Remains of The Day A Background

The Author Born November 8th, 1954. (Nine years after the end of WW2) Born in Nagasaki, Japan, but moved to Britain when we was five. He may be Japanese, but he does not consider himself to be a Japanese writer. In fact, after moving Ishiguro visited again in 1989—nearly 30 years later. He won the Booker Prize for The Remains of the Day. (It’s like the British Pulitzer Prize.)

The Book The Remains of the Day tells the story of an English butler’s travels through the English countryside in Post-WW2 Britain. Throughout the story the narrator describes his life serving at Darlington House, and his experiences both before and after the war. At the heart of the story are the repressed romantic feelings between the protagonist (Stevens) and Ms. Kenton

Period of Time The Remains of the Day takes place before and after World War Two. While the violence of the war never reaches them, the characters spend much of the novel reflecting on their roles in the conflict. The fact that the novel takes place after the war gives the narrator the opportunity to reflect on the conflict.

Britain in World War II One of the main combatants on the Allied side of the war. A regular target of bombings throughout the war. (In fact, John Lennon was born the night of a bombing raid, while the bombs were dropping on Liverpool.) The British lost 449,700 people in World War II. (For reference, 3% of the world population--60 million people—died in all countries)

Your Assignment Together in groups of three or four, you are going to research and compose a short presentation on Britain in the second World War. The specific subject will be assigned by me. You will research on laptops in class, and then present your findings in a presentation of about three to five minutes.