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Available
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Publication
Vintage (1995), Edition: 1st Vintage International ed, Paperback, 224 pages
Description
Junichiro Tanizaki's Some Prefer Nettles is an exquisitely nuanced exploration of the allure of ancient Japanese tradition--and the profound disquiet that accompanied its passing. nbsp; It is the 1920s in Tokyo, and Kaname and his wife Misako are trapped in a parody of a progressive Western marriage. No longer attracted to one another, they have long since stopped sleeping together and Kaname has sanctioned his wife's liaisons with another man. But at the heart of their arrangement lies a sadness that impels Kaname to take refuge in the past, in the serene rituals of the classical puppet theater--and in a growing fixation with his father-in-law's mistress. Some Prefer Nettles is an ethereally suggestive, psychologically complex exploration of the crisis every culture faces as it hurtles headfirst into modernity.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member kidzdoc
Some Prefer Nettles (1929), which was loosely based on the author's first marriage, is the story of a Japanese couple who are at the brink of divorce, having fallen out of love with each other. Kaname is no longer physically attracted to his wife Misako, and she begins an affair with a man in a
Tanizaki uses this seemingly simple story in a further exploration of East versus West in pre-World War II Japan, which began in his earlier novel [Naomi]. However, his portrayal of Misako, as a modern Japanese wife torn between her duty to her husband and family and her own need for love, is much richer and more complex than the shallow and flighty Naomi, and she is a much more sympathetic and likable character. As the marriage disintegrates, Kaname develops a more meaningful relationship with Misako's father, a middle aged man who embodies traditional Japanese culture through his love of puppet theater (bunraku) and the manner in which he treats his young mistress. Kaname begins to understand and appreciate his father-in-law's beliefs and lifestyle; however, his relationship with a Western (Eurasian) prostitute is also titillating and nearly irresistible.
The characters in Some Prefer Nettles exist between Eastern and Western cultures, embracing some elements of each but not fully enmeshed in one or the other. A sense of tension persists throughout the novel, as Kaname and Misako painfully seek to understand their own desires and to resolve their loveless marriage.
This was a sensitive portrayal of unrequited love, as well as a multilayered view of a changing Japanese society and its effects on individuals and their relationships with each other.
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neighboring town. The couple continues to live in a unsteady relationship, held together by their 10 year old son Hiroshi, but they gradually realize that the current situation is untenable. Tanizaki uses this seemingly simple story in a further exploration of East versus West in pre-World War II Japan, which began in his earlier novel [Naomi]. However, his portrayal of Misako, as a modern Japanese wife torn between her duty to her husband and family and her own need for love, is much richer and more complex than the shallow and flighty Naomi, and she is a much more sympathetic and likable character. As the marriage disintegrates, Kaname develops a more meaningful relationship with Misako's father, a middle aged man who embodies traditional Japanese culture through his love of puppet theater (bunraku) and the manner in which he treats his young mistress. Kaname begins to understand and appreciate his father-in-law's beliefs and lifestyle; however, his relationship with a Western (Eurasian) prostitute is also titillating and nearly irresistible.
The characters in Some Prefer Nettles exist between Eastern and Western cultures, embracing some elements of each but not fully enmeshed in one or the other. A sense of tension persists throughout the novel, as Kaname and Misako painfully seek to understand their own desires and to resolve their loveless marriage.
This was a sensitive portrayal of unrequited love, as well as a multilayered view of a changing Japanese society and its effects on individuals and their relationships with each other.
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LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
In Tanizaki’s Naomi, the detached, spineless main character learns of his wife’s cheating and hedonistic behavior but can’t leave her. In Some Prefer Nettles, the husband is also a detached, spineless man who can’t leave his wife. However, in this case, he is the one who coldly rejected
I found the book to be a gripping read despite the fact that not much happens. The cold marriage looks fine on the surface but is deeply unhappy. Kaname grows closer to his father-in-law and develops an interest in Japanese puppet theater, compares Misako, his wife, to his father-in-law’s mistress and a prostitute he visits, and hopes his cousin’s arrival will spur him to end the marriage. In just a few scenes, Tanizaki conveys the deadened state of the marriage and all the little irritations that come with presenting a false front. The contrast when Kaname’s cousin comes is all the more striking as the couple regains some of their good nature. In the character of their son, one can see why divorce is recommended instead of ‘staying together for the children’ – Hiroshi is constantly anxious but can’t talk about it, always waiting for the ax to fall, and has taken up people-pleasing behavior to guard against whatever it is that afflicts his parents.
