Natsume Sōseki

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    student, who eventually embarks on a trip entailing self abuse, drugs, adultery, instigated by his inability to understand those around him. The title is semi-autobiographical as were most of the works of the Japanese master. The second one is "In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom" (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita) by Sakaguchi Ango. It is a perverted love story, taking place in the 12th century, between a mountain bandit and a woman he kidnaps. The woman manages to seduce the bandit to the point that murders the rest of his wives to leave with her in the city, where his unsophisticated ways make him an outcast. Murder though seems to have become a part of his life, in this very violent title. The third one is "Kokoro" by Natsume Soseki, is a story revolving around a man, who lives with a widow and her daughter. Eventually, he invites his childhood friend K, who is now a monk, to live with them, an act that eventually leads to onerous love triangle. This story is told by two points of view, the man's and K's. The fourth one is "Run, Melos! (Hashire, Melos!), again by Dazai, which is based on the ancient Greek myth of Damon and Fidias. This time, a playwright writes a play based on the classic story about unwavering friendship as he is tortured by guilt resulting from his betrayal of a friend The fifth one is "The Spider's Thread" by Ryonosuke Akutagawa. It tells the story of Kandata, a cruel criminal who ends up in hell after his execution. However, Kandata's sole…

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    Kokoro Analysis

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    In his novel titled Kokoro, Natsume Soseki explores the values of both the traditional society and the modern ideals brought about in the Meiji Era. The Meiji Era is a period of Japanese history (1868-1912) in which Emperor Meiji took the throne and enforced extreme social change. Prior to the Meiji Era, the Japanese culture withheld Confucian values that placed emphasis on a harmonious, collective society, education, extreme respect to authorities, and focus on human relationships rather than…

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    “I was considering always in my room of the lodging house and besides, felt that it is vain to try. Because reading a lot of books doesn’t indulge my appetite actually, then, I gave it up. At the same time, gradually I couldn’t catch the meaning even myself that what I read the books so much for.” Souseki Natsume wrote this in his essay ‘My individualism’, which retrospect the prehistory of shaping ‘A theory of literature’ and it was the description when he was studying abroad in England in…

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    Japan has faced many transitions in its long, rich history. From learning to cast bronze from their Chinese neighbors, to its unification of states after years of turmoil, Japan always rises to the challenges presented by international forces and pressures of future generations. As transitions from period to period occur, it’s often difficult to fully characterize the emotional mindset of those within the culture. Natsume Soseki's novel Kokoro captures this process as Japan moves into its…

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    The speech “My Individualism” is spoken by Natsume Soseki when he first time visits to Gakushuin. In his speech, he mentions that the individual should not be erased from the nation. The nation cannot be defined by individualism or nationalism because both of them are the same, and there is no difference between individualism and nationalism. He claims that the relationship between the individual and the nation should be interactive. He indicates that many people think of individualism in bad…

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    Meiji Japan Analysis

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    During the era of Meiji Japan, Japan opened its doors and became influenced by societies like Europe. In Sanshirō: a Novel by Natsume Sōseki, Japan became influenced by Europe’s ideas of individuality and humanism. The people in Meiji Japan believed and accepted to a great extend the European narrative of the Enlightenment of humanism, people being seen as a human who determine their own destiny, individuality, which meant people do what is in their self-interest, people were logical and…

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    Role Of Women In Kokoro

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    Kokoro by Natsume Soseki is one of the most famous novels in modern Japanese literature. The novel is set in Meiji era Japan, a time when Japan became a more modern and Westernized country. Although the modernization of Japan was a welcomed change, many Japanese were torn between the inevitable modernity of their country and their tradition. The modernization of Japan brought about societal changes in the role of women, but similar to the Meiji era, the representation of women in Kokoro were…

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    Isolation In Kokoro

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    Kokoro by Natsume Soseki is a novel that introduces readers to a vast majority of characters that feel isolated due to their past. It is apparent that in Japanese society, during the Meiji period, that people were going through sudden changes. These changes provoked many people within this era and later in the novel, Sensei hints at his mysterious past which put him into the isolation that he is in now. When exploring feelings of isolation in Japanese society through these characters, there is a…

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    Dishonesty is a common theme in many works of literature. The denotation of dishonesty will be: When one person is deceptive either by intentionally withholding information or by making a false statement to another with the intent of deceit. In Natsume Sōseki’s 1916 novel Kokoro and Mark Twain’s 1884 novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the main characters have to deal with the dishonesty that occurs in their friendships. In Kokoro, Sensei, after losing everything to his uncle, thus making…

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    Changing Season Analysis

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    There are a countless amount of cultures in the world, each with its individual quirks and ideals, and perhaps the easiest way to understand the numerous amounts of cultures is by examining and reading their literature. There is an enormous amount of information crammed into the poems, books, and plays that share the secrets of their culture. In particular, the book of Kokoro, written by Soseki Natsume, and Changing Seasons, a poem by Princess Nukada, shares with us a culture on an opposite side…

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