English 1057 The Remains of the Day (1988)

Kazuo Ishiguro (1954-) - Father was an oceanographer- Born in Nagasaki; moved to

England at age five- Educated in Kent, East Anglia- First novel 1982; seven in total

so far- Feels he has a very “mixed”

cultural identity which is neither strongly Japanese nor English

Themes in his novels- Ishiguro’s novels tend to have a

strong post-modern style- Time is jumbled and narration

cuts back and forth- Things aren’t clear; reality is

inconsistent and subjective- Bad memories are repressed

and denied but “bubble up”- E.g. Etsuko’s repression of

memory after the bombings of Nagasaki

The Remains of the Day (1989)- Ishiguro’s third novel- Highly regarded and praised; winner of the Man

Booker Prize in 1989- Film adaption with Anthony Hopkins (1993)

Themes- A butler’s “dignity” and social constraints

- Loyalty and politics: Stevens defends his (Nazi?) employer, Lord Darlington

- Love and duty: Stevens does not respond to Miss Kenton’s emotions or to his father

- Memory: Stevens remembers in fragments. Are these memories consistent? How do they change?