Specters of Modernity: “Supernatural Japan” and the Cosmopolitan Gothic

Specters of Modernity: “Supernatural Japan” and the Cosmopolitan Gothic By Michael Joseph Blouin A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY American Studies 2012 ABSTRACT SPECTERS OF MODERNITY: “SUPERNATURAL JAPAN” AND THE COSMOPOLITAN GOTHIC By Michael Joseph Blouin Value of Research Specialization: From the mid-19th century until today, “Japan” has frequently been imagined in Western discourse as a supernatural entity; at the same time, Gothic tales from each nation have been exchanged, consumed, and adapted. By better understanding this phenomenon, in works ranging from the prose of Lafcadio Hearn and Winnifred Eaton to the films of Shimizu Takashi, one can better understand the cultural relationship between the two countries as well as the layers of complexity that accompany constructions of “foreignness.” Argument of Dissertation: Cosmopolitanism, following Kant, is often articulated through concepts of unity and rationality. I argue that the cultural exchange between the United States and Japan in the last century suggests a different kind of cosmopolitanism, one that instead uses Gothic tropes to interrogate the Self as it projects its own hidden “foreignness” onto distant lands. This argument builds upon theories of Julia Kristeva, Paul Ricouer, and Jean Baudrillard that argue for “radical alterity.” In the macabre and spectral visions of one another, the United States and Japan glimpse the excesses within their modernization. Contribution of Dissertation: My dissertation expands and changes out current understanding of the U.S.-Japan cultural relationship, specifically in literature and film. It attempts to challenge a dominant view that “Japan” has served solely as the Other in Western thought and rather establishes the manner in which authors and filmmakers have used this theme as an opportunity to subvert the status quo and interrogate modernity’s excess. The dissertation concludes with an analysis of Japanese horror films and their American re-makes in order to understand how one might begin to conceive of a shared affect through revisions of the “uncanny” produced by these transnational encounters. Copyright by MICHAEL JOSEPH BLOUIN 2012 Acknowledgements A completed dissertation is covered with fingerprints from countless individuals. I would like to begin by thanking my wife, Kate, for her willingness to help me in every capacity and for her open-mindedness in moving to Michigan, Japan, and now on to Tennessee. My mother, who worked tirelessly on my behalf growing up and never wavered in her support of my dreams, deserves my undying gratitude. In addition, these pages retain traces of tall tales told on the Connecticut River; my love of a beautiful story certainly comes in large part from Bumpa. Other family members provided the support and inspiration any dissertation demands, including Nana, my three talented and hilarious brothers, and my aunt Lellie. Without these loved ones, this project simply would not exist. At Michigan State University, I need to thank my committee for their thoughtful engagement and willingness to write countless letters of support during my tenure as a Spartan. In particular, Gary Hoppenstand always offered a smile and a word of encouragement while David Stowe repeatedly went above and beyond the call of duty, purchasing numerous cups of coffee and offering life-long friendship. Sayuri Shimizu has fought for me and served as a friendly face in an audience across the Pacific and Scott Michaelsen taught me to appreciate board games (and continues to teach me a great deal about critical theory). Most importantly of all, however, I must acknowledge two of my colleagues, Morgan Shipley and Jack Taylor. In addition to standing by me as incredible friends, and inspiring me to be a better scholar and a better human being, these two individuals have shared countless laughs, labored alongside me in journeys through Hegel’s works, and as a result, they have made this project far more compelling. During my time in Japan, I met incredible individuals, individuals who were selfless and generous in ways I could never have expected. I am particularly indebted to Kimiko Hiranuma v and Miyuki Yamamoto, who took me to Hearn’s home in Matsue and aided me through numerous moments of being “lost in translation.” Gavin Campbell, a professor at Doshisha University, provided pointed insight during early drafts and pushed me to sharpen my prose. It was during his seminar (zemi), in conversation with several graduate students, that this project really started to take form. Finally, I must reach further back into the past to recognize the constant influence of faculty at the University of Vermont. Valerie Rohy forced me to clarify my language and I will forever be in her debt for her guidance; David Jenemann taught me to appreciate Adorno and to read cinematic texts in innovative ways; Todd McGowan never failed to startle me with his wisdom or fuel my creative devices with his provocative debates in the classroom. And, of course, I owe a great deal to Tony Magistrale – “Coach” – for opening doors, for jogging while discussing King, and for inspiring me to want to get into this profession in the first place. This dissertation is therefore an accumulation of ideas and energies borrowed from the finest individuals I have met in my life. Any success found in the pages to follow cannot be separated from their influence. Any errors or oversights confirm that I must continue to try and live up to the high standards they have set. vi The world can scarcely have in reserve a less hackneyed theme than Japan. Nathaniel Hawthorne Was he really a man, a human entity, a personality like ourselves, or was he merely a sort of spiritual solvent, sent for the moment to precipitate whatever sincerity there was in us, and show us what the truth was concerning our relations to each other? It was a fantastic conception, but I thought it was one that I might employ in some sort of romantic design, and I was professionally grateful for it. William Dean Howells, A Traveler from Altruria (1894) Now, do you really imagine that the Japanese people, as they are presented to us in art, have any existence? … The whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is no such country. There are no such people. Oscar Wilde, “The Decay of Lying” (1889) Then to bed, with drowsy brains harassed with a mad panorama that mixes up pictures of France, of Italy, of the ship, of the ocean, of home, in grotesque and bewildering disorder. Then a melting away of familiar faces of cities, and of tossing waves, into a great calm of forgetfulness and peace. After which, the nightmare. Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad (1869) vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………...9 Discourses of the Invisible: “Ghosts” and “Spirits” in Early American Japanology………………….39 The Eternal Embrace: Ghostly Maidens in Sidney McCall’s Fiction................................................... 64 “A Soft Shock to the Ego”: Japonisme and the Female Gothic…..………………………………………87 Godzilla is Dead: Nuclear Criticism and a Deferred Reading of the Toho Terror …………………..112 The Gizmo Effect: “Japan Inc.” and the American Nightmare ……………………………………. 134 A Communal Haunt: Spatial and Temporal Ruptures in the Horror Films of Shimizu Takashi………. 157 A Western Wake: Difference and Doubt in Christopher Nolan’s Inception ……………………………191 Notes….………………………………………………… ………………………………………………216 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………..……233 viii Introduction Upon spending a year abroad in Japan, I hoped to understand better why a surprisingly large number of individuals in the last century elected to adapt ghostly tales from the archipelago. Of the countless books concerning U.S.-Japan cultural relations, there is no work treating this subject at length – which I found disconcerting, as the phenomenon was as prevalent as any other. There are fascinating adaptations of Japanese superstitions from the late nineteenth century, monstrous visions of a petulant nuclear lizard, and iconic females with long, black hair; gazing out the window from the train rumbling into Kyoto station, I desired to begin to understand why these creepy imports from the Far East had been consistently popular throughout the past hundred years and what important transnational connections were running beneath the surface of these particular texts. As I read over my correspondences from my time in Japan, a narrative mirroring the trajectory of this dissertation appears. During my early days in rural Omihachiman, I expressed a belief I will eventually discover a deeper meaning in the country. My words then slowly began to suggest self-doubt; I ruminated on how my comprehension of “Japan” and “America” was gradually being challenged by my experiences. At a certain point, while gazing up at Matsue castle in the morning fog from the very same path Gothic storyteller Lafcadio Hearn walked daily, I uncovered a possible reason as to why these haunting tales repeatedly manage to move the reader, which forms a basic premise for this project: at first, an enigmatic aesthetic lures the weary traveler into contemplation and a search for invisible forces. Subsequently, from within the mist, one finds the outline of intangible pieces of themselves repressed at home. After the twelve month stay comes to a close, while sitting in the Kansai International Airport and writing in my well-worn notebook, I deliberate further on this encounter:

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