France

Dostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "The Eternal Husband" Synopsis and Comments - A strange love triangle between a beautiful wife, her cuckold husband, and an adulterous man.

The Eternal Husband" is a brilliant work in Dostoevsky's signature psychological portrayal of the chaos of the deep mind, where one never knows what one might do. Although it is a bit of a tough introduction to Dostoevsky, I highly recommend this work for those who are into Dostoevsky.

The volume of the novel is also a medium-length novel, which means that the page count is reasonable for Dostoevsky.
idiocyDostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "The Moron" Synopsis and Comments - The Creation of Christ - Deep Relationship with Don Quixote and Remise

Although it aims to portray Christ as "an unconditionally beautiful human being," it is more than enough to enjoy without any knowledge of Christianity. (Of course, it is better to know about it to appreciate it more deeply.)

It is such an outstanding work of fiction and art.

Although it is a work that has not been shown much in the shadows of Crime and Punishment, it is very highly regarded as one of Dostoevsky's masterpieces. It is interesting. I strongly recommend it.
Impressions of summer written in winterDostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "Impressions of the Summer Written in Winter" Synopsis and Impressions - A severe criticism of Western society! A unique European travelogue

This "Impressions of Summer Written in Winter" is a very important work for understanding Dostoevsky's view of Europe.

Another good point of this work is that we can see the "strange traveler" Dostoevsky. It is a great opportunity to enjoy a different Dostoevsky than in his novels.

Although it is not a collected work, I strongly feel that "Impressions of Summer Written in Winter" is a work that deserves to be more widely available to the world.

I think Japanese people can especially relate to this content.
Zola and DostoevskyEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Emile Zola and Dostoevsky Summary - Reading the "Lugon McCall Series

This article summarizes our findings about Zola and Dostoevsky.

I myself never thought I would go this far with France, so I am very satisfied with the unexpected harvest, even though I feel that I have come a long way.

To be honest, I never really liked France, but now I find myself rather liking it. I am ashamed to say that I now have an itch to go to Paris.

It is not that I did not like to eat, but the experience reminded me that when you get to know a person well, you can see unexpected good points.
Taiji KimuraEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Taiji Kimura, "The Revolution of Impressionism" Zola and French Impressionism: Cézanne, Manet, and Monet

In the previous articles, we have considered various aspects of "why Zola is minor and Dostoevsky is popular in Japan," but this time we will change our perspective a bit and talk about Zola and French Impressionist paintings.

My interest in Zola led me to an interest in Impressionist painting.

On the other hand, it may be that those interested in impressionist paintings will connect with Zola's novel. I highly recommend this article!
Zola and DostoevskyEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

I thought about the difference between Zola's and Dostoevsky's views on human beings and the existence of a blank space.

This article will consider the two writers through the lens of Zola and Dostoevsky's views on humanity and the existence of blank spaces.

The presence or absence of a blank space creates mystery, which creates debate, and debate expands the discussion.

It was very interesting for me to see the differences between Zola and Dostoevsky in this aspect.
Zola and DostoevskyEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Historical Background and Differences in Moral Consciousness between French and Japanese as Seen from Zola

The relationship between Europe and Japan, and the difference in moral values.

This seems to be another major reason why Zola was a minor player in Japan.

However, today, as in the past, Japan is not a poor society or a country dominated by powerful "family logic.

As I have said many times in this blog, the French Second Empire is directly related to our lifestyle.

Our lives today are based precisely on the world depicted by Zola.

If this is the case, then perhaps now is the time in Japan when the novels depicted by Zola are most meaningful.
Zola and DostoevskyEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Why Zola is minor and Dostoevsky is popular in Japan - Misunderstanding of Zola

In our previous article, we looked at Zola's popularity based on its circulation in France.

As evidenced by its overwhelming sales, Zola is a leading French author.

However, while there are many great writers who are well known in Japan, Zola has been oddly overshadowed in Japan.

Why has Zola become such a little-known writer?

In this article, I would like to consider why Zola has become minor in Japan and why Dostoevsky is so immensely popular in Japan in comparison.
human beastEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

How great a writer was Zola - Zola's popularity as seen by the number of copies published in France.

Zola is not well known in Japan, but he is one of the most beloved authors in France.

It is difficult to convey the greatness of Zola's works when you are in Japan, but I have just read "The Beast Man," translated by Yukinori Terada, Fujiwara Shoten, and in the translator's commentary, the number of copies of Zola's works published in France is given, so this article will use those figures to see how popular Zola was in France.
Emile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

What is Emile Zola's Novel Style and Naturalistic Literature - What makes Zola so great?

The terms "00ism" and "~~ism" are often used to determine what group a writer belongs to or what tendencies he or she has.

However, the word itself may be difficult to understand, and it may be even more complicated than it needs to be.

In such a situation, Zola explains his own novel style, "naturalistic literature," in his own words. It was very easy to understand, so this article will consider the characteristics of Zola's novel style with reference to Zola's words.