Different Criteria for Rational and Emotional Judgments: Interpreting Yumeno Kyūsaku’s Dogura Magura with Psychoanalytical Methods

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-553-9_55How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Psychoanalysis; Detective fiction; Dogura Magura; Japanese culture

Abstract

The narrative structure and thematic implications of Yumeno Kyūsaku’s Dogura Magura remain complex and insufficiently understood, with existing scholarship offering divergent interpretations. This study employs a psychoanalytic framework to examine the behavioral patterns of the protagonist, Ichirō. Through a comparative analysis with canonical works of detective fiction—Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet and Matsumoto Seichō’s Points and Lines—this paper evaluates the limitations of conventional logical methodologies in interpreting Dogura Magura. Theoretical constructs, including the Freudian Oedipus complex, the Lacanian theory of the Three Orders, and Takeo Doi’s concept of Amae, are applied to analyze character dynamics and narrative construction. The findings reveal psychologically traceable clues regarding the relationships among the three central characters. In contrast to traditional detective fiction, both the plot and the characterization in Dogura Magura function as foreshadowing devices that reflect internal psychological contradictions characteristic of interwar Japanese society. The core divergence lies in the cultural, moral, and behavioral distinctions between Western and Eastern societies, which fundamentally shape narrative conventions and interpretive possibilities. This study underscores that detective fiction can transcend puzzle-oriented storytelling to engage with broader social commentary and moral guidance. It highlights the potential for further genre development through integrated psychological approaches, suggesting promising avenues for both literary analysis and generic innovation.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Luwei Ruan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/25
TI  - Different Criteria for Rational and Emotional Judgments: Interpreting Yumeno Kyūsaku’s Dogura Magura with Psychoanalytical Methods
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 4th International Conference on Educational Science and Social Culture (ESSC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 492
EP  - 508
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-553-9_55
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-553-9_55
ID  - Ruan2026
ER  -