Review - Wasurenagusa (わすれなぐさ) by Yoshiya, Nobuko

This work has a lot to digest, and there is a great review on Okazu (with minor spoilers). As seems to be true of 少女小説 of the time, it’s a 訓話. On the surface, it’s a basic (if slightly unbalanced) 三角関係 (love triangle) plot, but it also very 波乱万丈 (ups and downs, drastic events), and covers themes of familial hardship, 男尊女卑 (male chauvanism), 良妻賢母 (good wife, wise mother doctrine) & caretaker role in family, parents prioritizing male siblings, 経済的 (socio-economic class), West vs East, gender norms (both their oppressive and uplifting aspects, for boys and girls) - and to what extent we should or shouldn’t conform to them - 義務, 天職, and「私達は人間として生まれて、何をしなければいけないのだろう」, as well as different types of 愛情 / 友情 (a more 儚く熱っぽい type, and a more settled, supportive type), how to treat others around you, etc. While a lot of that is specific to the culture of the time - a lot of it still feels quite relevant and relatable today.

The book has two 解説 afterwards. The first is by a curator, and gives some great historical context for 少女文化 in general, Yoshiya’s career, and why her works were groundbreaking - and how they both went against the grain - while also presenting the themes of the works. The second was essentially a plot summary by a modern author (and former idol), and is skippable unless you want to be reminded of the many stops along the way.

In terms of language, this one is somewhere between 花物語 and 小さき花々. There’s a lot of old kanji spellings (most of which have furigana the first time they appear in the chapter, at least in the 2023 edition), and a lot of different orthography (ex あすこ instead of あそこ or 下すって instead of 下さって), and there were a few things that I just didn’t quite get - but they were minor. There’s also a lot of old location names, which don’t have furigana. Besides that though, the prose is very easy to follow - similar to 小さき花々 - and with a few exceptions, much less decorated than 花物語.

I can certainly see myself reading it again in a few years - and it’s made me even more curious to read more of Yoshiya’s works - this being the first novel of hers I’ve read (the other two I mentioned are short story collections).