Class S (genre)

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Class S (クラスS Kurasu Esu?), abbreviated either as S or Esu (エス?), is an early twentieth century Japanese wasei-eigo term specifically used to refer to strong emotional bonds between schoolgirls,[1] and a genre of girl's fiction (少女小説 shōjo shōsetsu?) which tells stories about the same, particularly a mutual crush between an upperclassman and an underclassman.[2] The S is an abbreviation that can stand for "sister", "shōjo" (少女? lit. young girl), "sex",[2] "schöne", and "escape".[1]

Class S had links to the Takarazuka Revue,[2] an all-women revue established in 1914,[3] in which women play men romancing women playing women.[4] In this particular style of love, the women who have been influenced by Takarazuka return to their daily lives and develop crushes on their female classmates or coworkers. This type of romance was typically seen as fleeting and more of a phase in growing up rather than true homosexual behavior;[3] as long as these relationships remained confined to adolescence they were regarded as normal, even spiritual.[1] These relationships were common, and it has been proposed that eight out of ten schoolgirls had Class S relationships.[5] It was suggested in the popular media of the time that the Takarazuka otokoyaku (the woman playing the masculine role) caused women in Class S relationships to become ome couples (butch and femme), and persist in homosexual relationships long after it was acceptable.[2] Robertson sums this up in her theory, saying that "many females are attracted to the Takarazuka otokoyaku because she represents an exemplary female who can negotiate successfully both genders and their attendant roles and domains."[6]

The creation of girls schools was very rapid at the time: by 1913 there were 213 such schools. The western novels Little Women and A Little Princess were translated into Japanese in 1906 and 1910 respectively, in order to educate the girls to become "good wives, wise mothers". However, these works also introduced western concepts of sisterhood, sentimentalism, and romance to the girls of Japan. The tomboyish Jo of Little Women particularly gave Japanese girls a different idea of adolescence.[3] In 1936, Class S stories were banned by the Japanese government.[5]

An influential Class S author was Nobuko Yoshiya, a lesbian Japanese novelist active in the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan, who was involved in the Bluestocking feminist movement.[7] A modern-day yuri light novel series which strongly borrows from the Class S genre is Maria-sama ga Miteru. It is considered to be a modern equivalent to Yoshiya's Hana monogatari.[8]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Subramian, Erin. Women-loving Women in Modern Japan. Yuricon. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  2. ^ a b c d Robertson, Jennifer (August 1992), The Politics of Androgyny in Japan: Sexuality and Subversion in the Theater and Beyond, vol. 19 (3 ed.), pp. 427, <http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0094-0496(199208)19%3A3%3C419%3ATPOAIJ%3E2.0.CO%3B2-A>. Retrieved on 22 January 2008 
  3. ^ a b c d Dollase, Hiromi (2003). "Early Twentieth Century Japanese Girls' Magazine Stories: Examining Shōjo Voice in Hanamonogatari (Flower Tales)". The Journal of Popular Culture 36 (4): 724-755. doi:10.1111/1540-5931.00043. ISSN 00223840. OCLC 1754751. 
  4. ^ Randall, Bill (May 15, 2003). "Three By Moto Hagio". The Comics Journal (252). 
  5. ^ a b McHarry, Mark (November 2003). "Yaoi: Redrawing Male Love". The Guide. 
  6. ^ Robertson, Jennifer (1998). Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan. ISBN 0-520-21150-2. 
  7. ^ Suzuki, Michiko (August 2006). "Writing Same-Sex Love: Sexology and Literary Representation in Yoshiya Nobuko's Early Fiction". The Journal of Asian Studies 65 (3). 
  8. ^ Esu toiu kankei (Japanese). Bishōjo gaippai! Wakamono ga hamaru Marimite world no himitsu. Excite. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
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