SOURCE: “The Magic of Identity: Magic Realism in Modern Japanese Fiction,” in Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community, edited by Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris, Duke University Press, 1995, pp. 451-75.

In the following essay, Napier maintains that magic realism in Japanese literature is inherently linked with the Japanese crisis of identity regarding modernity and Western influence.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke's 1920 short story “The Nose” (Hana) concerns an old priest in ancient Japan with an embarrassing problem: his nose is ridiculously, unbelievably, long. Although he realizes that he should be above such mundane matters, the priest feels humiliated by the mockery of others and tries a variety of remedies, eventually succeeding in shrinking his nose down to normal size. Surprisingly, the priest soon finds himself wishing for his old nose again, as everyone mocks him all the more in his new improved condition. One day he wakes up to find...