Snow Country

Snow Country is full of symbolism and motifs not discussed in this guide. Select one of them and explain how you interpret its significance to the story.

In The Moon in the Water, Petersen explains that much of Kawabata’s meaning gets lost in English translations of his work. Identify a moment in the text where you sense this loss and investigate the intended meaning in the original Japanese. Why is this moment difficult to translate, and how does the translator attempt to do so?

Consider the differences between private and public settings within Snow Country. How does Komako and Shimamura’s relationship operate within his private room as opposed to spaces where others can see them?

Snow Country was originally published episodically in Japanese literary journals between 1935 and 1937. How might this manner of publication have affected the shape of the text? How does it impact the reading experience for those who read the story in novel form?

Although none of the story’s action takes place in Tokyo, it is still a significant location in the narrative. How do you interpret the juxtaposition between major cities and the small onsen town? Why is this comparison a theme throughout the novel?

Snow Country is a highly subtextual novel; much of its meaning sits in what goes unsaid. Identify and analyze one such piece of subtext. How are you able to discern this subtext if it is not written directly on the page? How does this underlying meaning contribute to the rest of the story?

In 1972, Kawabata wrote an abridged version of Snow Country, entitled Gleanings from Snow Country, which was later published alongside his other short stories in Palm of the Hand Stories. Compare this version of the story with the full-length novel. What are some of the key differences between these two texts, and how do they result in different literary effects?

In his introduction to the text, Edward G. Seidensticker compares Kawabata’s writing style to haiku poetry. Using textual evidence, explain whether you think this is an apt comparison or not.