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A review by kevkev777
In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
5.0
Very interesting read. If I were to summarize the main point in one sentence, it would be this: Japanese interiors are characterized by shadows which give them a subtle, yet dramatic aesthetic, whereas Western interiors are characterized by an overabundance of light caused by a kind of aversion for shadows and filth (perhaps a legacy of the Victorian obsession with health?), resulting in very sterile interiors.
Tanizaki's essay reminded me of a quote by Albert Camus from The Fall:
Tanizaki argues that shadows give objects and rooms a mystical aura. This is because shadows (evidently) hide parts of an object or room, leaving our imagination to fill in the rest.
One more interesting thought was the following: Tanizaki reflects on the reason as to why the Japanese were so fond of shadows as opposed to westerners. After all, before the invention of the electric light, westerners also lived in darkness. Tanizaki argues that this difference has come into existence because the Japanese made do with the darkness, they embraced it, whereas westerners try to improve everything. Japanese culture was also very traditional. It was only during the Meiji Restauration that Japan 'allowed' itself to be influenced by the West and its focus on progress, stemming from the Enlightenment (the name says it all). It reminded me of the American Dream, that everyone can 'make it' and that bigger is always better: a bigger house, a bigger car, etc. One could read this essay a countermovement to this urge of always having the newest or biggest of anything. It's essentially a revaluation of the subtle, which has always been a matter of great importance to the Japanese.
Tanizaki's essay reminded me of a quote by Albert Camus from The Fall:
Don't lies eventually lead to the truth? And don't all my stories, true or false, tend toward the same conclusion? Don't they all have the same meaning? So what does it matter whether they are true or false if, in both cases, they are significant of what I have been and what I am? Sometimes it is easier to see clearly into the liar than into the man who tells the truth. Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object.
Tanizaki argues that shadows give objects and rooms a mystical aura. This is because shadows (evidently) hide parts of an object or room, leaving our imagination to fill in the rest.
One more interesting thought was the following: Tanizaki reflects on the reason as to why the Japanese were so fond of shadows as opposed to westerners. After all, before the invention of the electric light, westerners also lived in darkness. Tanizaki argues that this difference has come into existence because the Japanese made do with the darkness, they embraced it, whereas westerners try to improve everything. Japanese culture was also very traditional. It was only during the Meiji Restauration that Japan 'allowed' itself to be influenced by the West and its focus on progress, stemming from the Enlightenment (the name says it all). It reminded me of the American Dream, that everyone can 'make it' and that bigger is always better: a bigger house, a bigger car, etc. One could read this essay a countermovement to this urge of always having the newest or biggest of anything. It's essentially a revaluation of the subtle, which has always been a matter of great importance to the Japanese.