The old Greek myth about Narcissus, the character trapped between reality and dream, life and death, during the last centuries became the mirror reflecting the specific of European culture. This article is showing his
versatility and examples of the inspiration and reinterpretation of his myth
made by the representatives of Japanese Culture: Mishima Yukio and
Matsumoto Toshio. The examples of Mishima's novels: "Patriotism" (making own heroic iconography) and "Onnangata" (creation of the perfect feminity) are showing never-ending metamorphosis of Narcissus - Dandy,
antithetical figure which is drifting between illusion and no illusions. The
movie Bara no sōretsu transfers figures such as Dandy and Oedipus to
show the mythologizing of Japanese post-war reality among the leftwinged, gēboi (gay boys) and anarchists. Comparing those pieces proves the thesis, that by using the myths of the West, the specific of Japanese Culture can be highlighted.
keywords in Polish:
Japonia, kultura japońska
keywords in English:
Japan, Japanese culture
affiliation:
Wydział Filozoficzny : Katedra Porównawczych Studiów Cywilizacji