This chapter provides a broader context for issues and themes that recur in this book as a whole. The discussion begins with reference to a woodblock print by the modern master, Un"ichi Hiratsuka. This sets the scene for a reflection on the writings of Soseki—with particular reference to the exploration in his novels of the profound changes Japan underwent during the Meiji restoration. The essay examines especially the teacher figures in Soseki's work, and through this it explores such matters as accommodation with the West, the semblance of a Western lifestyle, shifts in generational relationships, and tensions between urban and rural life. The reading of Soseki is oriented by questions concerning the reception of other cultures, questions that are plainly central to the ambitions of this book.