Foreign Yet Familiar
J. L. Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings and Other Cultural Ferrymen in Japanese Fantasy Games
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7781427 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jessy Escande (0000-0002-6021-9261, The University of Osaka, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-26 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Games and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1555-4120 • E-ISSN: 1555-4139 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/15554120211060258 |
| OpenAlex | W4214885005 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
This paper considers J. L. Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings as a vector for the cultural transfer of folkloric, mythological, religious, and literary motifs from foreign cultures to Japanese video games and collectible card games. My analysis relies upon Michel Espagne’s cultural transfer theories and discusses not only the Book of Imaginary Beings but also other vectors of transfer, such as the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. I focus on four specific motifs from different cultural spheres, whose introduction to Japanese video games can be retraced to Borges’ bestiary: The carbuncle, the catoblepas, the peryton, and Kujata. Thus, this paper presents a case study of the cross-cultural influence of literary works on games. Furthermore, it underscores the need for a deeper consideration of the cultural influences found in games and of games as agents of cultural transfers
Aesthetics · Art · Bestiary · Fantasy · Folklore · Literature · Mythology · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · The Imaginary · Verisimilitude · Artificial Intelligence in Games · Digital Games and Media · Educational Games and Gamification · Psychology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |