Interdisciplinary Study of Endo Shusaku’s Religious Literature:Hermeneutics of the Consciousness of Original Sin to Divine Encounter

• Main Authors: Ching-chi Yang, 楊謦綺(釋大愚)
• Other Authors: Sue-fu Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/b6wxp5

博士 === 輔仁大學 === 比較文學研究所 === 96 === This dissertation focuses on Endo Shusaku’s historical and literary works and is analyzed through the interdisciplinary studies on religion and literature. In the thesis, the researcher attempts to conclude the religious perspectives in Endo’s literary works and enter into the spaces that Endo has stated in his works for sharing the viewpoints of Endo and seeking the tension to establish the best interpretation of the text by experiencing the feelings of solitude and practicing the conception of “fusion of horizons”. Further more, by the Gaze of Endo, reviewing the subjects of “The sacred and The profane”, “God and Human”, “Unitarianism and Pantheism” and “Sin and Salvation” will be helpful to discuss the track that Endo has experienced from the self-conscious of “consciousness of original sin” to “divine encounter” and the interpretations concerning “people and the hidden traces of God in their soul” mentioned in his works. Endo Shusaku called himself and is also recognized both in Japan and abroad as a “Catholic writer”. There are two mainly reasons why studying Endo’s works is meaningful to the study of religious literature in Japan. Firstly, as a Catholic writer, he states clearly that how he experienced within himself the attitude toward faith, to believe in God (Unitarianism) or to convert to Pantheism, and reflects the relationships between human and transcendence through his religious perspectives, rather than “conducts” the religious perspectives rationally and externally or let literature to “serve” religion. Secondly, although there are some postwar Christian writers in Japan, Endo is very different from others. He goes beyond the psychological depiction of his characters to reveal the “consciousness of original sin” under their sub consciousness or unconsciousness, brings the theme of “Religious Perspective of Motherhood” into the texts expertly, shapes the interpreters into personal mystical experience “The Christ’s redemption transfigure will accompanies and comforts people”, and develops a new field for recent Christian religious literature in Japan. Nevertheless, due to the limit of intellectual background and viewpoint, some of my interpretations might not be complete and accurate. With this dissertation, the researcher would like to offer the future researchers a quick glance at the “Interdisciplinary Study of Endo Shusaku’s Religious Literature” for similar research in other sectors or for more specific in-depth research.