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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
the setting sun is a quaint description of a transitional period in japanese history when the aristocratic class was declining in position and ideals. when a war ends and one is forced to come to terms with the aftermath, what exactly holds any truth and meaning in a society? how can the old ideals be upheld when they fell apart in the moment of truth, and at such a time, what exactly can be believed and carried on? osamu dazai asks such questions in this narrative, and though his conclusions are not that agreeable, they nonetheless put forward a formidable picture.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
One of those books where the name of the author and the date of it's publication can more or less be guessed just after reading it. The book is literally Osamu Dazai, and perfectly captures the image of post war Japan. There should be tons of reviews talking about it so I will just skip ahead.
For what the book wants to do, it does it as well as it can be done. One can see Dazai in all the main characters of the book. Dazai is an author which always pays emphasis to the cruel and harsh reality of life, and is somewhat tilted to how hard it is to even live. However the main character here does go for a slight detour from how I might have expected the book to end if one only projects Dazai. All in all this doesn't prove a hindrance for our main character here is a bit different, she actually has a will to resist and live, and this fact is also supported by the child in her belly which is what she always wanted.
The family on the verge of destruction and the reason for it all perfectly makes sense, for that is what Dazai does best. The letters were probably my favourite part of the book, and here I have actually come to believe that I have a certain weird attraction to letters. Letters, any way they are used, are always something beautiful to me.
Do I recommend it? Prolly read it if you enjoyed No Longer Human, but still remember that it's not as rich as that book, but the mildness of it is actually its own positive. Hope you enjoy it anw. Good reading!
For what the book wants to do, it does it as well as it can be done. One can see Dazai in all the main characters of the book. Dazai is an author which always pays emphasis to the cruel and harsh reality of life, and is somewhat tilted to how hard it is to even live. However the main character here does go for a slight detour from how I might have expected the book to end if one only projects Dazai. All in all this doesn't prove a hindrance for our main character here is a bit different, she actually has a will to resist and live, and this fact is also supported by the child in her belly which is what she always wanted.
The family on the verge of destruction and the reason for it all perfectly makes sense, for that is what Dazai does best. The letters were probably my favourite part of the book, and here I have actually come to believe that I have a certain weird attraction to letters. Letters, any way they are used, are always something beautiful to me.
Do I recommend it? Prolly read it if you enjoyed No Longer Human, but still remember that it's not as rich as that book, but the mildness of it is actually its own positive. Hope you enjoy it anw. Good reading!
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"There was something wrong about these people. But perhaps, just as it is true of my love, they could not go on living except in the way they do. If it is true that man, once born into the world, must somehow live out his life, perhaps the appearance that people make in order to go through with it, even if it is as ugly as their appearance, should not be despised. To be alive. To be alive. An intolerably immense undertaking before which one can only gasp in apprehension."
3.75 — The first Dazai I've read where the narrator is a woman. I know some find his writing to be sexist and misogynistic, but I disagree. In my opinion, he portrayed the mother-daughter and sister-brother dynamics with authenticity and genuine regard, and his characterization of Kazuko felt multidimensional.
An ailing mother, an addict brother; a dying aristocracy, a plagued army. The Setting Sun is a story of love and revolutions, one most apparently within Kazuko and another more thematically within Japanese society post-WWII. The smaller-scale revolution is one in which Kazuko seizes her own life separate of social standing and against propriety, not content with remaining as a "leaf that rots without falling". Her actions at times left a sour taste in my mouth, all the more illustrating Dazai's point about the lengths people go to just to get through the days and live. Though these lengths to dampen pain and suffering are sometimes ugly and perhaps even immoral, the tragic fact is that, in their eyes, these are still the lesser of evils when measured against the harsh brunt of a life undampened. While not honorable in content, it is nevertheless commendable on a human level that Kazuko unabashedly dares to pursue her desires so as to ease the burden of existence.
"Perhaps by depravity he actually meant tenderness."
And, as always, beautiful prose. Raw, unmasked, and stripped bare.
"It is painful for the plant which is myself to live in the atmosphere and light of this world. Somewhere an element is lacking which would permit me to continue. I am wanting. It has been all I could do to stay alive up to now."
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Damn. Need to take this Osamu guy out for a beer, he seems a bit depressed, no? Good book just didn't connect too much with it to be honest. Need to re-read at another time sometime after college