The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai | Book Review
The post-war period in Japan was one of immense social change as Japanese society adjusted to the shock of defeat and to the occupation of Japan by American forces and their allies. Osamu Dazai’s The Setting Sun takes this milieu as its background to tell the story of the decline of a minor aristocratic family.
The story is told through the eyes of Kazuko, the unmarried daughter of a widowed aristocrat. Her search for self meaning in a society devoid of use for her forms the crux of the novel. It is a sad story, and structurally is a novel very much within the confines of the Japanese take on the novel in a way reminiscent of authors such as Nobel Prize winner Yasunori Kawabata – the social interactions are peripheral and understated, nuances must be drawn, and for readers more used to Western novelistic forms this comes across as being rather wishy-washy.
Kazuko’s mother falls ill, and due to their financial circumstances they are forced to take a cottage in the countryside. Her brother, who became addicted to opium during the war is missing. When he returns, Kazuko attempts to form a liaison with the novelist Uehara. This romantic displacement only furthers to deepen her alienation from society.
Famous as it is in Japan, I wouldn’t recommend The Setting Sun. The translation comes across today as being dated and stilted. If you are looking for a novel focusing on the decline of the aristocracy I would recommend Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, which while having no relation to these fair isles does manage to capture the decline of the nobility without sending the reader to sleep.
#Title: The Setting Sun
#Author: Osama Dazai
# Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation; Revised edition (June 1968)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0811200329
# ISBN-13: 978-0811200325
You can pick up a copy of Osama Dazai’s The Setting Sun by clicking here
5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Marc
I find this a very narrow minded review. Comments like “for readers more used to Western etc…” speak for themselves. If one is unable to get used to other than Western novelistic forms one should perhaps not review that kind of books. And to choose an example like “Brideshead Revisited” for the declining nobility when there would be books like “In Search of Lost Time” is, well… quite…
Jun 7th, 2008
simon
Thanks for your comment Marc.
Sorry that you found the review to be narrow minded. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading Recherche so I compared it with something I had read and I think the ennui of Waughs work fits quite nicely. Still if I every have the chance to plow through those seven volumes, I will consider it.
Honestly though, The Setting Sun, in that translation is as boring as your average American sitcom. I used to edit the books page for a magazine in New Zealand, and one thing I noticed from that was that we always got positive reviews – one gave books to people who were interested in that topic. Here though it is what I think, so I am quite happy to call a dog a dog.
Jun 7th, 2008
Richard Hendricks
I think this review is perfectly suitable for one whom is unable or incapable of read novels of this caliber on a deeper level. Suggesting that this novel is boring only reveals your inability to understand the complexity of the themes and devices at work. Although I can agree that Dazai’s writing loses some of its allure in translation, to call it “as boring as your average American sitcom” may simply suggest that you lack the sensibility required to care deeply for characters whom for nuances must be drawn.
Furthermore, although you were accurate in your observation that the novel takes place during a time of upheaval and alienation in postwar Japan, the novel itself is not entirely concerned with the declining aristocracy. It is more concerned with the pervasive moral attitudes (or lack of them) in the postwar period of Japan and the possibility of hope (in this case referred to as ‘love’) amongst the absurdity that is(was) “modern man”.
As for the style of the novel, comparing it to Kawabata further displays a general lack of understanding of the Japanese literary canon. Dazai’s style of writing is much more western than several of his contemporaries. In “The Setting Sun”, Dazai attempts to break away from conventional Japanese novelistic devices. Most of this information is found in the introduction of the book, written by Donald Keene.
Ultimately, whether this book is boring or not is left up to individual taste. But you shouldn’t ignore its fame in Japan as being misguided simply because of your own lack of understanding.
Apr 2nd, 2009
Chris Davis
I agree with Richard on this. To call this a book about the decline of aristocracy is easy enough, as much of the book does deal with this theme, however the “Setting Sun” refers to the nation of Japan as a whole. Japan’s aristocracy really wasn’t an aristocracy by western terms, so calling it as such, and comparing it as such is a bad idea. Research the term “Shinoukoushou” to learn more about this. Overall this deals with the overall social upheaval at the, yet again, redefined systems in Japan during the period, and the overall view of the country after its submission to the rest of the world. Calling this boring because it’s not action-packed is much the same as calling Crime and Punishment a boring novel. While there are no violent eruptions, the writing of the book is overall very well done, and social perceptions from the time can be easily read through it. While I might not recommend it to a someone looking for a quick read, I would hardily suggest it to anyone who has the inkling to understand some of Japan’s more complex modern literature.
Dec 15th, 2009
Anonymous
Honestly, I agree with Marc. Whether or not you’re used to western literature should have no affect on how you found the book. It would have been more appropriate to say that you, personally, did not connect with it.
I have not read it, but I have read one of Dazai’s other books, and found any cultural differences to be insignificant.
Sep 4th, 2011
Reply to “The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai | Book Review”