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Why did gesaku writers describe their fiction as playful composition?
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Japanese literature
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In the context of Japanese literature, the term gesaku, which translates to "playful composition," was used by authors during the late Tokugawa period to describe their fiction as a way to disclaim responsibility for their work.1
These authors were typically educated men who adopted a "playful" stance to distance themselves from the content of their writing. By labeling their fiction as mere play, they sought to avoid accountability for the themes or perceived lack of seriousness in their compositions. Despite this self-proclaimed attitude of detachment, it was standard practice for gesaku writers to simultaneously maintain a pretense that their work possessed a didactic, or moral, purpose.1