Sample Abstract And Bibliography On High Economic Growth

Sample Abstract And Bibliographyhigh Economic Growth And Its Disconten

Sample Abstract and Bibliography High Economic Growth and Its Discontents: Murakami Ryō’s Topaz (1988) Published in the heyday of Japan’s economic bubble, Murakami Ryō’s novella, Topaz (1988) [aka. Tokyo Decadence, title for the film version], portrays a ubiquitous case of libidinal economy the epoch witnessed through a dystopian urban scene of prostitution and sadomasochism. Unlike during the poverty-stricken post-WWII war years, the act of prostitution is no longer meant to be an economic survival but a division of labor willfully chosen by the protagonists. In the prosperous city of Tokyo, the labor tinged with humiliation and physical toil plays a twofold role – an anonymous reportage that attests to the thriving business based on the body capital, and a trope that antithetically mirrors the emptiness immanent in the financial euphoria.

Through the transaction between money and pleasure, the novella unveils a dimension of economic bubble as psycho-somatic squandering, a financial entropy that drove Japan to plunge into animalistic investments and radical acquisition of the return. In this line of reading, the paper locates the novella within the theoretical frame proposed by such thinkers as Sigmund Freud and Herbert Marcuse, who keenly fathom the danger concealed within civilized society. Paralyzing effects and sexual repression among social constituents, for example, erupt in the form of agonistic modes of investment and gain in prostitution. Likewise, the novella wields a counter narrative against the rational outlook of high growth, delving into the nature of economic bubble as untamable excess at the limit not only of financial wager but also of humanity.

Paper For Above instruction

The rapid economic growth experienced by Japan during the 1980s, commonly referred to as the “Japanese economic bubble,” was a period marked by unprecedented financial exuberance, speculative investments, and cultural shifts that profoundly impacted societal perceptions of success and materialism. The novella “Topaz” by Murakami Ryō, set against this backdrop, offers a critical literary reflection of the discontents and contradictions inherent in Japan’s pursuit of economic prosperity. This paper explores how Murakami’s narrative exemplifies the psycho-social effects of bubble economy, utilizing psychoanalytic and critical theory frameworks to analyze themes of commodification, repression, and excess.

In the context of Japan’s bubble economy, financial exuberance was not merely a matter of market speculation but also reflected deeper societal issues concerning identity, desire, and social cohesion. Murakami’s “Topaz” foregrounds the transformation of prostitution from a means of economic survival to a symbolic act of willful division of labor that mirrors the broader societal obsession with wealth and consumption. As the novella illuminates, this shift symbolizes a dislocation between genuine human desire and the commodified expressions of sexuality and pleasure, which are now intertwined with economic transactions.

Drawing from Freud’s theory of the libidinal economy and Marcuse’s critique of technological rationality and repressive desires, this essay examines how the bubble’s excesses foster both psychological and societal dysfunctions. Freud’s notion of the death drive and the breakdown of repression elucidates the compulsive, self-destructive behaviors manifest in the ailing market and individual psyche. Meanwhile, Marcuse’s concept of repressive tolerance and the paradox of liberation through consumption offers insight into how societal repression manifests in the form of sexual repression and pathological investment behaviors. Murakami’s portrayal of Tokyo’s urban landscape functions as a dystopian mirror reflecting these psychological and social tensions.

The novella also challenges the narrative of rational economic growth by exposing its limits through symbolic and thematic critiques. The financial bubble, as depicted, becomes a form of psycho-somatic squander, akin to a collective frenzy that depletes societal vitality. These excesses, driven by greed and herd mentality, are akin to Sigmund Freud’s notion of unconscious drives overpowering conscious restraint. As such, “Topaz” exemplifies literature’s role as a counter-narrative to capitalist optimism, emphasizing the destructive potential of unbridled desire, both economically and psychologically.

Furthermore, the paper considers cultural critiques by Baudrillard and Lyotard, who argue that hyperreality and the collapse of distinctions between truth and simulation characterize bubble economies. The aestheticization of excess in the novella relates to Baudrillard’s idea that simulation replaces reality, contributing to societal detachment and ennui. Lyotard’s interpretation of postmodern excess underscores the fragmented, ephemeral nature of desire in a society driven by spectacle and superficiality. These perspectives deepen understanding of Japan’s bubble as not only an economic phenomenon but also a cultural one, embodying societal discontent and the erosion of authentic human connections.

In conclusion, Murakami Ryō’s “Topaz” encapsulates the discontents of Japan’s high-growth era through a dystopian lens that emphasizes psychological repression, excess, and societal fragmentation. By integrating psychoanalytic, philosophical, and cultural theories, this analysis highlights the profound ways in which the bubble economy manifested as a form of collective malaise—one that continues to influence Japan’s economic and cultural landscape. The novella serves as a pivotal text illustrating the cost of unchecked growth and the peril of conflating economic success with human fulfillment.

References

• Baudrillard, Jean. The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. Trans. Christ Turner. London: SAGE, 1998.
• Baudrillard, Jean. The Logic of Practice. Trans. Richard Nice. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990.
• Chancellor, Edward. Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation. New York: Plume, 2000.
• Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontent. Trans. James Strachey. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010.
• Galbraith, John K. A Short History of Financial Euphoria (New Japan Edition). Trans. Suzuki Tetsutarō. Tokyo: Diamond, 2008.
• Hara, Hiroyuki. Baburu bunkaron: ‘posto-sengo’ toshiteno 1980nendai [On Bubble Culture: the 1980s as the Post-Postwar Period]. Tokyo: Keio University Press, 2006.
• Lyotard, Jean-François. Libidinal Economy. Trans. Iain Hamilton Grant. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993.
• MacKay, Charles. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. Petersfield, Hampshire: Harriman House, 2006.
• Murakami, Ryō. Topāzu [Topaz]. Tokyo: Kadokawa, 1991.
• Robertson, Jennifer. The Politics of Japanese Cultural Production. Routledge, 2009.