Love, Poetry and Renunciation: Changing Configurations of the Ideal ofSuki

Abstract

Anyone familiar with classical Japanese literature cannot but be struck by the rich array of terms such asmono no aware, yugen, wabiandsabi, to mention just a few, which are regarded as being central to the understanding of Japanese artistic theory and practice. These categories were not, of course, essentialist and unchanging. They were dynamic concepts which were subject to major transformations. These transformations illuminate important aspects of Japan's cultural history.