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당일레포트
Today at Peking University, Professor Saitō Mareshi delivered a lecture entitled “Engaging with Bun – The Case of Natsume Sōseki.” Under the overarching theme of “engaging with bun,” he closely examined the works and literary theories of Natsume Sōseki, while also addressing the ultimate question of “what is a bunjin (lit. literatus)?” Through this inquiry, he developed new perspectives on Sōseki’s understanding of “modernity.”
Professor Saitō began by exploring the term bunjin and how its implications have shifted over three major historical phases: from the Han and Wei dynasties to the Six Dynasties, from Bai Juyi onwards, and finally the modern period. He explained the gradual transformation of the concept from “a craftsman composing fu” to “a literary writer rich in the pleasures of life.” He further argued that beyond temporal factors, the concept of bunjin also varies across different regions and cultural contexts.
After clarifying the historical development of the concept of bunjin, Professor Saitō turned his attention to Sōseki’s literary thought – particularly his awareness of style (buntai) – and proposed that Sōseki’s multilayered identity offers a crucial window into understanding the modern bunjin.
Professor Saitō then conducted an in-depth analysis of Sōseki’s writings across three categories: literary theory, novels, and literary Sinitic poetry (kanshi). First, Prof. Saitō highlighted how Sōseki’s use of scientific terminology is key to understanding his literary theory. Using his Bungakuron [Theory of Literature] as an example, Saitō explained how Sōseki constructed a literary theory through the combination of F (element of cognition) and f (element of emotion), forming a model expressed as (F+f). For instance, within the traditional literary framework, Sōseki interpreted “morality” as a type of emotion, categorizing it a moral f. This incorporation of traditional concepts into a scientific vocabulary, thereby deconstructing them, was considered one of the groundbreaking aspects of Sōseki’s theory.
Moreover, Professor Saitō pointed out that many literary critics of the time tended to match Western literary terms with classical Chinese concepts such as jō (emotion) or ji (diction). Sōseki, however, recognized that this practice risked reverting scientific thought back into traditional literary discourse and thus deliberately avoided relying on classical terminology in his theoretical writings.
In discussing Sōseki’s novels and kanshi, Professor Saitō introduced a new framework – “novels as profession, kanshi as therapy” – thereby focusing on the writer’s differing attitudes toward distinct literary forms. Using a timeline, he illustrated changes in the frequency and style of Sōseki’s kanshi composition across various stages of his life, revealing how his personal circumstances influenced his creative output. Unlike his novels, which were written with an audience in mind and as part of his profession, Sōseki’s kanshi were composed as a form of personal emotional expression—essentially a kind of self-healing. Transforming kanshi, which traditionally had strong social and performative connotations, into a medium for introspective expression was, according to Saitō, a key marker of Sōseki’s modern sensibility.
Professor Saitō also discussed other features of Sōseki’s modernity, including his frequent use of dialogue in his genbun itchi style, his underlying skepticism toward language itself, and the characteristic placement of paintings with kanshi within his novels. Toward the end of the lecture, Professor Saitō offered a compelling metaphor to describe Sōseki’s literary awareness: “partitioned rooms.” Just as one lives in different rooms according to their needs and moods, Sōseki moved between different literary styles (e.g. novel, kanshi), each corresponding to different aspects of his life, while, like the connectedness of the disparate rooms, still maintaining an internal unity within his deep consciousness as a writer.
During the Q&A session, a lively discussion unfolded around various topics: how modernity can be expressed through classical language; comparisons between the poet Rai San’yō of the Edo period and Sōseki regarding their respective ideas of the“poet”; the evolving concept of the poet; the distance between an author’s critical writings and creative works; the tendency of contemporary writers to absorb Western concepts entirely into classical expressions; and Sōseki’s use of kanshi within novels such as Kusamakura.
Following the lecture, Professor Michisaka offered a comprehensive reflection, centering on the question “What is a modern person?” He suggested that the modern individual is characterized by taking on diverse roles across different spheres of life, while also maintaining a sense of doubt towards things, an attitude Sōseki embodied to a remarkable degree. The question of “what is a bunjin?” became especially relevant in modernity, a time when absolute values were destabilized and the concept of bibungaku (belle-lettres) was reaching its limits. In such times, the bunjin faces the difficulty of finding the precise language to express themselves. Sōseki’s strategy of “partitioned rooms” aptly reflects the mindset of the modern individual: a refusal to easily abandon one’s doubts. Finally, Professor Ding Li offered a summary of the lecturer’s contributions and expressed high appreciation for its depth and significance.
