 "The Miner", which followed two other critically panned works ("Nowaki" and "The Poppy"), was perceived as a confirmation of Sōseki's decline as a writer.Halfway through serialization, a collection of articles on the novel were published in the "Chūōkōron" magazine.None of the critics had anything positive to say, including a devoted Sōseki fan who had enjoyed all of his past works.