Tanizaki sets up multiple contrasts between Western and Japanese styles and values. Sometimes it seems too pat, as in the comparison between Misako and O-hisa, her father’s mistress. Misako is having an affair and likes jazz, O-hisa is submissive, traditionally dressed and schooled in all the arts that a woman should have known in the past. However, besides the smooth and descriptive prose, which never focuses too much on the obvious, Tanizaki also constantly undercuts the assumptions about his characters. Misako’s sophisticated character, it is noted, is an act but one that can be hard to distinguish from the truth after such a long time. O-hisa’s behavior is also something of an act – though she’s been trained by Misako’s father to be the perfect Japanese mistress, she still indulges in Western behavior – using a compact – and her conservative dress hides the fact that she’s much younger than she looks. Louise, the prostitute Kaname frequents, pretends to be a European and disguises herself with powder, but she is actually Eurasian. The contrasts attract Kaname – similar to his feelings about O-hisa. He rejects Misako though she is still young and attractive and loved him before. Several explanations are suggested – a paralysis from trying to be too Western, Kaname’s habit of setting women on a pedestal – no one would be good enough – or his division of women into wives and mistresses, where no wife can excite his passion. Kaname’s growing fascination with the puppet theater could be another obvious bit of symbolism – he’s somewhat dead inside and wants someone else to pull the strings – but Tanizaki deftly describes several performances, differences in Osaka or Awaji theaters and generally makes it interesting.
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her, pushing her to take a lover, but inertia prevents them from ending it. This was a fast read and I enjoyed the subtle prose. The reason for Kaname’s coldness and indecision is given several explanations but the author leaves it ambiguous. He shows how many characters are divided by the past and present, Japan and the West. It did seem like some of the comparisons and symbolism could be heavy-handed and obvious, but the writing prevented me from thinking this.I found the book to be a gripping read despite the fact that not much happens. The cold marriage looks fine on the surface but is deeply unhappy. Kaname grows closer to his father-in-law and develops an interest in Japanese puppet theater, compares Misako, his wife, to his father-in-law’s mistress and a prostitute he visits, and hopes his cousin’s arrival will spur him to end the marriage. In just a few scenes, Tanizaki conveys the deadened state of the marriage and all the little irritations that come with presenting a false front. The contrast when Kaname’s cousin comes is all the more striking as the couple regains some of their good nature. In the character of their son, one can see why divorce is recommended instead of ‘staying together for the children’ – Hiroshi is constantly anxious but can’t talk about it, always waiting for the ax to fall, and has taken up people-pleasing behavior to guard against whatever it is that afflicts his parents.
Tanizaki sets up multiple contrasts between Western and Japanese styles and values. Sometimes it seems too pat, as in the comparison between Misako and O-hisa, her father’s mistress. Misako is having an affair and likes jazz, O-hisa is submissive, traditionally dressed and schooled in all the arts that a woman should have known in the past. However, besides the smooth and descriptive prose, which never focuses too much on the obvious, Tanizaki also constantly undercuts the assumptions about his characters. Misako’s sophisticated character, it is noted, is an act but one that can be hard to distinguish from the truth after such a long time. O-hisa’s behavior is also something of an act – though she’s been trained by Misako’s father to be the perfect Japanese mistress, she still indulges in Western behavior – using a compact – and her conservative dress hides the fact that she’s much younger than she looks. Louise, the prostitute Kaname frequents, pretends to be a European and disguises herself with powder, but she is actually Eurasian. The contrasts attract Kaname – similar to his feelings about O-hisa. He rejects Misako though she is still young and attractive and loved him before. Several explanations are suggested – a paralysis from trying to be too Western, Kaname’s habit of setting women on a pedestal – no one would be good enough – or his division of women into wives and mistresses, where no wife can excite his passion. Kaname’s growing fascination with the puppet theater could be another obvious bit of symbolism – he’s somewhat dead inside and wants someone else to pull the strings – but Tanizaki deftly describes several performances, differences in Osaka or Awaji theaters and generally makes it interesting.
