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Naomi Hori, University of Tsukuba, JapanAbstract
This paper examines how Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 engages with problems of representation in a modern society shaped by electronic media. It examines how 1Q84 allegorizes contemporary media structure and renders it perceptible through narrative devices such as symbolism, metaphor, and structure. It then argues that, as metafiction, 1Q84 functions as a critical lens through which reality can be examined. The originality of this study lies in its focus on the underexamined relationship between narrative form and media structure. The first half analyzes the female protagonist’s growing awareness of deceptive appearances. The recurring warning, “Don’t let appearances fool you,” together with Marshall McLuhan’s dictum that “the medium is the message,” underscores the narrative’s interrogation of media-constructed worldviews. This analysis resonates with Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality, in which simulation displaces the real. The second half follows the male protagonist’s transformative practice of resisting a culture dominated by media-generated appearances. This culminates in what the paper terms narrative implosion, exemplified by the rumbling thunder at the novel’s climax. Along with the female protagonist’s conception of a child, these moments symbolize the collapse of false appearances and the emergence of new possibilities. The paper concludes that 1Q84 demonstrates how the world transmitted through electronic media gradually distorts reality and rigidifies our worldviews. In response, the novel presents an ethical imperative: the acquisition of a meta-level perspective that enables one to see beyond fixed appearances. Through narrative implosion, Murakami’s metafiction illustrates the transformative power of narrative and enables readers to perceive reality beyond appearances.
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Conference: IICAH2026Stream: Arts - Literary Arts Practices
This paper is part of the IICAH2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Hori N. (2026) Narrative Implosion and the Transformative Practice of Reality in Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 ISSN: 2432-4604 – The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities – Hawaii 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 183-191) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2026.15
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2026.15
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