戦前期へのノスタルジア : 作家野上弥生子と「北軽もの」

Abstract

Yaeko Nogami (1885-1985) wrote seven novels called “Kitakarumono” in the 1940s. “Kitakaru” is an abbreviation for Kitakaruizawa, a place located high and north of Karuizawa. In 1928, Hosei University constructed a resort village in Kitakaruizawa, and the village was named “Hosei Daigakumura”. Yaeko’s husband, Toyoichiro Nogami had an important position in Hosei University, so he built a villa at “Hosei Daigakumura” in 1928. Many land owners were teachers of Hosei or other universities in the initial stage, and Yaeko enjoyed associating with intellectuals in “Hosei Daigakumura”. The name of the village was changed from “Hosei Daigakumura” to “Daigakumura” in 1937. Novels of “Kitakarumono” are placed in a minor position in Yaeko’s works, and not much discussed in previous studies. In this article, I analyzed novels of “Kitakarumono” which were written in the early postwar period, by comparing their contents with facts, that is to say the history of “Daigakumura” and Yaeko’s social activities during the wartime. Through the analysis, I show three notable features of “Kitakarumono”. At first, “Kitakarumono” share nostalgia for the prewar period. Yaeko thought that her fulfilling life in “Daigakumura” was lost during the wartime. She had an elitist way of thinking, drawing a dichotomous distinction between the educated class and the general public, so she could not accept the postwar social leveling. Second, in the resort village of “Kitakarumono”, Yaeko gave the educated class a central position. Their lifestyle and way of thinking are depicted as an overall trend of the village. Third, a female novelist “Kazuko”, the main character who reminds readers of Yaeko, is described as a novelist keeping distance from the wartime regime. Yaeko herself, cooperated with the wartime regime. In my opinion, such representation of Kazuko betrays Yaeko’s desire to avoid responsibility for taking part in the war as an intellectual.