The Cognitive Evolution of Conceptions of Living Space in the Works of Kobo Abe: A Focus on "The Red Cocoon," "The Woman in the Dunes" and "The Ark Sakura"

Abstract

Spatiality constitutes a significant facet of human perception and understanding of the surrounding world. Japanese existentialist writer Kobo Abe intricately delineates the cognizance of the inhabited living space within his literary works. However, a limited body of research delves into Abe's oeuvre from a spatial perspective. Drawing from the philosophical foundations of existentialist thought on spatiality, this study examines the transformation of Kobo Abe's comprehension of human living space through an analysis of three representative works across his early, middle, and late creative periods: "The Red Cocoon," "The Woman in the Dunes," and "The Ark Sakura." The analysis reveals a discernible progression in Abe's perception of living space. In the early phase of his creative output, Abe exhibits a sense of rootlessness in relation to his inhabited space, perceiving himself as governed and powerless to resist. As his creative phase transitions to the middle period, Abe experiences a sense of constrictive confinement within his living space, leading him to seek limited forms of resistance through escape and interaction with others. In the later creative period, Abe's resistance evolves into a complete desire for isolation from societal space, immersing himself in a personalized realm of living space. However, Abe also acknowledges the impracticality of wholly detaching the individual from pre-existing spatial contexts. Contrasting Abe's progression of understanding with the philosophies of Heidegger and Sartre, it becomes evident that Abe does not consistently adhere to Sartrean ideologies throughout his evolution of thought.