電子書籍

Tess and the Myth of Janus: A Japanese Professor's Literary Perspective (English Edition)

(著) 安達秀夫

作品詳細

[About the Book]
Uncovering Janus, the Two-Faced God Hidden Within Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece and one of the most celebrated novels in nineteenth-century English literature, tells the tragic story of its heroine, Tess. Yet throughout the novel, there are surprisingly frequent references to gates, doorways, and entrances. Even the names of the two men who shape Tess’s fate—Clare and Alec—form a near-anagram, differing by only a single letter.

What do these details signify?
This scholarly literary study explores Tess of the d’Urbervilles through the symbolic presence of Janus, the two-faced Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings, and endings. By treating the hidden figure of Janus as a key to the novel’s structure, the author reveals a deeper layer of meaning embedded within Hardy’s work.
Drawing extensively on Greek and Roman mythology, the Bible, Shakespeare, Milton, and the broader history of Western culture, this book carefully unravels the intricate design of Tess’s drama. As the analysis progresses, a new narrative emerges—one that sheds fresh light on Hardy’s literary intentions and the symbolic architecture of the novel.

[Editor’s Comment]
Reading a novel is enjoyable in itself, but discovering the motifs, symbols, and hidden structures woven into the story can make the experience even richer.
For readers who love English and American literature and wish to explore literary works on a deeper level, this book offers a rewarding and thought-provoking journey into one of the great classics of English literature.

[About the Author]
Hideo Adachi
Born in December 1947 (Shōwa 22) in Tokyo.
Graduated from the English Literature track, Department of Literature, Chuo University; completed the master’s program in English Literature in the Graduate School of Literature at the same university. Former Professor, Faculty of Letters, Risshō University.

Publications
Tess of the d’Urbervilles and the Myth of Janus, Bunka Shobō Hakubunsha, 2001 (this book).
Eibei Bungaku to Gengo, Biblos Kenkyūkai ed., Tokyo: Homero-sha, 1990. Ibunka no Shosō, Japan Society of English and American Literature / Culture ed., Asahi Press, 1999. Yomitokareru Ibunka, Chūō Eibei Bungakukai ed., Shōhaku-sha, 1999. Toshi-ron no Genzai, Risshō University Institute of Humanities ed., Bunka Shobō Hakubunsha, 2006. A Full View of Thomas Hardy: Essays Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Hardy Society of Japan, Hardy Society of Japan ed., Otowa Shobō Tsurumi Shoten, 2007/ Faulkner Jiten, The William Faulkner Society of Japan ed., Shōhaku-sha, 2008/ Aratana Ibunka Kaishaku, Chūō Eibei Bungakukai ed., Shōhaku-sha, 2013/ Bunka-gaku no Kyōiki, Chūō Eibei Bungakukai ed., Shichigatsudō, 2020/ He has also published articles related to Faulkner, Hemingway, and Salinger, among others.

Translations
Leonard Feinberg, The Secret of Humor (co-translation), Bunka Shobō Hakubunsha, 1996.