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

Taking on the Modernity of the Mind: Natsume Soseki and the Spiritual Transformation of Meiji Japan
Soseki Natsume was a writer who sharply articulated the mental distortions and loneliness that arose within Japan during the late Meiji period, when the country was rapidly being remade into a modern nation. His literature was established in a place where he simultaneously took on the freedom he gained by embracing Western civilization and the anxiety and disconnection that this freedom brought.

In the late Meiji period, Japan was achieving institutional modernization, but the inner life and ethics of individuals had not kept pace with the changes. In this dual structure, in which individualism and success in life were glorified while the family system and hierarchical relationships remained, people were expected to have a sense of self, but there were few opportunities to learn how to handle it.

In "I am a Cat" and "Botchan," the ridiculousness of the modern ego is depicted, and as we move on to Sanshiro and then to Mon, the clash between freedom and social obligation emerges as a serious internal conflict. The spiritual crisis of his studies in London forced Soseki to confront the anxieties and divisions of civilization, and pushed him to become a writer who depicts the inner life of modernity itself.

In his later years, Kokoro depicts the end of the Meiji era and the destination of individualism that lacks an ethical foundation. Soseki's literature is a record of modern Japan's continued questioning of what it means to undertake freedom, including loneliness and responsibility.