Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of East Asian Languages and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of South-East Asia & Oceanaries Studies, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This article delves into the critical perspective of the Japanese writer and intellectual, Natsume Sōseki, on the modernization of Japanese society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Focused on two key works, "The Civilization of Modern-day Japan" and the novel "Kokoro," this analysis aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Sōseki's views. "The Civilization of Modern-day Japan" offers theoretical discussions on modernization without concrete examples, while "Kokoro" portrays the consequences of modernization on Japanese lives through objective and story-driven events. Together, these works present Sōseki's nuanced reflections on the interplay between modernity and tradition. Sōseki's overall pessimism towards modernity emerges as he contends that it has not alleviated but intensified human suffering. Additionally, he characterizes Japan's modernity as an imported, borrowed, non-indigenous, and unnatural phenomenon. This rapid infusion of foreign modernity has reshaped societal structures, leading to materialism, alienation, pessimism, isolation, mistrust, selfishness, despair, and guilt within Japanese society. Sōseki's dual examination of modernity in both theoretical and practical terms provides a comprehensive critique of the societal transformations during his era, encapsulating a profound skepticism towards the impacts of modernization on the human experience. In essence, Sōseki's works serve as insightful reflections on the challenges posed by modernity, highlighting its unsettling consequences on the fabric of Japanese society during a transformative period in history.
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