One thing that makes the book very detailed and interesting is the fact that we can see the setting where things take place. Why does the Ishiguro give so much detail about the setting?
In almost every scene that he describes he always gives a lot of detail about the setting. The very first scene in the book is a description of Ono’s house and the garden.
He also starts April 1949 with a description of nature. “Clusters of new houses have appeared towards the foot of the hill down which I have just come. And further along the riverbank, where a year ago there was only grass and mud, a city corporation is building apartment blocks for future employees” (99).
He also gives a very detailed description of Kuroda’s home. “Kuroda did not live in a good quarter. I walked for some time through little alleys filled with dilapidated lodging houses before coming to a concrete square resembling the forecourt of a factory” (109).
He even gives a detailed description on page 116 of the Kasuga Park Hotel (the place where Noriko had her miai). It is very interesting that they are having a very special Japanese ceremony in a place that has been influenced by western style.
He also gives a very detailed description of Kawabe Park.
In the beginning his describes his house because it is a place of great importance to him. He describes Kuroda’s home because it was a time where he was rejected by a pupil. He describes Noriko’s miai because a daughter’s wedding ceremony is very important to a father. Kawabe Park also has had a huge impact on his life.
I think that Ishiguro gives detailed description of several places because they are all of the places that have strongly impacted Ono’s life. I thought of it as a visual experience. Ono is an artist. He is a visual person. He will obviously describe with detail the setting to the places that have had major impacts in his life.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage International. 1989.
You can assume the setting sets up the story's mood. Obviously Kuroda faced has gone through some tough patches[whatever they are] and so the author wants to sort of wants to give you that impression by giving such vivid description. And as you're saying we want to be able to get inside Ono's artistic mind and see how he views things. What does it mean to be a Artist of the Floating World?
ReplyDeleteI have also noticed the fact that Ono describe the setting of the scene a lot. I believe that Ono not only does describes the places that have significant importance to him but he also does this to give us some perspective of what is happening - or has happened - on his surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThe scene description I really noticed is the one where he is describing the Kawabe park.He not only describes his surroundings but also the importance of it. For example, with the Kawabe park he goes into what was Akira Sugimora's intention of renovating the park. He wanted to make it a place where people would appreciate the culture of Japan. Why is this important? Well, because in Ono's eyaes Sugimora is an example of courage and leadership. He might have failed at what his main goal was but at least he had the guts to try to do something that others hadn't before. Ono makes it very clear that he feels respect toward Sugimora.
The Scenery is very important. And I agree with you everything being described is something that has impacted Ono greatly. But I see it as everything describes of what Ono has been and a stage Ono has gone through with his painting and as an artist. Like Brenda described the scenery of the Kawabe park and she states that in Ono's eyes Sugimora is an example of courage and leadership. Ono once in his life had courage and leadership. When? Think of him influencing the war and as an artist. He dared to be different, he became an artist that took his own route and was respected for that. He became a courageous leader.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Ono describes these places with good detail, you can't belive it all. Well, I have a hard time believing it because he sometimes over exaggerates certain aspects of his descriptions. Yes, it may be because he's an artist, but also we all have different perspectives on life. We see different things and notice different aspects of those things. We expand on the aspect we notice because it captivates us in a certain way.
ReplyDelete