By the way you first read The Wild Geese with limited contextual knowledge as a cultural/temporal outsider, and how you have since looked again at the novel through the critical lenses of Japanese aesthetic philosophy and socio-cultural context?

In my first reading of The Wild Geese, the book left me with the feeling of confusion. It seemed like an underwhelming story, with no real climatic plot arc, resolutions or ‘heroism’ that is often seen in stories. But understanding Japanese aesthetic philosophy with regards to The Wild Geese has helped elucidated the impact of the story through it’s subtlety and understatements.

Japanese aesthetic qualities:

• Simplicity and Naturalness
• Restraint and Suggestiveness
• Irregularity/asymmetry & hidden tension
• Transciency/ Impermanence & perishability

On a macro scale, the whole story was written in a way that contained these elements. The hidden tension between the relationship of Otama-Okada for example, or the perishability of their potential relationship. The story seemed to be revealed in a suggestive manner, where more was implied than explicitly said, for example, during the discussion of Otama’s intimate life as a mistress. There is definitely a sense of irregularity in the story, where the story takes a shift from being told by the narrator in his first person perspective, to him taking a back-step and describing the development of Suezo’s experiences with Otama, Otsune and Otama’s interest in Otsune.

In a micro scale, natural references and events are used to catalyse the story or with a degree of suggestiveness. For example, the following notable moment of using animals to indicate information about Suezo’s charater on Otama’s relationship. Suezo and the Linnets: Suezo chose to buy a linnet for Otama – a bird that has suffered incarceration for their beauty. The are dainty and quiet birds. The linnet was a powerful emblem of a lost way of life, for it is one of the classic birds of our farmed lowland landscape. The symbolism of this bird shows not only Suezo’s materialistic appreciation for Otama, but also how he likens Otama to be his trapped object and happy she is a silent woman. Furthermore, the birds in the cage – one male and one female – idealises Suezo’s image of Otama and him in a cage. Interestingly, the hesistance of the shopkeeper to sell these birds could represent Otama’s father’s hesitance when ‘selling’ her to Suezo, and the imagery of two frightened motionless birds could depict Otama’s apprehension to be trapped by Suezo. Here’s the premise of the birds, using simplicity and naturalness, reveals a lot about the dyadic relationship between Suezo and Otama.

Japanese Social Conduct

• Wa – harmony in the unity and confirmity in socially station, status and self-respect
• Giri – obligations and duties
• On – debt of gratitude

Eg. of this in Otama’s obligation to her father to give him a good life by being Suezo’s mistress, Otsune’s obligation to Suezo as a wife, Suezo status in society, Otama’s father’s lack of opposition to Suezo as he is of a lower social class, Otama’s gratitude to Okada for killing the snake and the need to thank him socially.

• Ninjo – conflicting emotions/desires with obligation
• Haji – outward shame

Eg. Suezo’s status in society as usurer is shameful, Okada’s conflicting emotions with being a student and Otama, Otama’s conflicting emotions about obligations to Suezo and Okada.

• Akirame – resignation

Eg. Otama’s father resignation with Otama’s new life, Ostune’s regisnation of Suezo cheating, Okada resignation that he will not pursue Otama, Otama’s resignation and Suezo’s mistress.

Interestingly, in the Japanese literary tradition, before Meiji, novels were a form of self-confession which was very different from the structure of the western novel. The central character was used as an alter ego for the author himself. In The Wild Geese, Okada is representative of Ogai himself. In the novel, Okada moves to Germany to pass his doctoral examinations like Ogai did when he was 22. Ogai’s travelling abroad points to his adoption of the characteristic of resignation we find in The Wild Geese. Since Ogai was a german-speaking doctor in the Japanese army, he had no choice but to go to Germany. For the character Okada, the offer of the overseas job took his growing relationship with Otama out of his hands. Ogai was in love with a German but due to his responsibilities, he denied his love for her. This occurrence illuminates the importance of resignation for Ogai. This resignation is manifested in the novel when Otama learns of Suezo’s profession and again when Okada leaves Otama behind. Therefore, by Ogai using features of his own life as a source of inspiration or model, he is at the same time demonstrating a central feature of the Japanese novel of the time, the shosetsu.

How has this affected your understanding of the novel, but how does it shape your understanding of literature more broadly?

Through understanding Japanese philosophies and writing styles, I feel like reading the novel has made me reconsider the extent of the important of explicity. There is meaning in looking at the subtleties of a story and appreciating it for it socio-cultural nuances.