Samurai Ethics in the Works of Kazuo Ishiguro

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2010 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 3,0, University of Würzburg (englische Literaturwissenschaft), language: English, abstract: Japanese-British writer Kazuo Ishiguro is not very fond of critics concentrating on Japanese elements in his works , however, his first short stories and the following two novels take place even if, as it is the case with A Pale View of Hills, only partly in Japan, making it hard not to concentrate on the writer s apparent preoccupation with his Japanese heritage. His third novel, featuring an English setting and characters an old mansion, a butler, and his employer, may have been viewed as an attempt to break away from this line of interpretation on the one hand, on the other, however, it was the one work which first merited a mention of the similarities between the butler s philosophy of life and the samurai code of honour. To the author, though, his three novels, namely A Pale View of Hills, An Artist of the Floating World, and The Remains of the Day, are linked primarily by their characters, who all seem to be stuck in similar situations, having to face their past in all three cases the past ultimately revolves around their choices before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and consequently struggle with their long-repressed feelings of regret and even shame... Table of Contents1. Introduction2. Samurai Ethics in the Novels of Kazuo Ishiguro2.1.Samurai Ethics An Overview2.2.The Position of Woman Ishiguro s Female Characters2.3.Suicide2.4.The Duty of Loyalty2.4.1.Filial Piety2.4.2.Teacher-Student relationship2.4.3.Loyalty to the Master2.4.4.Serving a Higher Purpose2.5.Self-Control2.6.Ishiguro s Imaginary Homeland(s)3.Conclusion4. Bibliography