From the preface: "Although this book began as a genealogy of the discourses of rapid social change, it soon evolved into an exploration of the ways that modern forms of nostalgia became articulated in the language of gender and nation." The presentation begins with examination of masculinities in Meiji Japan in connection with frivolity, extravagance, clothes, imperialism, barbarism, and adventure, then looks at narratives of heroism and national identity, aestheticization of everyday life, the lure of the modern, and the memory of the epic past. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)