"Hototogisu", the story of a succesful novel

Abstract

This article provides a brief analysis of how Japan’s opening to the West in the second half of the 19th century, and the consequent influx of foreign ideas and works to the country, introduced the modern novel in Japan and how it was incorporated into the local literature through the examination of the novel Hototogisu (The cuckoo), written by Roka Tokutomi and serialized in the newspaper Kokumin Shimbun between 1898-1899. The novel became one of the greatest literary successes of the Meiji Period (1868-1912) and was translated into several languages in the early 20th century.