Download or read book Studies in the Comic Spirit in Modern Japanese Fiction written by Joel Ralph Cohn and published by Harvard Univ Asia Center. This book was released on 1998 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike traditional Japanese literature, with its rich tradition of comedy, modern Japanese literature is commonly associated with high seriousness. Cohn analyzes works by three writers--Ibuse Masuji (1898-1993), Dazai Osamu (1909-1948), and Inoue Hisashi (1934- )--that assault the notion that comedy cannot be part of serious literature.