Taking on the Modernity of the Mind: Natsume Soseki and the Spiritual Transformation of Meiji Japan in the Late Meiji Period

Taking on the Modernity of the Mind: Natsume Soseki and the Spiritual Transformation of Meiji Japan in the Late Meiji Period
Natsume Soseki's literature is an acute record of the spiritual anxiety and loneliness that arose within Japan during the late Meiji period, when the country was establishing its institutions as a modern nation. While freedom and individualism were spoken of as the fruits of civilization's enlightenment, the family system and hierarchical relationships remained strong, and people were expected to have a sense of self but were unable to learn how to handle it. In the early films "I am a Cat" and "Botchan," the flailing of the modern ego is depicted as humorous, but as we move on to Sanshiro and then to Mon, the clash between freedom and social obligation becomes a serious internal conflict. The spiritual crisis of his studies in London forced him to confront anxiety and division rather than the universality of civilization, and pushed Soseki to become a writer of the inner life of the modern age. In his later years, Kokoro shows the end of the Meiji era and the destination of
individualism that lacks an ethical foundation. Soseki's literature is the core of modern spiritual history, which neither celebrates nor denies freedom, but continues to question the very attitude of undertaking its weight and loneliness.