era by inspecting the New Order Movement and the cultural reform proposed by Konoe Fumimaro in 1940, exploring the possibility that Dazai incorporated his own perspectives on art in this piece of work. Second, through a comparative study of the content and literary expression of “Seihintan” and “Huang Ying,” especially the sarcastic rewriting of the main character Sainosuke, it was possible to catch a glimpse of Dazai’s aversion to the practice of art with ignorance to reality and the label of being free from vulgarity. However, in his other works, Dazai praised the artists for their noble character and how their creations were not bound by secularism, which is a powerful contrast to “Seihintan.” Therefore, this paper analyzes the reason behind Dazai’s contradictory writing and his intentional focus on secularism in “Seihintan.” At the same time, Dazai’s relationship with the secular under the New Order Movement is analyzed. To conclude, “Seihintan” presented a wandering image of Osamu Dazai between the “ordinary” and “detached,” the character Saburo carries the author’s idealized vision for solving the national difficulties and call for a free environment for artistic creation. In this work, Dazai defends himself against the criticism of his secularization.