寺西 雅之

This article surveys the history of English studies and education in Japan, paying special attention to the role of literary texts and stylistics. Firstly, the role of literature and stylistics in Japan is discussed from a pedagogical point of view, including both English as a foreign language and Japanese as a native language. Secondly, the way in which stylistics has contributed to literary criticism in the country is examined, with reference to the history of literary stylistics since 1980. Finally, this article considers further applications of stylistics to language study in Japan, offering two examples: analysis of thought presentation in Yukio Mishima's Megami (2006[1955]), and the teaching of an English poem and a Japanese haiku to Japanese EFL students. The overall aim of this article is to demonstrate that literature as language teaching material and stylistics as a critical and teaching method are significant not only in understanding English, but also in appreciating our own native language if it is not English.

Saul Bellow's Herzog has been regarded by some critics as a polyphonic novel in which plural voices coexist. However, it has not been fully discussed how polyphony is embodied in the text. In this article, I analyse the speech and thought presentation involved in the characterization of the protagonist. I pay special attention to the fusion of and competition among 'different versions' of Herzog and subjectivities of other characters existent in Herzog's consciousness. From the analysis of selected passages, it is shown how Bellow creates 'polyphony' or 'poly-subjectivization' in the text, and the place of Herzog in the context of 'Postmodernism' is also clarified. Copyright © 2007 SAGE Publications.