Phantasmagoric Literatures from 1827 : Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sin Chaha, and Kyokutei Bakin1

Abstract

The magic lantern as a projection technique, which has existed in Europe since the 17th century (at the latest), and phantasmagoria as a large-scale magic lantern occupy a prominent place in the world history of visual culture. As they spread across the world, these technologies encountered written cultures and produced fantastic literature—phantasmagorical literature, so to speak. This article analyzes phantasmagorical literature written or published circa 1827 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) of Germany, (SIN Chaha, also called [SIN Wi], 1769–18452 of Korea, and (KYOKUTEI Bakin, 1767–1848) of Japan. This is a demonstration of a novel approach to comparative literature, which compares literary works in the light of global technological history, and this is an attempt to give an insight into the world history of visual culture from the perspective of 1827.