On our 18th episode Clay Oppenhuizen joins us for a heady discussion of Yukio Mishima's 1949 novel Confessions of a Mask. We continue our brief overview of some historical and cultural background of Japan's Meiji Restoration to lay the groundwork for Mishima's love/hate relationship with the Western world, his narrator's struggles to accept himself and his society in post-war Japan, and the influence of German literature and philosophy on Mishima's thought-provoking, brilliant novel.

You can send us your thoughts, questions and ideas about Mishima's novel and our discussion at [email protected], as well as read the articles and books we consulted on our website www.thecasualacademic.com. Don't forget, you can also reach us on twitter, facebook and instagram!