Chapter 12 Stage Sounds for the Eyes: Performance and the Visual-Textual Spaces of Gōkan
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Abstract
In Chapter 12, “Stage Sounds for the Eyes: Performance and the Visual-Textual Spaces of Gōkan,” Satoko Shimazaki delves into the relationship between the kabuki theater and graphic narratives, leading to an exciting discovery: the presence of sounds inscribed on the printed page of kusazōshi; inscribed to be heard by the reader. Shimazaki asks us to situate kusazōshi, in particular gōkan (combined booklets), within the vast array of musical and performative texts produced at the time. This chapter enriches our understanding of the multimodality of kusazōshi by bringing the auditory mode into play. It also pushes our understanding of the act of reading: no more reading a text (verbal and/or visual) but listening to sounds and voices. A thought-provoking reading for anyone interested in synergies between performing arts and literature.