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LibraryThing member janeajones
Some Prefer Nettles by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, a novella about an empty marriage, is at once a depiction of modern attitudes toward marriage and divorce and a meditation on traditional Japanese values. The story is told from the narrative viewpoint of Kaname, the husband of Misako. Over the years of
Kaname is intrigued by his father-in-law's life and arrangement with his geisha/mistress O-hisa. Their life seems to beckon back to a simpler, traditional life: "Kaname had no illusions about his ability to imitate the old man; but still when he thought of his own family affairs, of that perpetual knowing countenance and of the endless disagreements, the old man's life -- off to Awaji appointed like a doll on the stage, accompanied by a doll, in search of an old doll to buy -- seemed to suggest a profound spiritual peace reached without training and without effort. If only he could follow the old man's example, Kaname thought."
Tanizaki, the author of the essay, "In Praise of Shadows," a meditation on traditional Japanese crafts, especially as revealed in the Japanese bathroom, uses the same metaphor near the end of the book when Kaname is taking a bath in his father-in-law's home.
In comparison with Western novels, the narration is rather detached and unemotional, but many of the sentiments about male/female relationships reminded me strongly of contemporary novels by Fitzgerald, Maugham, Hesse, and even, strangely enough, D.H. Lawrence. The sense of alienation and existential angst seems to run internationally.
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their marriage and after the birth of their son, Hiroshi, he has withdrawn from his relationship with Misako and has encouraged her to seek solace with a lover. As the story proceeds, they are trying to reach a decision about a divorce.Kaname is intrigued by his father-in-law's life and arrangement with his geisha/mistress O-hisa. Their life seems to beckon back to a simpler, traditional life: "Kaname had no illusions about his ability to imitate the old man; but still when he thought of his own family affairs, of that perpetual knowing countenance and of the endless disagreements, the old man's life -- off to Awaji appointed like a doll on the stage, accompanied by a doll, in search of an old doll to buy -- seemed to suggest a profound spiritual peace reached without training and without effort. If only he could follow the old man's example, Kaname thought."
Tanizaki, the author of the essay, "In Praise of Shadows," a meditation on traditional Japanese crafts, especially as revealed in the Japanese bathroom, uses the same metaphor near the end of the book when Kaname is taking a bath in his father-in-law's home.
In comparison with Western novels, the narration is rather detached and unemotional, but many of the sentiments about male/female relationships reminded me strongly of contemporary novels by Fitzgerald, Maugham, Hesse, and even, strangely enough, D.H. Lawrence. The sense of alienation and existential angst seems to run internationally.
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LibraryThing member technodiabla
Some Prefer Nettles is the story of the struggle to decide between tradition (East) and new ideas (West), stability and excitement, a spouse and a lover. The main storyline chronicles the degradation of a traditional Japanese marriage as it gives way to new ideas of what love should be. The
Tanizaki's insight into marriage is alarmingly perceptive, and his slow revelation of O-hisa's and Misako's father's relationship has the same effect on the reader as it does on Kaname-- a subtly growing appreciation and admiration despite first impressions. I loved the ending-- a bit of hopeless resignation, but overall the right thing seemed to be on its way for Kaname and Misako. I felt that at the end Tanizaki was illustrating that the urge to embrace new ideas had little to do with the ideas themselves and more to with the newness of them. And thus, should be avoided, or at least thought over carefully. Nonetheless the angst, desperation, and indecisiveness is palpable throughout the novel-- supported by Tanizaki's descriptive but surgically clean writing. 4 stars
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parallel story tells the tale of Japanese puppet theatre-- reduced attendance and lost art. Tanizaki's insight into marriage is alarmingly perceptive, and his slow revelation of O-hisa's and Misako's father's relationship has the same effect on the reader as it does on Kaname-- a subtly growing appreciation and admiration despite first impressions. I loved the ending-- a bit of hopeless resignation, but overall the right thing seemed to be on its way for Kaname and Misako. I felt that at the end Tanizaki was illustrating that the urge to embrace new ideas had little to do with the ideas themselves and more to with the newness of them. And thus, should be avoided, or at least thought over carefully. Nonetheless the angst, desperation, and indecisiveness is palpable throughout the novel-- supported by Tanizaki's descriptive but surgically clean writing. 4 stars
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LibraryThing member missizicks
This is a very languid book. The writing reminded me of Tove Jansson's non-Moomin adult literature.
