The Last Samurai

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses suicide.

Postmodernism, as a literary and artistic movement, emerged in the latter half of the 20th century. In literature, postmodernism rejects the conventional storytelling norms. It is characterized by a radical rethinking of narrative structures, a deconstruction of established boundaries between author and reader, and a deep engagement with themes such as ambiguity, fragmentation, and the blurring of reality and fiction. This literary approach opens doors to a wide array of narrative techniques and thematic explorations, from metafiction and nonlinear storytelling to intertextuality and linguistic play. It is within this context of literary postmodernism that works like Helen DeWitt’s Last Samurai find their place, engaging with the intricate facets of postmodernism to offer a unique and challenging reading experience.

In The Last Samurai, DeWitt weaves postmodern concerns of suicide, boredom, nothingness, and meaninglessness into the fabric of the narrative. These concerns are deeply entwined with the existential dilemmas faced by the characters. Sibylla grapples with a profound sense of existential “boredom” (30), often viewing it as a fate worse than death. This boredom reflects the postmodern sense of the monotony of modern life and the overwhelming flow of information that can lead to a sense of nothingness. Similarly, Ludo confronts the burden of a meaningless world. He is driven by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and intellectual engagement, yet he struggles to find meaning in a world that falls short of his intellectual expectations. His quest to discover the identity of his father is, in essence, a search for meaning and identity in a world that he finds lacking. These characters’ journeys through the novel mirror the postmodern condition, whereby individuals grapple with the void of nothingness and seek meaning in a world that often appears devoid of purpose. The postmodern preoccupation with suicide is also woven into the narratives of characters like Red Devlin and Sibylla. Red Devlin’s suicide reflects the postmodern sense of despair and meaninglessness in a fragmented world. Similarly, Sibylla’s suicidal thoughts represent the existential crisis at the heart of the postmodern experience.

One of the central postmodern features of The Last Samurai is its metafictional nature. DeWitt blurs the lines between fiction and reality by frequently reminding the reader that they are engaging with a constructed narrative. The novel incorporates references to the act of writing and storytelling, as well as engagement with the reader. Furthermore, postmodern literature often follows nonlinear narrative structures. The Last Samurai is a prime example of this approach. The novel’s narrative is fragmented, with multiple points of view, timelines, and digressions. This nonlinear structure challenges traditional storytelling norms and reflects the fragmented nature of contemporary life and the breakdown of traditional structures.

Furthermore, postmodernism is characterized by experimentation with language and form. DeWitt’s use of multiple foreign languages, varying font styles and sizes, and distorted chapter divisions are notable postmodern features. The novel incorporates Greek, Japanese, French, and Icelandic, among other languages. Intertextuality, referencing and reinterpreting existing texts and cultural artifacts is also a postmodern element. The Last Samurai is filled with intertextual references, including the filmography of Akira Kurosawa and numerous fiction and nonfiction works, such as Donald Richie’s The Films of Akira Kurosawa; Homer’s Odyssey; Adolph Römer’s Aristarchs Athetesen in der Homerkritik; Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species; P. G. Wodehouse’s Leave It to Psmith; Arnold Schoenberg’s Theory of Harmony; Ibn al-Muqaffa’s Kalilah wa Dimnah; Franz Kafka’s Metamorphoses; George Binney’s The Eskimo Book of Knowledge; Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex; and P. M. Fraser’s Ptolemaic Alexandria. This intertextuality reinforces the postmodern idea of literature as a web of interconnected texts. The novel incorporates excerpts from a variety of texts, including mathematical and scientific publications. These excerpts contribute to the novel’s intellectual depth and further challenge traditional storytelling.