The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen

1. The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen

2. The Author (1) Graham Greene (1904-1991). a prolific English novelist, playwright, short story writer and critic whose works explore the ambiguities of modern man and ambivalent moral or political issues in a contemporary setting. His religion informs most of his novels, and many of his best works are explicitly Roman Catholic in content and preoccupations.

3. The Author (2) Greene's novels are written in a contemporary, realistic style, often featuring characters troubled by self-doubt and living in seedy or rootless circumstances. The doubts were often of a religious nature, echoing the author's ambiguous attitude to Catholicism. Throughout his life, Greene was obsessed with travelling far from his native England, to what he called the "wild and remote" places of the world. His travels provided him with opportunities to engage in espionage on behalf of the United Kingdom (Greene had been recruited to MI6 by the notorious double agent Kim Philby).

4. The Author (3) Many of his books have been filmed, most notably 1947's Brighton Rock, and he also wrote several original screenplays, most famously for the film The Third Man.

5. Characterisation protagonists: a young woman who writes novels her fiancé who is a wine-merchant minor characters: eight Japanese gentlemen middle-aged waitress indirect: publisher Mr. Dwight first-person narrator

6. The Narrator Whenever we have a first-person narrator we need to ask ourselves if he can be trusted. Is he biased? Can he know everything he tells us? In this story we have a first-person narrator who is not a direct participant in the story. On top of that, the narrator is an author – someone who makes up stories for a living. That should make us extra suspicious. How much of what we are told about the couple could the narrator really know, and how much is pure guess-work? Compare the narrator’s powers of observation with those of the young woman.

7. Setting Where? Bentley’s, expensive fish restaurant in London’s West End When? in the 50’s/60’s during a meal (the story was first published in 1965)

8. Plot The young woman and her fiancé sit in a restaurant discussing their forthcoming wedding. She is also talking about her first novel which is called "The Chelsea Set". Because of her second novel she thinks about moving to St. Tropez. Her fiancé questions their wedding. He has the opportunity to work for his uncle. Therefore he doesn’t want to move to France. Having finished their meal the man asks his fiancée if she has seen the eight Japanese gentlemen, but she’s so self-centered that she didn’t recognise them.

9. Some thoughts The female protagonist is a young woman who has just written her first novel. She is very ambitious and is always trying to please her publisher called Mr Dwight. In order to be successful she changes the title of her book in accordance to her publisher’s wishes. She probably belongs to the upper classes which becomes obvious in the way she speaks. She is very self- centred, talking all the time about her problems without listening to her fiancé. She is oblivious to his feelings.

10. Some more thoughts The eight Japanese gentleman don’t fit into her picture of an idealistic world. Even though they look very different and behave in a noisy way she doesn’t notice them because she is so self-centred. The narrator actively takes part in the story. He is sitting across the room from the young novelist and her fiancé and listens to their conversation. His powers of observation are put in stark contrast to those of the girl (his are infinitely greater).

11. Observation & Imagination Groupwork Upon seeing the video-clip, make observations and deduce/create the character and pre-history of the people in the clip. Who are they? What is their relationship? What will become of them?