THE NEXT BOOK
Let's start discussing THE MAKIOKA SISTERS by Junichiro
Tanizaki towards the end of November. If anyone would like
to start, jump in, otherwise I will post. Then comes
SELECTED POEMS OF ANNE SEXTON and the next choice will be
DANCING AT THE RASCAL FAIR by Ivan Doig. So everybody, go to
the library, go to the bookstore, get reading (preaching to
the choir, here, I think).
Sherry in gray gloomy Milwaukee
=============== Reply 1 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/07
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 10:50 PM
Just a note to encourage those of you whose lives were not
exactly interrupted by my suggestion for the last slo-mo
list to give Makioka Sisters a try. It's new. It's
different. It's go-o-o-o-d. It's a long book, but a very
fast read, and engrossing to boot. It's on the Everyman's
Library list. I've read it twice, and am preparing to read
it for the third time (I only re-read the really, really
good ones). So go for it.
Theresa
=============== Reply 2 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/07
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 11:05 PM
I intend to plow right into the Makioka Sisters, Theresa.
And sorry about any untoward remarks I may have made about
your last reco. Everyone's taste is different. I'll check
the library tomorrow for the sisters.
Ruth, exhausted from a day with her grandchildren
=============== Reply 3 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 11/08
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 6:54 PM
Theresa,
I will definitely be joining you on this book. I am always
interested in things Japanese.
Ann
=============== Reply 4 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/08
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 9:14 PM
Theresa, the library bombed out on this one, but my favorite
bookstore had it, so I'm prepared.
Ruth, in the summery south
=============== Reply 5 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 11/08
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 11:15 PM
No, no, no Ruth. You certainly never made any untoward
remarks. If you don't like a book, I believe you should
damn well say so. Just didn't want anyone to pass on
Makioka Sisters because Rabbit Boss scared them off.
Theresa
=============== Reply 6 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/09
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 9:53 AM
greetings THERESA..
appreciate the plug for the MAKIOKA SISTERS..this book has
been touted for years as one not to miss....good to hear
that you picked up on this....you always amaze me..with the
books you come up with... that is what is so great about
CR....you sit back and you learn much about our CR'S..
gail..hp..a p r...who is finishing watching a film ...and
hasn'tmade heads or tales of it... will report on CR SALON..
summer in SAN FRANCISO..
=============== Reply 7 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/10
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 7:11 PM
Theresa,
I have started THE MAKIOKA SISTERS and am savoring every
word. It is my kind of book. I have read about 80 pages
and it reminds me of A SUITABLE BOY by Vikram Seth. I lent
the book to a friend who never returned it so I won't be
able to compare some of the marriage customs. Have you read
this book? Jane who got into the spirit of things by eating
at a Japanese restaurant this weekend.
=============== Reply 8 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/12
From: DHGK37A ERNEST BELDEN Time: 7:14 PM
Sherry, I did not see your last note which answers my
question, thank you! Have to quit, off to the library and
book store. So the weather is not the best in good old
Milwaukee, well you should have never left the Golden State
- serves you right! Ernie who enjoyed the sunshine on the
SF bay this AM in Benecia of all places.
=============== Reply 9 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/14
From: DHGK37A ERNEST BELDEN Time: 6:44 PM
Sherry, I got started on the sisters and found it difficult
reading so I am not sure that I will be able to keep it up,
but will give it another try. The problem is that the names
are difficult to remember and somewhat confusing. Ernie
=============== Reply 10 of Note 25 =================
To: DHGK37A ERNEST BELDEN Date: 11/14
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 7:30 PM
Dear Ernie,
I found the names a bit difficult at first, too. But unless
you have something really pressing, do keep trying. Later on
it starts to move. In fact, I was trying to get to sleep and
decided to read for a while, since I had found this book
very calming. Well all of a sudden there was a flood and I
stayed up til way past midnight engrossed. And I thought it
was going to help me sleep!
Sherry
=============== Reply 11 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/14
From: EUCR61A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 8:00 PM
Sherry: While trying to perk up my own attitude towards this
story, I did a little research -- apparently it was
origionally published (in Japan) under the title
'Sasameyuki', which literally means 'light snow.' How and
why this became 'The Marioka Sisters' wasn't revealed in my
source material, nor is it obvious from the one-third of the
book I've read. Anybody out there got some glaring, klieg
light type revelations on this one?
Dick in Alaska where we need klieg lights just to drive home
=============== Reply 12 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/14
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 10:40 PM
Sherry,
I love this book as I said earlier, but I really agree about
the flood section. I was reading it last night and didn't
want to stop until all were safe and sound. It is my type
of book. Jane who loves Proust as well.
