The Ways of the World

织田作之助 / 司马Mar 2025

4.0

Word count: 28K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Late at night, bitterly cold, a white wind howled past and beat against the storm shutters—that was the sound of severe cold. Standing in the toilet, through the window glass one could see the shadows of branches in the courtyard shaking violently; it was the wind of the twelfth month. In such freezing wind, a visitor wearing an outdated air-raid hood arrived. When the hood was removed, it revealed a face weathered as the twelfth month, pale and blue, with obvious swelling, dark around the eye sockets, and bloodshot eyes blinking uneasily, saying: "I want to talk with you about the state of the world today."

Editor's review

The World at Large opens with the visit of an uninvited guest on a cold night in the twelfth month. The visitor wears an outdated air-raid hood, has a pale, swollen face, and says as soon as he speaks, "I want to talk with you about the state of the world today." This scene itself sets the tone for the whole book: not a macro historical narrative, but an observation of the traces the times leave on ordinary people, entering through a specific person, a specific cold night, and a specific weary face. Oda Sakunosuke's style has always been close to the streets and everyday life, skilled at revealing the social atmosphere through trivial dialogue and characters' states; Shiba's participation adds another layer of contrast in narrative perspective. This book is suitable for readers who like short-story-style, scene-based writing, and also for readers interested in the social atmosphere and urban life of the Showa period. While reading, do not rush to look for a complete plot; it is better to treat it as a set of sketches of the world, paying attention to the echoes among the visitor's talk, the narrator's observations, and the descriptions of the cold-night environment, and from them to appreciate how the two words "the world at large" are supported by concrete people and details.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who like modern and contemporary Japanese short stories and street-life subjects
Readers interested in the social atmosphere and urban daily life of the Showa period
Readers who prefer scene-based narrative and do not rely on strong plot momentum
Readers of selected works who want to understand Oda Sakunosuke's style

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a complete long story with a clear ending
Readers of genre fiction who prefer fast-paced, high-conflict narrative
Readers completely unfamiliar with the Showa period background and unwilling to understand the era's context

Reading tips

Treat the opening scene of the cold-night visitor as the tone of the whole book; first feel the atmosphere, then enter the characters' dialogue.
While reading, pay attention to details such as environmental descriptions and characters' complexions and clothing; they carry the expression of the world at large.
Read in sections; after each scene, pause for a moment to appreciate the narrator's position and attitude of observation.

版权信息
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六
七

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a short story collection?

Judging from the opening provided in the material, this book enters through scene-based narrative and unfolds around a cold-night visitor discussing "the world at large." Its style is closer to a short story or sketches of the world, rather than a novel driven by a single long plot line.

Do I need to understand Showa history to read this book?

Not systematically, but knowing the general historical background will help. Details such as the air-raid hood appearing in the text carry the marks of life in a particular period; understanding the era these objects belong to can better help you understand the visitor's weariness and the weight of the phrase "the world at large."

How is Oda Sakunosuke's writing style reflected in this book?

The material shows that this book begins with concrete details such as the cold night, the storm shutters, and the visitor's pale complexion, and brings out the social atmosphere through characters' talk. This way of writing, close to street life and presenting the sense of the times through scenes and dialogue, is consistent with Oda Sakunosuke's style of focusing on the lives of the urban lower classes.

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About the author

织田作之助 Author

Oda Sakunosuke was a Japanese writer. Public information about him is limited, and details such as his dates of birth and death, education, and awards still require verification. This site holds eight of his works, including Meoto Zenzai, Sesō, The Paradox of Youth, Yakōchū, and So That Is the World, That Is You, as well as selections such as Japanese Classics of the Century (3 volumes). His writing often draws on the everyday life of ordinary city people, and he is known for close observation and a slightly ironic tone in depicting couples, families, and human relations, revealing reflections on life amid trivial social scenes. His works are commonly grouped under classics, foreign literature, and essays and miscellaneous writings, suggesting that both his fiction and his essays remain in circulation. For Chinese readers, he offers an entry point into modern Japanese urban literature, and his works still attract readers with their accessible storytelling.

司马 Author

Sima is an author about whom very limited public information is available: no confirmed English name, nationality, or dates of birth and death have been recorded, making it difficult to sketch a full picture of his personal life. What can be confirmed is that five works are published under the name Sima, with representative titles including The Old Courtesan's Copybook, The Confusion of Goldfish, Husband and Wife Are Fine, The Ways of the World, and The Paradox of Youth. These titles suggest a strong flavor of everyday urban life and human vicissitudes: they gaze at the fate of women in the demimonde, portray family ethics and marital relations, and observe social manners while probing the confusions of youth. In classification, these works are often placed under foreign literature and miscellaneous prose, indicating that the writing combines narrative and essayistic modes, with a delicate realist touch that enters the warmth and coldness of human relations through ordinary details. Although the available material is limited and cannot detail his creative background or literary standing, the variety of subjects and the care taken with titles suggest that Sima's writing is readable and observant, worth appreciating through the texts themselves.