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| Plot Summary of An Artist of the Floating World |
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"The novel begins in October 1948, when Japan is three years into the humiliating defeat of World War II. It is trying to stumble back to normalcy and yet, the coming times are marked by a decisive break from the past in many ways. Masuji Ono, a retired painter, is passing his days quietly - 'moping around the house', spending time with his grandson and most of the time, thinking of the days that were. His only big concern in present times is the marriage negotiations of his second daughter Noriko. She is 26 and beginning to get sullen about still being unmarried.
Ono was a famous and respected painter during his heyday, but one who used his art for propaganda and thus played a role in leading Japan into World War II. Many others of his generation - businessmen, social workers, composers - have similar track records. Today, they are hated, being thought responsible for the present situation of Japan and the immense suffering that people, particularly the young, had to undergo during the war. Ono's efforts for Noriko's marriage have also met with failure due to this aspect of his past. With the book moving forward in time we see Ono trying to contact his old acquaintances, for one reason or the other, with mixed results. He is 'wished away' by his once close associates, mostly politely. This saddens and irritates him but also causes him to question his past actions and reason whether he was right or wrong.
Ono spends a great while remembering his days in the tutelage of the then-famous artist, Moriyama, who was a celebrator of beauty. Together, they spent many an evening in pleasure houses, painting dancers, bar-women and geishas. Moriyama reportedly endeavored to 'capture the light of a lantern' in his painting and encouraged his students too to try for such things. This is the floating world which Ono was once part of. But he soon 'turned traitor', exhorted by a social worker Matsuda, and devoted his art for alleviation of the social ills that were so starkly present around them.
He moves on to admit his mistakes and apologize for them in public, although maintaining that they were committed in good faith. Others around him seem to let go of their hatred at seeing him humble himself. In fact, his daughters and sons-in-law who were once obliquely critical now reassure him, again obliquely, that he need not feel guilty.
The book fades into a climax - with the passage of time the wounds of Japan seem to be healing, and Ono's family life is taking a turn for the better. Noriko gets married; two grandchildren are in the offing. In accordance, Ono also resigns to the reign of the present generation, wishes them well, and finally seems to forget the moral quandaries that confronted him.
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Rahul Agarwal, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of An Artist of the Floating World |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- conduct in war
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians
Yes
Conflict:
- War, WW II
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- artist
Age:
- 60's-90's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Japanese
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 6 (an above average amount)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Japan
City?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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