Khalil Chance’s Reviews > In Praise of Shadows > Status Update

"From candle to oil lamp, oil lamp to gaslight, gaslight to electric light—his quest for a brighter light never ceases, he spares no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow."

An interesting non-figurative metaphor for progression.

I do think, in his praise of darkness, Tanizaki has failed to appreciate light. In that I mean, he has such strong disdain for Western things without coming to appreciate why those things might be appealing from the other end.

The question at the hart of this is really just, "Why did we change? Why did we give up?" The answer is quite obvious, but coming off the back of Camp Damascus, it does remind of conversion therapy. Suppressing parts of yourself to fit into a greater society. Fit into the machine, build your own, or die. Simple as. Terrible too.

Tanizaki's points do ring of nationalism, which makes sense of the era, but I do not think they are incongruous with a cosmopolitan view of things either. His tone drips with a bias towards all things Japanese to an almost absurd degree, but how could he not? It is early 20th century Japan, when things were changing like the wind. It is hardly a wonder he clings on so hard.

"If this is true even when identical equipment, chemicals, and film are used, how much better our own photographic technology might have suited our complexion, our facial features, our climate, our land. And had we invented the phonograph and the radio, how much more faithfully they would reproduce the special character of our voices and our music."

Truth to power, Tanizaki.

Consider architecture. Cookie cutter homes build in months in suburbs. Blocky apartments with shabby rooms. Boxy mobile homes parked in circles. Convenient. Better. But lacking in human aesthetic. Lacking in choice. I've never cared about interior decoration before, but it makes a little more sense to me now. Exerting one's own self over that which they cannot normally decide. I should buy a lamp.

Tanizaki brings up a good point about how modern convenience eats away at individualism. These convenience lock us into certain patterns. I often talk to my students about how AI removes their free will from the equation of learning and thought. In that same way, mass production removes free will from the consumer in what they consume. It has many many benefits that cannot be argued against, but something is lost.

He is weirdly cooking with this section about the toilet. But again, cannot agree that aesthetic is worth it, especially not if I have to walk outside in the cold to use the bathroom just for good vibes.

With the advent of electrical lighting came the death of natural lighting in many places. Of course, I'd never argue against the benefits of the lightbulb and I hardly think that aesthetic is worth as much as Tanizaki places upon it when making his house. Though, maybe there is something to be valued in aesthetic. Not in is consumerist modern interpretation, but in the method of expression.