Not much action takes place in the story, which spans a couple of days. Kaname and Misako have agreed to end their loveless marriage, but neither do anything about it. They use their son, and Misako's
As well as the exploration of a fading marriage, the book considers the contrast between the old way of conducting one's self and the modern, Western style of living. Kaname is in conflict about this as well. As part of his ruminations, he takes an interest in bunraku. This for me was very interesting as it reveals the traditions behind puppet theatre in Japan and made me want to watch a performance.
Not as charming as The Makioka Sisters, but still an interesting read.
Not much action takes place in the story, which spans a couple of days. Kaname and Misako have agreed to end their loveless marriage, but neither do anything about it. They use their son, and Misako's
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father, and Misako's lover, and the season not being right as reasons for the time not being right. Things are done because they feel they should be done - a trip to a bunraku performance, entertaining Kaname's cousin, a visit to Misako's father. There is no sense of urgency to Kaname, whereas Misako only seems energised by the prospect of spending time with her lover. Kaname seems to like mulling things over, considering their aesthetic qualities, circling around the edges of of a matter more than he likes to be firm in his resolve or his actions. Actions are considered in terms of how they will come across socially rather than whether they will affect anyone emotionally. Finally it transpires that Misako regrets her affair, and her father attempts a reconciliation between his daughter and son-in-law. The story ends hanging in mid air with a suggestion that Kaname is ready to move on.As well as the exploration of a fading marriage, the book considers the contrast between the old way of conducting one's self and the modern, Western style of living. Kaname is in conflict about this as well. As part of his ruminations, he takes an interest in bunraku. This for me was very interesting as it reveals the traditions behind puppet theatre in Japan and made me want to watch a performance.
Not as charming as The Makioka Sisters, but still an interesting read.
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LibraryThing member heatherhoarder
Tanizaki's even-keeled writing ability is shown in his account of a couple facing the disgrace of divorce. The writing style is truly Japanese with all concern devoted to honor and representation. This book's Japanese perspective is missing the shock and edge of modern western literature but is a
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good taste of a well respected author. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
A fine novel - I keep thinking of mixing clouds of smoke, with all of the intertwining and contrasting themes. A theatre of contrasts. I look forward to more.
LibraryThing member amerynth
Junichiro Tanizaki's "Some Prefer Nettles" is the story of the slow and painful dissolution of a marriage. For much of the story, both Kaname and Misako are paralyzed, each unhappy and wanting the other to take the steps necessary for a divorce.
Unfortunately, I found much of the novel slow and
I actually enjoyed the last few chapters the most... just as things finally got moving in a direction, the story ended.
Unfortunately, I found much of the novel slow and
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painful to read. I could see what Tanizaki was trying to do -- contrast East and West, show the difference between the view of the virtuous woman and the debased-- I just didn't find it terribly interesting. I actually enjoyed the last few chapters the most... just as things finally got moving in a direction, the story ended.
