Jan 3, 2010

An Artist of the Floating World | Characters

The main character, Masuji Ono, is a retired painter who thinks of himself as an influential man. Although the end of the novel casts some doubt on his actual importance to the war effort, he believes his artistic efforts made a substantial contribution to support for the war, and his pride — and later, dismay — over these achievements show his developing understanding.

His daughters Setsuko and Noriko appear throughout the novel, and Noriko's wedding negotiations drive much of the plot since Ono prepares for the investigation of his family by the prospective groom's family (a...