Natsume Novel Study

Natsume-souseki did not establish his fame as a writer until he was thirty -eight. Only in ten years' time, he got noted for his trenchant writing style, extensively laying bare the darkness of the civilized society after Meiji Restoration, deliberately analyzing the spiritual world of the intellectuals, and thus reflecting their quest and query for a spiritual home and resting place for their souls. He erected such a magnificent monument both in the history of Japanese literature and the literature of the whole world that he was considered as "National Writer" and "Master of Life". Besides, some Chinese writers, like Luxun, also gained inspiration from his writing style. In his literary creation, Natsume-souseki stuck to his own ideas and lofty sentiments, rather than drift with the mainstream. Furthermore, he is reputed for the sharpness of his writing, which is to be found both in his early works of humor and his late serious works on the meaning of life, especially in the works criticizing the defects of the society. In this way, the unique style of his novels came into being. This dissertation attempts to begin with the formation of Natsume-souseki's realistic literary viewpoint, and by studying his novels wholly, paraphrases the inner contradiction and spiritual world of the intellectuals in the transitional period from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century so as to make explicit the true meaning hidden in his novels.The thesis is composed of four chapters.Chapter I explores the origin of Natsume-souseki's literary view. As a child, Natsume-souseki was deeply influenced by the Chinese classical literature, such as Confucian positive attitude and political view, thus determining to devote himself to writing. On his contact with western civilization, he discovered that it is a kind of very different spirit from that of traditional eastern civilization. Learning the essence of western culture — individualism, he established the idea of "Ego-Orientedness", which is basic to the formation of his literary view. It was in the heyday of naturalism that Natsume-souseki found his way into the literary circle. Pretty unsatisfied with the...