a speed - read stylistic & thematic profile of the conglomerate literary works of fukawa touko :
because , as some of the bigger nerds have pointed out , i make numerous topical allusions in my writing . it’s exclusive to my voice as fukawa (which is substantially more embellished than you’ll see on my other blogs ) to reflect the way in which she narrates her own thoughts : as if she’s authoring them perpetually , and they are in a constant state of flux .
below are some of my general thoughts & feelings regarding the basis of fukawa’s art , her influences , and of her relationship to the literary conversation . we know that fukawa is incredibly popular and influential ; she has the power to define and reorient public interest based on the conversations she has with her demographic within her novels ; her popularity is atypical , however .
001 . style .
fukawa writes in direct opposition to her contemporaries of the romance genre . she is openly critical of the general state of modern contemporary literature ; its themes , its ideas , its style ; fukawa believes that the bulk of modern contemporary prose lacks artistry and pride of craft . she is the epitomized literature snob , but she is fiercely dedicated to tendering her love for writing through her novels .
the majority of fukawa’s commercial work is syndicated ; she writes to appease her contract at a rate of five novels per quarter . the demand produces an elementary prose dependent on poetics to denote a lyrical style ; clear influences to fukawa’s more commercial literature are composed of epic poetry and blank verse . latter works deviate into notes of amatory fiction , while earlier works are expressly transcendental .
fukawa appreciates that literature belongs to the domain of art , and adheres to a personal doctrine of supplanting its aesthetic applications in tandem to its practicality . this belles - lettres approach to writing defies that aesthetic writing is purely for art’s sake ; that experimental and aesthetic language is a valid contribution to the discipline . her novels are high art , pleasing to read , and contrasting contemporary approaches .
all of fukawa’s works are told in third - person present tense . she remarks in thh that the i novel (while something she is interested in writing , and later goes on to author ) completely contrasts every element of her style & expertise . she does not supplant into a straw first - person protagonist , nor does she employ a pronounced naturalism . she engenders the surreal to perspective ; it’s almost trance - like .
fukawa makes a pronounced stylistic choice to lend sensory qualities to all of her descriptions : taking obscure but otherwise objective sensations and states to concoct a specific image of a subjective feeling . love , for instance , might feel like winter : of being unable to sleep whilst one’s feet are cold ; your cheek pressed up against a frosted window pane ; standing at a crosswalk during a thunderstorm .
002 . theme .
endemically linked tragedy & romance . obviously . fukawa’s relationship history is turbulent , and consists exclusively of being abused by others . she cites personal tragedy & formative emotional trauma as the basis of her rich imagination , but will neglect to portray a typical or idealized romance throughout her work . so lingers , fukawa’s magnum opus , is remarked for this . none of her work is optimistic .
the internal nature of evil . coming from a place of pure self - loathing , fukawa does not absolve her characters of any malevolence , or provide them with purity , by providing an external evil that implies that all people are unconditionally good . fukawa’s general pessimism toward humanity , and her revulsion at herself and of her condition , provides a repugnant representation of the human condition .
exile and solitude from loved ones . whether consistent or eventual , a product of fukawa’s inclination for tragedy is to exemplify her own starvation for personal affections by removing a protagonist from a support system , or from a romantic interest . this very direct iteration of human solitude depends on a protagonist’s total awareness of their isolation , and their growing malcontent with loneliness .
secular saving graces . as a break from the constant emotional ordeal that one endures whilst reading fukawa’s works , she offers escapism through an appreciation of the mundane . innocuous comforts of miserable weather , nature , breaks from style into poetry or literary allusions ; a grounding in what is real and objective to return to between lighter or heavier emotional beats .
madness . the most abrupt example of fukawa’s influences in epic poetry . classical madness as told through third person limited is deliberately ostracizing. the intention , as fukawa would put it , is to isolate the reader within the emotional tone of the novel , and thus lend gravitas to subjective sensation , as she feels it . sometimes , but not usually , linked to desire .
fukawa utilizes her time at hope’s peak to treat a departure from her comforts and commercial successes as a writer , and to broaden her ability . her personal projects are highly experimental , tending toward magic realism , classical dark romanticism , and the gothic . she doesn’t remember until later , but she publishes her first non - romance novel during this time .
her post - tragedy work is proceeded with her i novel , as she embraces a more naturalistic style to honestly recount her conga line of emotional trauma . fukawa continues to write romance hereafter , but is more inclined to follow her creative whims ; to express her departure from a forgotten identity . generally speaking , she writes for catharsis , for memory , and for herself .
