The Remains of the Day (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 1956, with flashbacks to 1923 and ensuing years
- Setting: Oxfordshire and the West Country, England
- Principal Characters: Stevens, Lord Darlington, Mr. Farraday, Miss Kenton
- Genres: Long fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Traveling or travelers, Love or romance, Class consciousness, England or English people, World War I, Domestic work or workers
- Locales: England
The poignancy of this complex novel, Kazuo Ishiguro’s third, is captured in its title, The Remains of the Day At the end of the sixth day of a motoring tour, in an unaccustomed period of free time, the narrator sits at a pier in Weymouth, waiting for the pier lights to be switched on. Observing the pleasure of the crowd gathered to witness this minor event, Stevens, a devoted butler, reflects that the evening—the remains of the day—may indeed be the most enjoyable part of the day for most people. Ever dutiful, serious- minded, and anxious to do the right thing, Stevens...
[The entire page is 1937 words long]
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