An Artist of the Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
An Artist of the Floating World (1986) is a novel by British author Kazuo Ishiguro. It is set in post-WW II Japan and is narrated by Masuji Ono, an ageing painter, who looks back on his life and how he has lived it. He notices how his once great reputation has faltered since the war and how attitudes towards him and his paintings have changed. The chief conflict deals with Ono's need to accept responsibility for his past actions, rendered politically suspect in the context of post-War Japan. The novel ends with the narrator expressing good will for the young white-collar workers on the streets at lunchbreak. The novel also deals with the role of people in a rapidly changing political environment and with the assumption and denial of guilt.
1. 'Lantern' appears 34 times in the novel. Even on the cover page, the image of lanterns is displayed. What is the significance of Lantern in the novel?
Lantern appears thirty four times in the novel and on the cover page we can see here. Ono's teacher Mori-San uses lantern again and again in the novel as he always add lantern into his each paintings. the importance of lantern is to giving careful attention to small moments and details in the physical world. Symbolize an outlook on life which prizes small details and everyday moments above the ideological concerns of nationalists or commercial concerns of businesspeople. It is an old-fashioned, aesthetically focused, and more traditional way of viewing the world.
2. Write in brief a review of the film based on the novel
A Japanese movie by Kazuki Watanbe .The artist Masuji Ono was unwilling to devote his art to the celebration of physical beauty. Instead, he put his work in the service of the imperialist movement that led Japan into WW II. In this movie we find that how camera is moving and tried to stay faithful to the narrative technique of novel and that is the point I feel is strong.
Even the music has played a vital role into it. And it tells also it’s story in between the main story’s flow. Another thing is that movie helped us to understand the technique of navel and the story too. Because the novel’s story has many characters to remember but when we watch movie we can get in a easy way and also can remember
3. Debate on the Uses of Art / Artist (Five perspectives: 1. Art for the sake of art - aesthetic delight, 2. Art for Earning Money / Business purpose, 3. Art for Nationalism / Imperialism - Art for the propaganda of Government Power, 4. Art for the Poor / Marxism, and 5. No need of art and artist (Masuji's father's approach)
4. What is the relevance of this novel is our times?
