Jeremy Sorel

Dr. Marcus

Japanese 333

8 February 2016

The New Novel: The Evolution of Fiction of the Early Meiji Period

There is a simply staggering production of books, all of them extremely bad, (Keene

55). This quote from Shoyos The Essence of the Novel, succinctly and unapologetically

expresses his opinion of fiction during the early days of the Meiji period. His complaints are two

fold; first and foremost, he laments the growing popularity of novels that contain little in the way

of substance or serious topics. Instead, novelists compete to be the raciest and most violent

according to the public taste. Secondly, he criticizes the hypocrisy of these novels, as despite

their apparent lack of morality, they all attempt to tack on some sort of moral or lesson as novels

were considered effective tools in the castigation of vice and the encouragement of virtue,

(Keene 57). Shoyo makes abundantly clear the need for more substantive literature, not only for

the betterment of the people of Japan, but also to compete with the literature of the western world

(Keene 57).This call for a new type of literature was answered by the three authors whose

writings this paper will discuss: Futabatei, Ogai, and Ichiyo. Though their stories have their

differences, their narrative style, particularly the handling of the protagonists, falls into a new,

character-based type of novel.

Firstly, the works under discussion (Futabateis Drifting Cloud, Ogais Dancing Girl, and

Ichiyos Separate Ways) are similar in that their plots are not centered on the actions the

protagonist takes. Rather, they are predicated on the events and situations the protagonist

experiences, and more importantly, how the protagonist thinks and feels regarding those
circumstances. Futabateis Drifting Cloud takes this to an extreme, as not only does the

protagonist Bunzo not take action for himself in the face of adversity, he seemingly cannot take

action for himself. On one occasion in particular, Bunzo is being verbally harassed by his former

coworker Noboru. Despite seething anger, Bunzo is unable to even utter a clever retort, much

less act on the violent urges he feels (Futatabei 285). However, despite his non-action, by means

of a sympathetic narrator, the reader is shown the deeper thoughts, worries and fears that plague

Bunzo and seem to prevent him from progressing as a character. Similarly, Kichizo, the

protagonist of Ichiyos Separate Ways, is concerned more with his circumstance as an orphan,

and the removal of his closest friend Okyo. Though by means of monologue in this short story,

Ichiyo provides insight into the betrayal and pain that Kichizo feels when he is told Okyo is

leaving him (Goosen 43).

Secondly, in line with Shoyos own recommendations for literature, these stories do not

have a strong moral focus or a particular lesson to be learned. This concept is particularly evident

in Ogais Dancing Girl. The protagonist Ota, abroad in Germany, is caught in the unsavory

predicament of having to choose between love and the illegitimate child he has fathered, and his

good name and respect in his home country. Ultimately, he is essentially forced to throw away

his relationship with Elise (a point of contention which will be discussed later) and returns to his

country with his name and reputation intact. Most importantly, though we clearly see how the

dire consequences this decision has on Elise, who upon hearing that Ota is leaving her suffers a

permanent mental breakdown (Ogai 14), no particular moral lesson is established. In fact, the

narrator as much as acknowledges that the decision that was made was probably the best possible

decision as far his own life goes (as evidenced by praising the rarity of a friend like Aizawa on

page 14 of Ogai). However, his own feelings of shame and regret, coupled with the fate of Elise
creates a sense of ambiguity towards the morality of the affair. The choice may have been right

for Ota, but whether or not it was moral is left for the reader to decide, in contrast with the

established conventions of explicitly stated morality.

On the subject of choice, another similarity in the development of the protagonists of

these novels is the illusion of choice with which they are presented. Again, in Ogais short story,

Ota is forced to choose between Elise and his reputation, but ultimately this decision is not his to

make. Rather, his friend Aizawa makes the choice for him, and thus he is forced into his journey

home without confronting the choice itself (Ogai 14). Similarly, in Separate Ways, Okyo has the

option of continuing her life as a seamstress or being taken as a mistress. Though the option is

presented, the only real choice if she wants to better her life is to become a mistress; indeed, she

feels as if she has no choice at all (Goosen 42). The illusion of choice presented to the

protagonists is a common theme, one that strongly hints at the concepts of longing (akogare)

versus futility (akirame).

In conclusion, these novels break free of the tedious rut that Shoyo believed Japanese

literature to be stuck in by abandoning the explicit frameworks and espousal of a particular

moral, utilizing character focused and driven plot as opposed to more sensational plot elements,

and focusing closely on the internal conflicts of the characters, as opposed to their external

actions. Indeed, these authors form part of a new generation of literature in Japan.
 Works Cited

Futabatei, Shimei. Japan's First Modern Novel. Ed. Marleigh Grayer Ryan. N.p.: n.p., 1965. Print.

Goossen, Theodore William, ed. The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories. Oxford: Oxford UP,

1997. Print.

Keene, Donald. Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology. New York: Grove, 1956. Print.

Mori, Ogai. "Youth" and Other Stories. Ed. J. Thomas. Rimer. Honolulu: U of Hawaii, 1994. Print.