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LibraryThing member CharlesSwann
Deep in this book, there is a conflict between the native Japanese culture and the foreign western culture, which has been troubling us Japanese since the end of Edo era. Though the protagonist treats a problem with his wife in a rather western fashion, that is, not like most Japanese do, and he
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also has a business with an European prostitute, it is, after all, an ordinary Japanese girl and a Japanese way that heal his messy feelings. Show Less
LibraryThing member nosajeel
This novel felt of more interest as a historical curiosity than a fully absorbing work of literature. Published in 1929 it is about the cultural conflict between Eastern and Western attitudes playing out in the context of a collapsing Japanese marriage. The Western-oriented man tolerates his wife's
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adultery, saying that she should treat it as a trial and if she is really in love she should leave him and marry her lover. But then his much more traditional father-in-law comes and takes him to a traditional puppet show that makes him more nostalgic for traditional Japanese ways. The various pulls play out over the course of this short novel as that affair reverberates with the woman's father, the couple's child, and a friend of theirs. Moving back and forth between the more modern Tokyo and the traditional Kyoto, the novel is also about different standards for men (all of whom have mistresses or prostitutes) and women (where it is scandalous that the wife's affair is tolerated). Show Less
LibraryThing member renardkitsune
I had a hard time with Some Prefer Nettles. I enjoy how Tanizaki is purposefully vague and leaves things left unsaid. It makes the novel seem more like a short story, a snapshot into the characters’ lives with little moralization. But I found Kaname and Misako’s continuous indecision really
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irritating. Which might be what Tanizaki was going for, as Kaname’s cousin Takanatsu reacts with disgust to their continued acceptance of this strange situation they live in, because they just don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. Actually—now that I think about it, Takanatsu is much more “modern”, even than Misako thinks of herself, and so he is more okay with the idea that they can separate than they are. I do like how the theater that is described in the book is paralleled by the married couple’s static relationship. They are like puppets waiting for the puppeteer to move them to the next act. Show Less
LibraryThing member EpicTale
As a recent arrival to Japan, I greatly enjoyed this account of man-woman relationships as they presumably existed in the pre-WWII days of the early 20C. Not to sound cute, but thanks to tradition and custom the guy was clearly on top and (nominally) in control . Yet, as heroine Misako demonstrates
The book was fun and interesting to read. Whether it shines a light on current male-female connections in modern Japan, I doubt it -- but also don't know for certain. It is worthwhile, even if only as a time capsule.
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through her overt involvement with Aso, her extramarital lover, big change was also underfoot. The book was fun and interesting to read. Whether it shines a light on current male-female connections in modern Japan, I doubt it -- but also don't know for certain. It is worthwhile, even if only as a time capsule.
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LibraryThing member thorold
Some prefer nettles is one of the best-known of Tanizaki's pre-war works. Kaname and Misako feel that their marriage has run its course - Misako is having an affair, Kaname visits "western" brothels - but they can't quite make themselves take the decision to divorce. They both cultivate a
Witty, complicated, and very engaging, even if the unresolved ending is a bit frustrating for anyone used to the way well-plotted western novels work. It would be fun to read this side-by-side with Evelyn Waugh's A handful of dust, written at about the same time and with a very similar plot situation, and a parallel sort of tug-of-war between the modern and the traditional, but resolved in quite a different way.
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westernised, "Tokyo" attitude to life, and are mildly amused by the way Misako's widowed father is immersing himself and his compliant young mistress, O-Hisa in every kind of tradition. But Kaname is captivated, despite himself, when his father-in-law invites them to an Osaka puppet theatre, to the extent that he later goes with him and O-Hisa to an even more authentic (and uncomfortable) performance on Awaji island. Witty, complicated, and very engaging, even if the unresolved ending is a bit frustrating for anyone used to the way well-plotted western novels work. It would be fun to read this side-by-side with Evelyn Waugh's A handful of dust, written at about the same time and with a very similar plot situation, and a parallel sort of tug-of-war between the modern and the traditional, but resolved in quite a different way.
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LibraryThing member yarb
Marital oddness in late 20’s Japan. Kaname and Misako no longer love each other, but they don’t hate each other either. After 10 years and one kid, all the emotion has leached out of their relationship, leaving an inanimate husk, a replica marriage like the puppets Misako’s father likes to
The centerpiece of the novel is a fascinating rural puppet show attended, but largely ignored, by all the village, kids playing and peeing while the dwarf-sized, stringless puppets act out their classical tragedies and romances. I loved the final scene too, and the ending (as in The Makioka Sisters) is striking. Similar East-West themes here, too, but the couple’s predicament ultimately seems absurd.
