This volume has a dual purpose. As a study of Japanese literature, it aims to define the state of Japanese literary studies in the field of women's writing and to point to directions for future research and inquiry. As a study of women's writing, it presents cross-cultural interpretations of Japanese material of relevance to contemporary work in gender studies and comparative literature. The essays demonstrate various critical approaches to the tradition of Japanese women's writing--from a consideration of theoretical issues of gendered writing in classical and modern literature to a...