Week 10 reading questions

Here are some things to think about as you read Lonely Hearts Killer.

Click here if you'd like to learn a little more about Hoshino Tomoyuki, the author of the novel.

1. The novel consists of three sections, each narrated by a different character. Are the three narrators distinct? Do they offer different points of view?

2. How does Iroha's account comment upon Shôji's? How does Mokuren's account comment upon Iroha's?

3. Does the use of multiple narrators result in an evolving interpretation of the events recounted?

4. Are these reliable narrators?

5. Does it make a difference that Shôji and Iroha intended to circulate their accounts on the net?

6. How would you describe the written style of the novel? Does it reflect and/or comment upon writing in the age of the internet?

7. Is the novel primarily a social/political critique of contemporary Japan? Or does it offer a wider commentary on the first-world societies in general?

8. The death of one emperor and the ascension of another are catalysts for the much of the action in the novel. How does Hoshino utilize these plot devices in his social/political critique. Do these references to the imperial system necessarily limit the relevance of the novel to a Japanese context?

9. What do you make of the fantastic elements in the novel? What is their function?

10. How would you characterize the genre of the novel: magical realism, science fiction, alternative reality, or something else?

11. In her introduction, the translator mentions the humor of the text. Do you agree that there are humorous elements?

12. One of the key terms in the novel is love suicide (shinjû). How is the term used? How does its meaning change over the course of the story? Are there any connections to the more traditional representations of the practice that we've studied in this class?

13. "Love suicide" rapidly devolves into indiscriminate and widespread violence. What role do these violent actions play in the narrative?

14. The title of the novel and the titles of the individual chapters all evoke strong associations with desire, love, and intimacy. What role do these feeling states play in the narrative? How are they integrated into the political issues explored in the text? How do these evocations of desire, love, and intimacy reflect upon the lives of the main characters?

15. The ascension of a female emperor is a central plot point in the novel. Is this part of a larger commentary on gender? What does the novel have to say about the place of women in contemporary Japan? For that matter, what does it say about men?

16. How does the novel comment upon contemporary trends in Japanese/first-world society: e.g., declining birthrates, infantilization of adult population, prevalence of social networking, etc.?

17. How in general does the novel depict the new culture of the internet? How does this technology affect the way the characters view and present themselves? How does it shape their interactions with each other? How does the novel present the viral spread of images, text, and information?

18. More conventional media (newspapers, TV, etc.) also play an important role in the novel. Does the novel distinguish between traditional media and new media?

19. Both Shôji and Iroha are filmmakers who feature prominently in their own independent productions. What does the novel suggest about the responsibilities inherent in the creation/circulation of video and other media. How does mediation through these media affect content and message?