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watch. He has a wife 30 years his junior and treats her like a puppet/doll, but she’s no such thing, unlike the preternaturally passive Kaname. Misako’s involved with someone else, but all she and Kaname really care about is how to get divorced with a minimum of upset to their son, her dad, and society in general.The centerpiece of the novel is a fascinating rural puppet show attended, but largely ignored, by all the village, kids playing and peeing while the dwarf-sized, stringless puppets act out their classical tragedies and romances. I loved the final scene too, and the ending (as in The Makioka Sisters) is striking. Similar East-West themes here, too, but the couple’s predicament ultimately seems absurd.
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LibraryThing member Ghost_Boy
I didn't care for the plot of this book. The parts about the puppet theater helped a lot. I liked the parts about Japanese culture too. Make sure you read the introduction to this edition. Explains some things us American might not understand.
LibraryThing member sushicat
Kaname and Misako are at the point of getting a divorce. Not due to any great animosity, but rather due to lack of interest between them. Their unhurried, careful approach to the divorce is reflected in everything they do, as theirs is a life of leisure and they drift through their days, hinting
The story is told from different points of view, but mostly from Kaname's. We follow his wavering thoughts about his relationship with Misako and his mixed feelings regarding the loss of familiarity of a comfortable if boring marriage, his mixed feelings about two other women he encounters, both of them embodying some ideal aspect of women. Mixed into this is a lot of insights into the competing lifestyles of Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka, each representing a different kind of Japan - one old style, one of coarse merchants and one open to foreign influence. Quite an enjoyable read, leaving the reader with a completely open ended conclusion.
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first at things to see how they play out before committing to anything. The story is told from different points of view, but mostly from Kaname's. We follow his wavering thoughts about his relationship with Misako and his mixed feelings regarding the loss of familiarity of a comfortable if boring marriage, his mixed feelings about two other women he encounters, both of them embodying some ideal aspect of women. Mixed into this is a lot of insights into the competing lifestyles of Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka, each representing a different kind of Japan - one old style, one of coarse merchants and one open to foreign influence. Quite an enjoyable read, leaving the reader with a completely open ended conclusion.
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LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
I had read very little by Japanese writers when, a couple of months into my stay in that country working as an English teacher, I stumbled upon this beautiful little novel.
The story is so simple, it's hardly even a story. It feels like the Japan of yesteryear was somehow transferred from reality,
I can't even remember details very well, but I have an image in my mind's eye of what the book is about, and when I think of it I see my time in Japan with so much clarity.
The story is so simple, it's hardly even a story. It feels like the Japan of yesteryear was somehow transferred from reality,
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as it was being lived and breathed, and placed on the pages of this book. I can't even remember details very well, but I have an image in my mind's eye of what the book is about, and when I think of it I see my time in Japan with so much clarity.
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LibraryThing member Gypsy_Boy
I continue to marvel at the range of Tanizaki’s work; some of it I have loved, some of it I thought just a little too strange. This falls pretty much in the middle for me. The title, in a roundabout way, is the translator’s paraphrase of the American saying “to each his own”; in other
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words, everyone is entitled to his own taste (or preference). The book, which is often said to be among Tanizaki’s best works, takes place in Japan in the late 1920s and focuses on the conflict between traditional and modern (or Westernized) culture in Japan. Tanizaki uses a variety of oppositions to illustrate this conflict, sometimes directly, sometimes obliquely. Ambiguity is omnipresent. Thus, he sets the customs and reputations of some cities against those of other cities, traditional (Japanese) arts against Western(ized) ones; customary modes of behavior and dress against modern ways; and so forth. The setting is a disintegrating marriage which the wife—with her husband’s knowledge and approval (an indication of his embrace of Western behavior, he believes)—has taken a lover and the husband has become increasingly attached to his father-in-law’s young mistress and even with his father-in-law’s devotion to traditional Japanese culture. Both husband and wife are too weak-willed, despite their unhappiness, to take any definite steps toward divorce, or even to tell their son anything. The subject and Tanizaki’s way of telling the story strikes me as exceptionally Japanese, much more so than other works of his that I have read. I can’t particularly say that I enjoyed it but I can readily understand why it is well-regarded. Show Less
Language
Original language
Japanese
Original publication date
1929
Physical description
224 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
0679752692 / 9780679752691