Public Speaking and Serialized Novels: Kōdan and Social Movements in Early Meiji Tokyo

Abstract

The contribution of popular fiction writers (gesakusha) to the development of early Meiji literature has become more broadly acknowledged and examined. However, the distinctive contribution of oral performative storytelling traditions such as kōdan to the evolution of public speaking and serialized novels (tsuzukimono) has been largely overlooked. This article builds on existing scholarship to further explore the interaction between kōdan and two pivotal movements of the early Meiji period, the ‘Civilization and Enlightenment Movement’ and the ‘People’s Rights Movement’. In the case of the former, the relation of kōdan to the practice of public speaking (enzetsu) is examined. In the case of the second movement, the influence of kōdan on political speech making (seidan) is also explored, along with its relevance to the ‘political novel’ and the ensuing evolution of serialized novels in illustrated newspapers in the late 1880s.