Abstract
Culture is a shared pattern of behaviour prevailing in a group or a society. It includes all the traditions, customs, beliefs and values that are transmitted from generation to generation and it can shape people. Thus it can be summarized that culture is something commonly shared, transmitted and it has a role in shaping people. When another culture tries to penetrate into the existing culture, some problems arise among people living in that society. Postcolonial literature deals with such problems as estrangement, displacement, identity crisis, etc. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the examples of the writers of postcolonial literature and he studies on the aforementioned themes in his books. An Artist of the Floating World is one of them. The aim of this article is to analyse displacement and estrangement problems that the main character, Masuji Ono, faces because of the influence of another culture in Japan after World War II. There are many changes in society ranging from the traditional values to traditional art and they cause Ono to feel disturbed. Prior to discussion, an introduction and brief information about the historical background of the novel will be given. Key words: Kazuo Ishiguro, postcolonial literature, culture, displacement, estrangement.
Highlights
The term „postcolonial‟ is used to talk about the cultures that are under the influence of the imperial process from the past which means the moment of colonization to the present (Ascroft et al, 2002, p. 2)
There are many kinds of literature that can be categorized under the title of postcolonial literature such as that from Australia, Bangladesh, Caribbean countries, India, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Pacific Island countries, Canada, USA, Sri Lanka and African countries
In order to analyse the themes, displacement and estrangement, which are emerged with the influence of the cultural changes in society, the term postcolonialism is introduced through the books titled „The Empire Writes Back and Understanding Postcolonialism‟
Summary
The term „postcolonial‟ is used to talk about the cultures that are under the influence of the imperial process from the past which means the moment of colonization to the present (Ascroft et al, 2002, p. 2). There are many kinds of literature that can be categorized under the title of postcolonial literature such as that from Australia, Bangladesh, Caribbean countries, India, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Pacific Island countries, Canada, USA, Sri Lanka and African countries. These places are different from each other in terms of their regional characteristics, they have common features when their literature is concerned. “They emerged in their present form out of the experience of colonization and asserted themselves by foregrounding
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