The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day (1989) is the third novel by British-Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro, which won for him the Booker prize that same year.

Related Topics:
1989 - Novel - Kazuo Ishiguro - Booker prize

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It tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who dedicates his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington, only to be confronted in old age with the thought that he may not have made any choices in his life at all. As he sets out on a motoring trip and meets the long since retired housekeeper, Miss Kenton, he ponders the underlying feelings of love for her which were never realised or even fully stated, and he is left with a vague feeling of loss.

Related Topics:
English - Butler - Service - Lord Darlington - Housekeeper

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The novel is written in first person making use of narrative voice, so that much of the time Stevens does not directly say anything about his feelings for Miss Kenton, but rather leaves them implied. The aforementioned Miss Kenton, it later emerges, has been married for over 20 years, and is not Miss Kenton at all, but Mrs Benn. The novel is centred around the decline of the British aristocracy, and even Darlington Hall is now under the ownership of an American. The decline of the British aristocracy was linked to the 1911 Parliament Act, which reduced the powers of the House of Lords.

Related Topics:
First person - Narrative voice - Aristocracy - 1911 Parliament Act

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However, it is not a pessimistic novel, but rather ends on a dignified note, with the butler trying to come to terms with how he has spent his life, and trying to make the best of what remains. Dignity and what constitutes it is one of the principal themes explored in this novel. Stevens and his disllusionment with Lord Darlington (and even his inability to face the truth of Lord Darlington's fall from grace) can be read to represent the citizens in post-colonial England and their relationship with the fading British Empire, as both Stevens and British citizens blindly trusted the correctness of the actions of their master.

Related Topics:
Dignity - British Empire

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The novel was made into a 1993 film by Merchant Ivory Productions.

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A BBC Radio 4 adaptation in two hour-long episodes starring Ian McDiarmid was broadcast on August 8 and August 15, 2003.

Related Topics:
BBC Radio 4 - Ian McDiarmid - August 8 - August 15 - 2003

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