I Am a Cat

Natsume Sōseki wrote and published his first novel, I am a Cat, in 1905. A professor's nameless house cat narrates the novel. The feline observes and comments on the eccentricities and foibles of the human characters that surround it.

The cat, belonging to an unassuming schoolteacher, serves as a keen observer of human nature. It offers witty and satirical observations on the society and people it encounters. Through the cat's observations, Soseki explores various aspects of Japanese society during the Meiji era. This includes examining the cultural clashes between traditional Japanese values and the influence of Western ideas.

Sōseki divides the novel into several chapters, each focusing on different episodes and characters. The narrator interacts with a colorful cast of characters, including the schoolteacher, his friends, and his colleagues. Soseki uses these interactions to satirize different social classes, professions, and intellectual pursuits prevalent during that time.

Soseki employs the cat's perspective to expose human vanity, pretensions, and the absurdities of everyday life. The feline's detached and sardonic observations provide a unique lens through which to view human behavior and societal norms.

While the feline remains a detached observer, it also reflects on its own existence. It muses on philosophical and existential questions.

See also Soseki's Kokoro.