AsianForum 132th "Human Emotions and Community in the Literary Thought of the Sorai School and Kokugaku"

132th
Asian Forum
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
14:00-15:00
Conference Room 203/204, Dialogue House 2FPeter Flueckiger
(Pomona College, Associate Professor)
Human Emotions and Community in the Literary Thought of the Sorai School and Kokugaku

Human emotions were central to the philosophies of Ogyû Sorai (1666-1728) and his disciples, as well as their Kokugaku critics, such as Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801). These scholars all saw emotionality as the core of human nature, and argued that emotional connections between people were essential to a harmonious society. This talk discusses how these figures saw poetry as contributing to such a society through its capacity to express and communicate authentic emotions. At the same time, it argues that their new ways of valuing emotions were accompanied by new ideas about how emotions should be regulated and socialized.

Lecture in English

Peter Flueckiger-Human Emotions and Community in the Literary Thought of the Sorai School and Kokugaku