Some Prefer Nettles

In his novel «Some Prefer Nettles» Jun'ichirō Tanizaki begins a profound search for the ideal woman by pitting two opposing female archetypes against each other. This clash simultaneously demonstrates the contradiction between Western and Eastern aesthetics.
As the plot develops, the protagonist gradually realizes he is attracted to the "faceless" women traditional to Japanese culture. This novel is not only the author's first attempt to show a loss of interest in Western aesthetics but also an endeavor to describe Japan's own existential turn.
The novel's climax and conclusion are the moment when the protagonist returns to the fold of traditional culture. Here, he finally finds a fragile harmony that unites the past and the present, the soul and the body, and where he regains his desired peace.