Recent Research Interests

Toshikazu Masunaga focuses on 19th century American literature and culture in his research, and particularly on Nathaniel Hawthorne and his works. He investigates the middle ground between the literary expressions and the historical background of each work, which consists of the social, economic, and political context in secular history.

He is the author of Allegories Deconstructed: Essays on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Works (Eihosha, 2004), and the editor in chief of The American Renaissance Today (Shohakusha, 2007), both of which have been highly evaluated by several academic journals and book review columns. He has also contributed articles on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works to several research books.

He is now especially interested in the development of tourism in early 19th century America as one of the most spectacular cultural phenomena and its impact on literary works of the day.

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