Temporality in Renga

Abstract

This paper highlights time concepts and the organisation and structure of time in the practice of renga, Japanese ‘linked poetry’. As renga is a genre of poetry created in groups, the study will not only focus on the poems themselves (the texts produced), but on the meetings that bring forth the texts (the performance), the manuscripts that are written there (the material) and the social environment in which the performances take place (the setting). By analysing the main features of each of these four areas and focusing on time, change and persistence, I aim to show how closely they are interconnected and also provide the reader with the knowledge necessary to appreciate the complexity of renga as an integral Gesamtkunstwerk. While my focus is on contemporary renga poetry here, I will also consider aspects of its history, which is a vital key to understanding this art.