Class S (genre)
Encyclopedia
, or "S kankei", abbreviated either as S or , is an early twentieth century Japanese
wasei-eigo
term specifically used to refer to strong emotional bonds
between schoolgirls, and a genre
of which tells stories about the same, particularly a mutual crush
between an upperclassman and an underclassman. The S is an abbreviation that can stand for "sister", , "sex", "schön" (German
: beautiful), and "escape".
Class S had links to the Takarazuka Revue
, an all-women revue established in 1914, in which the stories feature male characters romancing women, with female actresses playing both the male and female roles. In this particular style of love, the women who have been influenced by Takarazuka return to their daily lives and develop crushes on their female classmates or coworkers. This type of romance was typically seen as fleeting and more of a phase in growing up rather than true homosexual behavior; as long as these relationships remained confined to adolescence they were regarded as normal, even spiritual. These relationships were common, and it has been proposed that eight out of ten schoolgirls had Class S relationships. was another term coined at the turn of the 20th century to describe same-sex female relationships; both of two feminine partners and of a masculine and feminine partner (also called ome). It was suggested in the popular media of the time that the Takarazuka otokoyaku (the woman playing the masculine role) caused women in Class S relationships to become ome couples (butch and femme
), and persist in homosexual relationships long after it was acceptable. Jennifer Robertson sums this up in her theory, saying that "many females are attracted to the Takarazuka otokoyaku because she represents an exemplary female who can negotiate successfully both genders and their attendant roles and domains."
The creation of girls' schools was very rapid at the time: by 1913 there were 213 such schools. The western novels Little Women
and A Little Princess
were translated into Japanese in 1906 and 1910, respectively, in order to educate the girls to become "good wives, wise mothers". However, these works also introduced western concepts of laotong, sisterhood
, sentimentalism
, and romance to the girls of Japan. The tomboyish Jo of Little Women particularly gave Japanese girls a different idea of adolescence. In 1936, Class S stories were banned by the Japanese government. As co-educational schools became more prominent, Class S relationships became more discreet.
An influential Class S author was Nobuko Yoshiya
, a lesbian Japanese novelist active in the Taishō
and Shōwa
periods of Japan
, who was involved in the Bluestocking feminist movement. A modern-day yuri light novel series which strongly borrows from the Class S genre is Maria-sama ga Miteru
. It is considered to be a modern equivalent to Yoshiya's Hana monogatari.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
wasei-eigo
Wasei-eigo
are Japanese pseudo-Anglicisms: English constructions not used in the English-speaking world or by native English speakers, but that appear in Japanese. This should not be confused for foreign words gairaigo, which generally refer to words from European languages, especially American English...
term specifically used to refer to strong emotional bonds
Romantic friendship
The term romantic friendship refers to both very close but non-sexual relationship and at times physical relationship between friends, often involving a degree of physical closeness beyond that which is common in modern Western societies, and may include for example holding hands, cuddling,...
between schoolgirls, and a genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of which tells stories about the same, particularly a mutual crush
Limerence
Limerence is a term coined c. 1977 by the psychologist Dorothy Tennov to describe an involuntary state of mind which seems to result from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated...
between an upperclassman and an underclassman. The S is an abbreviation that can stand for "sister", , "sex", "schön" (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: beautiful), and "escape".
Class S had links to the Takarazuka Revue
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
, an all-women revue established in 1914, in which the stories feature male characters romancing women, with female actresses playing both the male and female roles. In this particular style of love, the women who have been influenced by Takarazuka return to their daily lives and develop crushes on their female classmates or coworkers. This type of romance was typically seen as fleeting and more of a phase in growing up rather than true homosexual behavior; as long as these relationships remained confined to adolescence they were regarded as normal, even spiritual. These relationships were common, and it has been proposed that eight out of ten schoolgirls had Class S relationships. was another term coined at the turn of the 20th century to describe same-sex female relationships; both of two feminine partners and of a masculine and feminine partner (also called ome). It was suggested in the popular media of the time that the Takarazuka otokoyaku (the woman playing the masculine role) caused women in Class S relationships to become ome couples (butch and femme
Butch and femme
Butch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
), and persist in homosexual relationships long after it was acceptable. Jennifer Robertson sums this up in her theory, saying that "many females are attracted to the Takarazuka otokoyaku because she represents an exemplary female who can negotiate successfully both genders and their attendant roles and domains."
The creation of girls' schools was very rapid at the time: by 1913 there were 213 such schools. The western novels Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
and A Little Princess
A Little Princess
A Little Princess is a 1905 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is a revised and expanded version of Burnett's 1888 serialized novel entitled Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School, which was published in St. Nicholas Magazine.According to Burnett, she...
were translated into Japanese in 1906 and 1910, respectively, in order to educate the girls to become "good wives, wise mothers". However, these works also introduced western concepts of laotong, sisterhood
Sisterhood
Sisterhood may refer to:* Sibling, sisters and brothers* Sorority, a social organization for undergraduate students* Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a novel by Rebecca Wells* The Sisterhood, a short-lived English goth band...
, sentimentalism
Sentimentalism
Sentimentalism is used in different ways:* Sentimentalism , a theory in moral epistemology concerning how one knows moral truths; also known as moral sense theory* Sentimentalism , a form of literary discourse...
, and romance to the girls of Japan. The tomboyish Jo of Little Women particularly gave Japanese girls a different idea of adolescence. In 1936, Class S stories were banned by the Japanese government. As co-educational schools became more prominent, Class S relationships became more discreet.
An influential Class S author was Nobuko Yoshiya
Nobuko Yoshiya
was a Japanese novelist active in Taishō and Showa period Japan. She was one of modern Japan's most commercially successful and prolific writers, specializing in serialized romance novels and adolescent girls’ fiction, as well as a pioneer in Japanese lesbian literature, including the Class S...
, a lesbian Japanese novelist active in the Taishō
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
and Shōwa
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
periods of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, who was involved in the Bluestocking feminist movement. A modern-day yuri light novel series which strongly borrows from the Class S genre is Maria-sama ga Miteru
Maria-sama ga Miteru
, often shortened to , is a series of Japanese light novels written by Oyuki Konno and illustrated by Reine Hibiki. The series focuses on a group of teenage girls attending Lillian Catholic school for girls in Tokyo, Japan. Its storyline largely revolves around the lives and close relationships of...
. It is considered to be a modern equivalent to Yoshiya's Hana monogatari.
See also
- Gibson GirlGibson GirlThe Gibson Girl was the personification of a feminine ideal as portrayed in the satirical pen-and-ink-illustrated stories created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States.Some people argue that the...
—contemporary American equivalent of the Class S schoolgirls. - Homosexuality in JapanHomosexuality in JapanRecords of men who have sex with men in Japan date back to ancient times. Western scholars have identified these as evidence of homosexuality in Japan.There were few laws restricting sexual behavior in Japan before the early modern period...
- Lesbian teen fiction
- Situational sexual behaviorSituational sexual behaviorSituational sexual behavior is sexual behavior of a kind that is different from what is usual for that person due to a social environment that permits, encourages, or compels those acts....