=============== Reply 13 of Note 25 =================
To: EUCR61A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/15
From: KEXT98A TONYA PRESLEY Time: 0:58 AM
Dick in Alaska,
"The title of this version is not a translation of the
Japanese title... The original suggests snow that is falling
in very fine flakes. No single adjective came to mind to
suggest the quality adequately. 'A veil of snow' or 'a mist
of snow' might have sufficed, but both seemed overwrought.
Nor would it have been possible to convey other than by
explanation, which is not the same thing as translation,
that the Japanese title contains a pun, on the name of the
third sister, Yukiko, which is literally 'snow child'.
Probably Tanizaki chose it to suggest fragility."
(from the intro to the EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY edition. Tonya
=============== Reply 14 of Note 25 =================
To: KEXT98A TONYA PRESLEY Date: 11/15
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 11:46 AM
Tonya: Beauty explanation as they say across the border in
Occupied Canada. Thanks.
Dick in Alaska gulping down some morning cha
=============== Reply 15 of Note 25 =================
To: KEXT98A TONYA PRESLEY Date: 11/15
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 7:52 PM
greetings TONYA..
outstanding research..tons of thanks..
gail...hp..a passionate reader in cool and sunny SAN
FRANCISCO..where i am told we are expecting rain from the
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS..so far no rain in sight!
=============== Reply 16 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/16
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 10:47 AM
I am about 165 into THE MAKIOKA SISTERS, and I must say that
I am enjoying this old fashioned novel very much. It reminds
me a lot of a some of the classic novels I have been reading
in its dramatic pace and attention to the details of
everyday life.
Also, I really like reading about this pre-war Japanese
culture. Although I can identify with these sisters on a
very human level, I also find the differences in cultural
norms fascinating. The Japanese are certainly masters at
indirect communication, aren't they? The characters almost
never say what they really think, and yet they are able to
read subtle nuances so well that they seem to understand
each other very well. And how about that Yukiko? She seems
so passive and willing to go along with the flow, but so far
she seems to be pretty good at getting what she wants. As
Sachiko says with some justification on p. 150, "She keeps
quiet and has everything her way."
I taught English in Japan from 1973-1975, and this book
brings back very pleasant memories. I wonder how often,
however, I seemed like those boorish White Russians to the
Japanese.
Ann
=============== Reply 17 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/16
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 12:26 PM
Ann: The slow, formal and very studied pace of Japanese
social life in the late 1930's is an interesting aspect of
this book. From the American perspective it is hard to
imagine how these social mores fit within a culture that is
also ferociously competitive economically, and at that time,
militarily. How those manifestations of Japanese culture
meld into the gentler ways of day to day life isn't all that
clear in this book. Of course, that wasn't what Tanizaki was
trying to do, but it's an issue I've always found
interesting. Ruth Benedict's 'The Chrysanthemum and the
Sword' dealt with those issues to some degree. She was an
anthropoligist specializing in Japan who was a
consultant to the War Department during WWII on Japanese
issues: is there any way to convince a Japanese battalion to
surrender rather than fight to the death? What sort of
post-war occupation government will work in Japan? Obviously
she never did figure out an answer to the first question,
but was bang-on with number two. In any event, an
interesting book by an interesting woman.
Dick in Alaska on a frosty morning with the fire and coffee
pot going full blast
=============== Reply 18 of Note 25 =================
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/17
From: DHGK37A ERNEST BELDEN Time: 3:02 PM
Richard, I am totally amazed that anyone knows about Ruth
Benedicts role during the war and has read her book C&S.
When I was a grad student in Psych. at U.C. some of my profs
were involved in the same project and told the students
about it. This made me read this particular book. In those
days we were heavily exposed to anthro especially Margaret
Mead, Gregory Bateson, F. Boas of Kwakiutel fame. I loved
all that stuff though I have become a bit more critical of
it. Ernie
=============== Reply 19 of Note 25 =================
To: DHGK37A ERNEST BELDEN Date: 11/17
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 4:06 PM
Ernie, Dick & All: Speaking of cultural differences, and of
Japan, I heard a fascinating piece on NPR's "The World" last
week about changing sexual mores in that country. This month
marks the first time an unexpurgated version of LADY
CHATTERLY'S LOVER (!) will be available commercially in
Japan.
Also...Until recent years, the reporter said, any display
of physical affection in public--a simple hug or kiss, on
the street--was considered outrageously offensive. And any
depiction of sexual behavior was frowned on, especially
between married couples (?!) because this was thought to
somehow degrade the institution of marriage.
On the other hand, she said, Japan's equivalent of our
news tabloids, available at any supermarket, routinely carry
nude photos of teenage girls and nobody seems to see this as
contradictory.
