Rotting Bodies: Sex, Gender, and Horror in Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan
Rotting Bodies: Sex, Gender, and Horror in Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan
Author(s): Sarah Rebecca SchmidSubject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Gender Studies, Cultural history, Gender history, 19th Century, History of Art
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Kabuki; Theatre; Edo Period; Femininity; Ghosts;
Summary/Abstract: The success that the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan enjoyed was not simply due to its spectacular stage tricks, but also because of the inescapably intimate (human) nature of the horror displayed on stage. Sexuality and gender in particular dominate the horror on stage. The central character Oiwa serves as a vehicle for gendered fears rooted in Edo period attitudes towards sexuality.
Journal: Estetyka i Krytyka
- Issue Year: 55/2019
- Issue No: 4
- Page Range: 9-26
- Page Count: 18
- Language: English