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morosoph 's review for:
Spring Snow
by Yukio Mishima
Spring Snow, written by Yukio Mishima, is set in early 20th century Japan and follows the lives of the aristocratic Matsugae (松枝) and Ayakura (绫仓) families as they navigate through the changing societal norms of the time.
I would have loved this novel for its depiction of Japanese aesthetics (wabi, transient beauty) and exploration of inner emotions if I read it a year ago. Reading it after my feminist awakening, I do not find myself enjoying it. From the very beginning, I was troubled by Kiyoaki, the main character's excessive infatuation with himself (and how he stresses endlessly how much Satoko loves and admires him), and the work as a whole has a strong sense of male gaze. I found the characters to be lacking in charm and their "beauty" and "fantasy" to be superficial. As a result, the death of Kiyoaki did not evoke any sense of beauty at the end.
“Since early childhood, all that he had been taught to revere as honorable and beautiful was to be found, as far as the Matsugaes were concerned, in the proximity of death.” This foreshadows the fate of all the characters.
Overall, while Mishima is adroit at creating subtleties and exploring the depths of human emotion, the misogyny well-showcased throughout the novel prevents me from liking it in a slightest sense.
I would have loved this novel for its depiction of Japanese aesthetics (wabi, transient beauty) and exploration of inner emotions if I read it a year ago. Reading it after my feminist awakening, I do not find myself enjoying it. From the very beginning, I was troubled by Kiyoaki, the main character's excessive infatuation with himself (and how he stresses endlessly how much Satoko loves and admires him), and the work as a whole has a strong sense of male gaze. I found the characters to be lacking in charm and their "beauty" and "fantasy" to be superficial. As a result, the death of Kiyoaki did not evoke any sense of beauty at the end.
“Since early childhood, all that he had been taught to revere as honorable and beautiful was to be found, as far as the Matsugaes were concerned, in the proximity of death.” This foreshadows the fate of all the characters.
Overall, while Mishima is adroit at creating subtleties and exploring the depths of human emotion, the misogyny well-showcased throughout the novel prevents me from liking it in a slightest sense.