The description of so-called ‘‘poisonous women’’ in every field of Japanese literature and art has found ample space over the last two centuries. Whether these characters actually existed or were pure invention, the interpretation of their personalities and the motives that drove these women to commit criminal episodes has taken on different nuances depending on the eras in which they occurred and the relative political and social contingencies. We need only think of two of the most famous murderesses Takahashi Oden and Abe Sada, who, although accused of the same crime, nevertheless stimulated revulsion and empathy, a different perception that also serves as a thermometer of the role given to women in different historical periods. Moreover, the same protagonists revisited decades later are enriched with different nuances and valences, and have become symbols of an entire female typology. This essay therefore is not intended to propose a linguistic-aesthetic analysis of the works mentioned, but to explore some of the dynamics proposed by Japanese cinema in the course of its history in reinterpreting some of the “poisonous women” most loved by the vast public, with the intention of also suggesting what political and social messages their stories are able to convey.

Le donne velenose nel cinema giapponese

Maria Roberta Novielli
2024-01-01

Abstract

The description of so-called ‘‘poisonous women’’ in every field of Japanese literature and art has found ample space over the last two centuries. Whether these characters actually existed or were pure invention, the interpretation of their personalities and the motives that drove these women to commit criminal episodes has taken on different nuances depending on the eras in which they occurred and the relative political and social contingencies. We need only think of two of the most famous murderesses Takahashi Oden and Abe Sada, who, although accused of the same crime, nevertheless stimulated revulsion and empathy, a different perception that also serves as a thermometer of the role given to women in different historical periods. Moreover, the same protagonists revisited decades later are enriched with different nuances and valences, and have become symbols of an entire female typology. This essay therefore is not intended to propose a linguistic-aesthetic analysis of the works mentioned, but to explore some of the dynamics proposed by Japanese cinema in the course of its history in reinterpreting some of the “poisonous women” most loved by the vast public, with the intention of also suggesting what political and social messages their stories are able to convey.
2024
Year XLVI New series May-August 2024
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/5081881
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