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''Through the Arc of the Rain Forest'' is the first novel published by Japanese-American author Karen Tei Yamashita. Primarily set in Brazil, the novel is often considered a work of magical realism but transgresses many literary genres as it incorporates satire and humor to address themes of globalization, transnationalism, migration, economic imperialism, environmental exploitation, socio-economic inequity, and techno-determinism.〔Heise, Ursula K. ''(Local Rock and Global Plastic: World Ecology and the Experience of Place ).'' Comparative Literature Studies 41.1 (2004) 126-152.〕 It follows a broad cast of characters across national borders, from Japan, Brazil, and the United States. The novel was written when Yamashita in the United States after the author spent nine years living in Brazil.〔Murashige, Michael S. ''(Karen Tei Yamashita: An Interview )'' ''Amerasia Journal.'' UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press. Volume 20, Number 3 / 1994. 〕〔Martin, Robin. ("Through the Art of the Rainforest" ) ''Narrative''. Spring 2011.〕〔Harris, Michael. '(The Narrative Arts: Through the Arc of the Rainforest By Karen Tei Yamashita ). ''Los Angeles Times.'' 9 September 1990.〕 ==Summary== Loosely following the ''novela'' Brazilian soap opera format, ''Through the Arc of the Rainforest'' offers brief episodes introducing the major characters that reveal their connections to one another and their relationship to the Matacão.〔Yamashita, Karen Tei. "Author's Note." ''Through of the Arc of the Rainforest.'' New York: Coffee House Press, 1990.〕 Told from the first-person perspective of a self-conscious extraterrestrial ball that floats six inches from the head of Kazumasa Ishimaru, a Japanese expatriate who relocates to Brazil in search of job opportunities, the novel details the rise and devastation of an Amazonian community after the discovery of the Matacão, a resilient and seemingly magical and impenetrable black substance found on the floor of the rainforest on the farm of Brazilian farmer Mané Pena. The presence of the Matacão leads to a variety of conflicts that result in several distinct but interconnected plot strands: # In the first, pilgrims flock to the site as the Matacão becomes the site of religious miracles. # Batista and Thania Aparecida Djapan collude with media outlets, and converge upon the area to make use of it as a site of advertising and media spectacle. # Mané Pena becomes a new age healer who heals with broadcast the mysterious nature of the region # Corporate entities, manifest as the American conglomerate GGG and its extraordinary representative J.B. Tweep, arrive to explore commercial potential of the site and substance # Kasumasa is invited to the Matacão by J.B. Tweep as one of GGG's major stockholders, and becomes a prisoner of the ambitious man As the threads converge, the area experiences a boom of economic and corporate growth and development. As more people arrive, as more of the Matacão is transformed into commercial products, or used as a site of entrepreneurial opportunity, and Brazil becomes more globally connected the area suffers severe exploitation and deterioration. The characters of the novel then become increasingly isolated and estranged, with the only person finding temporary happiness being the American businessman, Tweep. Eventually, the narrative reveals that the Matacão is actually a byproduct of industrial waste, and with that the Matacão dissolves and retreats. All of the products and benefits that had been made possible by Matacão vanish. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Through the Arc of the Rain Forest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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