Abstract From the start of his writing career Murakami Haruki has sent his hero on underground quests. While all, or nearly all, of his heroes accomplish their most immediate missions in the Underworld, however, few return to the everyday world truly fulfilled. This essay explores the Murakami quest in terms of myth and sacred ritual, paying special attention to ritual initiation as a form of symbolic death and rebirth. It focuses chiefly on the 2017 novel Kishidanchō-Goroshi (translated 2018 as Killing Commendatore), but also explores other Murakami fiction written since the year 2000 such as Umibe no Kafuka (2002; Kafka On the Shore) and 1Q84 (2009–10; 1Q84), in which the author began to experiment with heroes who possess sacred qualities, yet need to awaken to and accept these qualities, as well as the responsibilities that accompany them. Such heroes, I argue, possess the potential to be successfully initiated into the mysteries of the Underworld, and thus not only to succeed in their missions underground, but to achieve the rebirth and reconstitution offered the triumphant mythic hero. As a wider theme, the essay argues that, in this modern age of rationalism, fiction centered on the theme of the mythic hero is one of the venues in which the sacred and the mythical remain a living reality, offering readers an opportunity to connect with the mythic roots of their archaic past.

中文翻译：

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走出（B）地道：村上春树的神话之旅

摘要 从他的写作生涯开始，村上春树就派他的英雄去执行地下任务。尽管他的所有或几乎所有英雄都完成了他们在冥界中最直接的任务，但很少有人真正完成回到日常生活的世界。本文从神话和神圣仪式的角度探讨了村上隆的探索，特别关注作为象征性死亡和重生形式的仪式启动。它主要关注 2017 年的小说岸团长五郎（2018 年被翻译为“杀戮指挥官”），但也探讨了自 2000 年以来写的其他村上小说，如海部香深（2002；岸上的卡夫卡）和 1Q84（2009-10；1Q84 )，作者开始尝试具有神圣品质的英雄，但需要唤醒并接受这些品质，以及伴随他们的责任。我认为，这样的英雄具有成功进入冥界奥秘的潜力，因此不仅可以成功地完成他们的地下任务，而且可以实现为胜利的神话英雄提供的重生和重建。作为一个更广泛的主题，本文认为，在这个理性主义的现代时代，以神话英雄为主题的小说是神圣和神话保持鲜活现实的场所之一，为读者提供了与他们古老过去的神话根源。