Schoolgirl sex and excess: Exploring narratives of Japanese girlhood and compensated dating in Ruth Ozeki's novel 'a tale for the time being (original) (raw)

Hecate, 2017

Abstract

Article written for Hecate, Vol 42, No. 1/2 2017. See link for full article: https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;res=IELAPA;dn=775869680761249 Asian American novelist Ruth Ozeki’s 2013 novel A Tale for the Time Being presents a dual narrative of Japanese schoolgirl Nao, and fictional author Ruth. Ozeki problematises the schoolgirl image by embracing and subverting the stereotypical tropes of the Japanese schoolgirl through her exploration of the practice of “compensated dating” known as “enjo kōsai.” This paper examines how a novel intended for a Western audience depicts the iconic Japanese schoolgirl, specifically with reference to the practice of enjo kōsai, which allows an exploration of the gendered and cultural influences apparent in Ozeki’s writing of the schoolgirl persona while also challenging the ideas of enjo kōsai that are often found in the media. A Tale for the Time Being presents two contradictory representations of this phenomenon which cyclically grip both the Japanese and international media outlets in a collective “moral panic”: that of the innocent schoolgirl led astray into a world of sexual deviancy, and that of the subversive schoolgirl who deploys her limited resources to her advantage. By utilising an epistolary narrative style, the Japanese schoolgirl Nao presents a critique of the media’s portrayal of enjo kōsai, while also exploring issues of the hybridity of self and Japanese girlhood.

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