Nostalgia, nature, and the re-enchantment of modern world in Hayao Miyazaki's anime

Abstract

The association between nostalgia, nature and disenchantment has been and still is a very common trope in cultural and literary studies (Saler 138) within the scope of modernity. In fact, it has almost become “a cliché of our time” (Saler 138) in which people often view modern experience as an oppressive status of disillusionment rather than a liberating condition of enlightenment.

Since this thesis aims to open up and point at different dimensions of modernity and become “part of a grandiose modernist project yet to be finished” (Hu 23-4), I would like to use Miyazaki’s works to argue that modernity is never a simple, one-sided condition of being ‘disenchanted’ as proclaimed by many scholars. In order to pinpoint some of the contradictory impulsions and potentialities of the experience of modernity, this thesis would first start with a brief overview on the ideas of ‘disenchantment’ and ‘nostalgia’ and their relations to the experience of modernity.

The second part would be a general introduction to Miyazaki’s anime, briefly introducing his works in terms of style, content, characterization and such. In particular, I would like to point out how Miyazaki’s works have created alter-tales about disenchanted modernity by showing the multiple facets of modern life and exploring the possibility to (re)enchant modern experiences through his childlike protagonists and the fantastical form of anime.

Part three to five would be comprehensive textual analyses about Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Spirited Away (2001) respectively, examining their relationships with and responses to the ambivalent experiences of modernity.

The concluding part of this thesis would reflect on the contribution as well as the limitation of my research in regards to the writing of modern experiences and the ongoing modernist project.