FAIRYLESS TALES AT THE SOURCE OF JAPANESE KIDLIT: SOME THOUGHTS ON INSTRUCTIONAL GENRE AS A PART OF EMERGENT NATIONAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Abstract

Focusing on the dynamics of cultural transfer, this essay examines the shifting landscape of Japanese children’s literature, tracing its formation from the 17th century to the present through the lens of educational literature. It presents specific examples of instructional materials — encyclopedias, textbooks etc. — to illustrate the diversity of genres within educational literature and their impact on the emerging identity of Japanese children’s literature, particularly in comparison with other genres such as folklore and fairy tales. The essay proposes three interpretations of the concept of “emergence of national children’s literature” and explores the notion of cultural transfer directivity. By analyzing specific examples from the history of Japanese children’s books, it sheds light on the role of intercultural exchange in the formative stages of children’s literature. Ultimately, the research underscores the significance of instructional genres as an important element of the genre spectrum of nascent children’s literature — national and global alike.

Keywords: national children’s literature, global children’s literature, cultural transfer, translation of textbooks, reference literature, interiorization, exteriorization