The Great Mirror of Male Love [Hardcover]

Ihara Saikaku (Author), Paul Schalow (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1990

“A welcome opportunity for wider comparison of the literary traditions and sexual conventions of Japanese and Euro-American cultures.”—Journal of Japanese Studies

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A welcome opportunity for wider comparison of the literary traditions and sexual conventions of Japanese and Euro-American cultures.”—Journal of Japanese Studies

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804716617
• ISBN-13: 978-0804716611
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #920,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Loves of Samurai and Kabuki Actors, November 30, 2002

By 

Daitokuji31 (Black Glass) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Great Mirror of Male Love (Paperback)

I am writing two papers on the novels of Ihara Saikaku this semester and my Japanese history and Japanese literature profs both recommended that I read this book. I found it quite interesting.

Schalow's introduction is very well done, and without it the reader would be at a lost to understand many of the occurences that happen withing the 40 short stories. Also the endnotes are also quite necessary because they enlighten the reader on the locations, bits of poems and literature, and the names of actors that Saikaku alludes to several times in this book. This book should not be looked upon as just being a work of gay literature, Saikaku himself wrote on many other subjects including the lives of merchants, samurai, and womanizers, but one that is important to understanding this period of japanese history, and the personal relationships of samurai and kabuki actors. however, it also should not be used as a stereotypical model.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Book, October 23, 2009

By 

Roger M. Roldan (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Great Mirror of Male Love (Paperback)

not for the prurient, this is an entertaining and sometimes funny book relating the ins and outs of boy love in samurai japan. the descriptions of the boys are priceless as are the innovative ways they are chased by their admirers.

12 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique & exotic short stories, June 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Mirror of Male Love (Paperback)

Interesting short stories, however there are too many reference/historical notes for each short story. I had to keep flipping pages back and forth constantly - quite a distraction.
This book also contains a 50 page introduction - ten times longer than any of the individual stories contained in the book. However, despite these nuisances, I still enjoyed this book. Only for the serious reader.