“Dancing Girl” by Mori Ogai.

The novel was published in a magazine, Mori Ogai was much more of a scholar person, he left Japan to study in Germany, at Panama Hall. The building itself was very impressive, pompous. The novel is very sensual and romantic, expresses romantic period in Europe and Germany, respectively. The book introduced Us a bit of autobiographical notion of Ogai’s own experiences, namely, it describes a very young officer who has been sent to Germany. Ota Toroyato, the main character of the story falls in love with a German girl, blonde, beautiful dancer. Ota is enchanted by the girl, he devotes to her every spare minute, he doesn't follow his duties and as a result he neglects work. All his duties and set of obligations toward the Japanese government and his family in Japan.  Mori Ogai took the theme and plot of “Dancing Girl” from works of German and British romantic writers, especially Goethe.  The plot is complex, underlines the psychological aspects of relationship and the clashes of two different cultures – The Occident – which stands for the woman in love, ready to destroy everything which stands on her way to keep the love even if it leads to self-destruction and Oriental elements which stand for Japanese man who realizes that his duties and devotion toward the country and family in Japan is far more important. For that reason he is ready to give up love, he sacrifices himself. Ogai portrays a very strong personality, the male character who in critical situation, he remains "unbroken". Ogai in the novel presents a tremendous transformation; cultural, emotional, economical and political.  Everything that is described is sublime, the love, the feelings, the German city of Berlin.  Ota struggles, during his time in Germany, he has to chose between the feelings he hides in his heart and the mind which stands for reason, responsibility, duty and respect. Ota returns to Japan and thinks, recalls his years in Germany, five years of cultural shock, surprisingly, it doesn't affect him that much, he still belongs to Meiji Era and Japan. In the diary he describes senses, smells, feelings, transformation he didn't truly undergo, he feels lost, not confused, but lost, he lost love of his lifetime, a chance of his lifetime, he doesn't care where he ends up, eventually, the indifference overwhelms him. His despair is so deep that he unnoticed the beauty of place he visited, the beauty of life he lives on. What was in that dancing girl he love so much … sadness, mystery, tears. He goes to his friend Aizawa who keeps persuading him to go back to Japan. Ota made his choices, decided to return home, the freezing weather made Ota’s cells and bones shiver, he trembles and burbles,  paralyzing cold takes away his senses, he has to tell Elisa he is leaving, the guilty consciousness made him collapse into the snow, the frost doesn't cool the heat that is in his mind. He never reaches Elisa, so it is very hard to presume, what would he do if he did … would he stay … or would he go out , head for Japan…

‘… an exceeding beauty …”

That all she was, when he saw her for the first time.

Aizawa reminded his friend, Ota, loves him and hates him, forgives but not forgets.