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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
this shit is fucked up fr. i actually loved this even though it is disturbing in a wack ass way. this man is the biggest SIMP i have ever seen. unfortunately he never gains an iota of self respect and remains pussy whipped. however its actually a super interesting look into the cultural shift of the time from traditional japan to the "modern" era with an emphasis and fascinating with western culture thats interesting to read about. naomi a bitch fr. but i guess you cant blame her for wanting a way out of her situation, but its fucked up that its at the cost of jojis basically entire life and dignity. interesting how things can spiral out of control so quickly. i guess everybody is desperate for attention and validation. once you get that youll do anything to keep it sometimes. ill def read more tanizaki probably this weekend actually!
This is a bit like a Japanese 'Lolita'. Very cinematic. The story of a man - Jōji - and his infatuation with a Eurasian looking teenage girl, Naomi. Upon meeting and getting to know one another, both characters bond over their mutual fascination with the West. Soon, Naomi becomes Jōji's protégé and she moves in with him. He is intent on nurturing her into a 'respectable young lady'. His adoration takes form in lavishing her with clothes and expensive meals. Naomi quickly becomes spoiled and distasteful traits begin to show. We discover her mischievousness and unfaithfulness - the bane and ruin of Jōji's life. His love (however unhealthy the reader may deem it) for Naomi, is unwavering. This novel was very atmospheric and transported me to another culture and climate. It was, however, rather stifling to read - both in terms of the circumstances at hand and also in terms of the writing style. I felt myself trying to rush through and get to the point of a few scenes. The whole relationship is unhealthy and weird and I didn't find myself rooting for anyone. A feminist and PC attitude would obviously sympathise with Naomi - a young woman groomed and made subject to an older man's overpowering and constricting infatuation. However, I couldn't help but ever so slightly sympathise with Jōji - who I imagine to be a meek and rather pathetic brown-suited man - a man who subsequently has to resort to 'buying' his love from women through supplying their addiction to materialism. Naomi clearly walks all over him and he allows it because he is so hopelessly in love with her (or merely obsessed?).
dark
tense
slow-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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Naomi (the character) is everything i aspire to be and more. she is gaslight, gatekeep, and girlboss. i love her.
I don't think I fully understand this one. I found it puzzling and somewhat annoying... when I finished reading, I noticed that the back cover called it a "hilarious" story... I didn't realize it was supposed to be funny, and I guess I didn't see the humor on the first reading. I think I need to learn more about Japanese culture in the 1920s to understand the humor and the social commentary in the novel.
All that said, the characters were certainly well-developed and complex, and the storyline did keep me interested. I picked it up because one of my students recommended it and wants to do an independent reading project on it, so I look forward to learning more and understanding the novel better.
All that said, the characters were certainly well-developed and complex, and the storyline did keep me interested. I picked it up because one of my students recommended it and wants to do an independent reading project on it, so I look forward to learning more and understanding the novel better.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Naomi is a character so controversial that she spawned a social movement in Japan: Naomi-ism. She represented a sea change in the state of Japanese womanhood, a shift from timidness to temerity, a strong pull toward Western mores and fashions.
However, for all her archetypal significance, Naomi is not likable. Neither, for that matter, is Jōji. They are the unfortunate byproducts of a society of split cultural allegiances--some clinging to traditional Japanese expectations and others siphoning off the glitziest bits of Western culture. Jōji is simultaneously seduced and repulsed by this. He finds Naomi's Western name and appearance fascinating, yet clings to the belief that "Japanese should marry Japanese." Yet he spends hours each day drilling Naomi on her English lessons, sometimes resorting to verbal abuse when she misspeaks. He is a ball of cultural confusion.
Naomi is more (or, perhaps more accurately, less) than a symbol of Westernization. She is also cunning, promiscuous, manipulative, deceitful, and disloyal. However, because we witness this strange marriage through Jōji's eyes only, we can only guess at the depths of his neurosis. This is a man who fantasizes about crawling around with Naomi on his back like a child riding a horse, who takes her in at age fifteen to "raise her" with the intention of one day marrying her. There is a decidedly unnerving father-daughter dynamic between them (Naomi calls him "Papa"). However, despite having been cuckolded on countless occasions, Jōji is hardly a victim, as evidenced by the following scene: "I hadn't expected her to be so quick to beg forgiveness. Taken by surprise, I grew even more enraged. I began to pummel her with my fists" (170).
Like "La Confession Impudique" (known as "The Key" in English), "Naomi" peels away layers of artifice to expose marital nitty-gritty. It is the novel that put Tanizaki on the map. The narrative traverses the peaks and valleys of this strange, dysfunctional relationship, never falling into the trap of vilifying one spouse to sanctify the other.
However, for all her archetypal significance, Naomi is not likable. Neither, for that matter, is Jōji. They are the unfortunate byproducts of a society of split cultural allegiances--some clinging to traditional Japanese expectations and others siphoning off the glitziest bits of Western culture. Jōji is simultaneously seduced and repulsed by this. He finds Naomi's Western name and appearance fascinating, yet clings to the belief that "Japanese should marry Japanese." Yet he spends hours each day drilling Naomi on her English lessons, sometimes resorting to verbal abuse when she misspeaks. He is a ball of cultural confusion.
Naomi is more (or, perhaps more accurately, less) than a symbol of Westernization. She is also cunning, promiscuous, manipulative, deceitful, and disloyal. However, because we witness this strange marriage through Jōji's eyes only, we can only guess at the depths of his neurosis. This is a man who fantasizes about crawling around with Naomi on his back like a child riding a horse, who takes her in at age fifteen to "raise her" with the intention of one day marrying her. There is a decidedly unnerving father-daughter dynamic between them (Naomi calls him "Papa"). However, despite having been cuckolded on countless occasions, Jōji is hardly a victim, as evidenced by the following scene: "I hadn't expected her to be so quick to beg forgiveness. Taken by surprise, I grew even more enraged. I began to pummel her with my fists" (170).
Like "La Confession Impudique" (known as "The Key" in English), "Naomi" peels away layers of artifice to expose marital nitty-gritty. It is the novel that put Tanizaki on the map. The narrative traverses the peaks and valleys of this strange, dysfunctional relationship, never falling into the trap of vilifying one spouse to sanctify the other.
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes