EMPATHY AND READER-RESPONSIBILITY- HOW TO COME TO TERMS WITH HAIKU POEMS
EMPATHY AND READER-RESPONSIBILITY- HOW TO COME TO TERMS WITH HAIKU POEMS

Summary/Abstract: Empathy and Reader-Responsibility. – How to Come to Terms with Haiku Poems. Haiku is said to be the shortest poetic form in the world, and yet it has firmly established itself as a literary genre in Japan and its popularity is now spreading all over the world. The present paper addresses the paradox of haiku poetry, namely it is so short and yet so functional. It argues that its functionality is supported by the characteristic stance of Japanese speakers in their use of language as a means of communication, namely empathy and ‘reader responsibility’.

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