Wondrous Brutal Fictions

Download or read book Wondrous Brutal Fictions written by and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-16 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As works of Buddhist fiction, these texts relate the histories and miracles of particular buddhas, bodhisattvas, and local deities. Many of their protagonists have become recognizable cultural icons through their representation in later works of Japanese drama, fiction, and film. The collection includes such sekkyo "sermon-ballad" classics as Sansho Dayu, Karukaya, and Oguri, as well as the "old joruri" plays Goo-no-hime and Amida's Riven Breast. R. Keller Kimbrough provides a critical introduction to each vibrant performance genre, emphasizing the role of seventeenth-century publishing.