Continuation of the JLit Journal

TALE OF THE HEIKE

This book [Anthology of Japanese Literature from the earliest era to the mid-nineteenth centry by Donald Keene, if you forgot or came in late] is sort of cool because it gives you excerpts of all the tings you need to go out and read in their entirety. Maybe that's the value of an excerpt: awareness and enticement.

I found Tale of the Heike pretty compelling. lots of descriptions, but I didn't feel like it bogged things down (like it seems to to me in some of the longer poetry...)

I was a little confused on the bottom of page 183... Was he cleaning, preparing to die? Or...I have no idea. The "joke" he made is equally as opaque.

One thing that struck me as odd was that this Lady Nii person was allowed control over the emperor's life. A) He's only seven. B) his mom was obvioulsy there, because all the other passages were about her trying to cope with all her horrific memories. Who was this Nii lady anyhow?

SHINKOKINSHUU

More petry. Similar themes, but I like waka, I thinkl Concise and a little sad.

"Needless to say, however, the technical perfection of the Shinkokinshuu poems is largely ost in translation." So, if that is the case, as it surely is, what kinds of things would count as "technical perfection?" 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 isn't really a technical skill per se, so what would they be looking for?

AN ACCOUNT OF MY HUT

A hardcore hermit. I don't think I could do it the way he does, but in Kafka on the Shore there was a cabin in the woods that I would've gladly escaped to. I wonder what it's really lke to e completely cut off for a while. Simple living can be VERY refreshing. Last spring break I spent in an apt in Aix-en-Provence where...OK, obvioulsy it's a town with lots fo people, shops, food, phones TVs, all that, but we spent the majority of our time cooking really good food for ourselves (and subsequently enjoying it all evening long.) We'd wake up in the morning, buy fresh warm bread form the bakery down the street, have that with butter, jam, and coffee for breakfast, and then head out to the market. There we would decide what looked good and figure out waht we watned for dinner, supplement as needed with ingredients from the grocery store, and go back to cook all afternoon. There was one day in particular that I spent cutting vegetables and I think it was probably one of the most relaxing of my entire life.

*ramble*

It was interesting that, at least initially, he focused his anti-materialism specifically on houses. He really makes a lot of sense. This is definitely a "wise old man" type of guy. It's too bad one encounters the stereotypes and parodies more often than the real deal, but he's it for sure. When he says, near the beginning, "In the forty and more years that have passed since first I ecame aware of the meain gof things..." my first reaction was sort o_O Modest are we? "Hi, I know THE meaning of...THINGS!!" But as I continued reading it was apparent that he WAS actually a really smart guy.

Also, it's depressing to not e in on poetic allusions. When I'm reading I feel the same way as I would in a social situation enlists a movie or book quote to convey their ideas, "Ah...I dunno...what you're talking about...but...ADMIRATION *flow*"