Chapter 10 Relighting The Peony Lantern: Strategies of Multi-Adaptation in an Early Nineteenth-Century Gōkan
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Abstract
In chapter 10, “Relighting The Peony Lantern: Strategies of Multi-Adaptation in an Early Nineteenth-Century Gōkan,” Frederick Feilden works on one short gōkan (combined booklets) published in 1810: Kabuki no hana botan-dōrō (Bloom of the Stage: The Peony Lantern). The author explores the ways in which Santō Kyōden sought to realize his goal of rewriting—and thereby relighting—The Peony Lantern story through a range of adaptational strategies. By effectively engaging with all the components of this book, including its paratexts, Feilden argues that the complexity of Kyōden’s storytelling techniques warrants a new concept—“multi-adaptation”—which can account for the simultaneous use of a variety of sources. In the process, the author suggests a fresh way of thinking about the multiplicity of texts and readerships in early nineteenth-century Japan. Feilden’s analysis is conducted without losing sight of the fact that we are dealing with cultural products firmly rooted in the world of commercial publishing, with a keen eye on readership. He infers the existence of a whole continuum of readers, from those with little or no knowledge, all the way through to connoisseurs of The Peony Lantern in its many forms. This chapter is enlightening for anyone interested in Adaptation Studies.