| Summary: | 碩士 === 元智大學 === 應用外語學系 === 104 === The well-known Miyamoto Teru’s River Trilogy includes the following three literature novels: (1) Muddy River, (2) River of Fireflies, and (3) River of Lights. Muddy River depicts a story about the encounter and separation of two boys in summer of 1955. River of Fireflies presents the frames of mind for the wife and son when a father named Shigetatsu got sick and then die during winter to autumn in 1962. River of Lights is a full-length novel with storyline surrounding by Takeuchi and Kunihiko, the boss and a young worker in the River Coffee Shop located in Dotonbori downtown in 1969. The dominated characters in these works are all lived by the side of a slack and muddy stream, where they recognized the subjects about death and sex and learned to grow up.
This study explores the paternity, lovers and friendship presented in Miyamoto Teru’s River Trilogy. It investigates the processes of growth for Nobuo in Muddy River, Tatsuo in River of Fireflies, and Kunihiko in River of Lights, and inferences the meaning of light to paternity from the following important episodes presented in the novels. (1) In Muddy River, we focus on the characteristics of the monster carp as well as the light beneath, and the conversions and interactions between Nobuoand and Kiichi in Tosaborikawa. (2) In River of Fireflies, the large quantities of fireflies performing mating activity at Itachikawa, and the evil-light emitted from portrait-like firefly at the end of the story are explored. (3) In River of Lights, the impact of the light to Kunihiko perceived by viewing River of Lights from Saiwaibashi is discussed.
Miyamoto Teru’s River Trilogy is a series of literature works exhibiting mental status across father’s lifetime and after death. This thesis investigates the meaning and relationship of light to paternity by considering the love of father to son, and the feelings of biological son to father exhibited in the novels.
Key words: Miyamoto Teru, The River Trilogy, Paternity, Female, Dead, Sex, Light
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