A strange and complicated business, this culture stuff...
Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 20 of Note 25 =================
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 11/17
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 6:24 PM
I read Benedict's C&S as an anthro student, although I don't
think the book was assigned reading for students any longer.
It was interesting, but rather quaint in light of the type
and direction of research and analysis being conducted at
that time. Benedict tried to "psychoanalyze" cultural
personality in much the same way a psychologist would an
individual - she later wrote papers in which she labeled
various N.A. groups with psycho. labels which a layperson
would normally see as denoting a type of imbalance. Which
was rather disconcerting, although I don't think her intent
was necessarily to label the cultures as "sick." The whole
thing is interesting, but seems very simplistic now.
Ernie, I developed doubts about anthro/archeo research
early on. I am still very interested in this field, but was
quite disillusioned while still an undergrad - the so-called
scientific theories and analysis are often constructed on a
bare minimum of real evidence. Which is fine - except that
they are bandied about as "truth" rather than theory - which
as far as I could see, was necessitated by the need to
succeed in an elaborate, ritualized academic culture (and
wouldn't it be fun to give a psych label to that particular
disfunction....).
I thought the comic scene with the White Russians was very
funny. I also think such a characterization in a Russian
novel of a Japanese family would have offended even
Tanizaki. When is this type of thing racism? When is it
just a telling illustration of cultural relations/
perceptions/misperceptions?
Thanks for the info on the original name of the novel. I
agree that this is an old-fashioned book. It's interesting
to compare the way Tanizaki develops his characters and
their relationships with the way this is done in European
and American novels. This novel really reminded me of some
of the Russian novelists I've read - especially Turgenev - a
little sentimental, but also very
realistic. Not a lot of action, but a lot happens
nevertheless.
Some of Tanizaki's other books are quite different - he
seems to be exploring the so-called "dark-side" of his
characters - especially their sexual obsessions. The Key (I
think that was the title) depicts a father who arranges for
his wife, and then his daughter, to receive multiple
"injections." I'm a little hazy on the details, but it was
like reading the mind of someone who knew his Freud, but
intended to enjoy his neuroses anyway, just as did some of
the more interesting Victorians in an earlier age.
Tanizaki's autobiography is also quite interesting. Sheds
some light on the origin of some of the themes he pursues in
Makioka Sisters and other books. I picked the autobiography
up very cheap, and later re-sold it. I thought the
bookstore had made a mistake and overpaid me - but later saw
them selling it as a first-edition of a hard to find book,
for a good sum of money. Guess I shoulda read my Dunning
first.
And, Dale, I have seen some Japanese comic books (read, I'm
told, by kiddies) where the sex and violence (and sexand
violence) would shock even us degraded Americans. I don't
think it is the display of affection or sexual attraction
which itself is found inappropriate, but the fact that the
display takes place between a married couple. I'm not
saying this very well - I mean that the cultural context is
so different we need to look at the big picture before
deciding whether the mores are really so different, or
whether it is that the puzzle itself has been constructed
differently.
Theresa - who had better stop, since she's stopped making
sense (which is a great album, but not related to this
thread)
=============== Reply 21 of Note 25 =================
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/17
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 8:31 PM
Dick,
I read Ruth Benedict's 'The Chrysanthemum and the
Sword' many years ago before I went to Japan. I also thought
it was very perceptive.
You brought up a really interest point -- the contrast
between the delicate and refined personal relations of these
characters and the rampant militarism and extremism of
Japanese leaders during this period of history. External
events are almost entirely ignored in this novel. There are
euphemistic references to Japan's brutal invasion of China
as "the China incident." Tanizaki began writing this book in
1943 and I assume that any writing about political events
would have been extremely touchy. At the same time, I would
guess that government propaganda kept the population largely
in the dark about what was really going on. Westerners read
about "the rape of Nanking", but this was undoubtedly
presented in very heroic terms in the Japanese press.
This book does show certain Japanese traits, such as
obedience to authority, conformity, and concern for "face"
and honor, which help to explain a bit their behavior during
the war.
Ann
=============== Reply 22 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/18
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 0:40 AM
Ann: The Japanese attitude towards WWII and their role in it
is still a little ambivalent if our press reports are to be
believed (a major stumbling block, admittedly). Certainly
there were many terrible things done by Japan at that time,
but we can understand them easily if we just imagine all
those Koreans and Chinese as black people. Then, we can
conceive of Americans committing those particular atrocities
-- medical experiments on prisoners, and indescriminate
murder and rape, for example. There is little question in my
mind that the Japanese were as race-conscious and racist a
society as was the old white American society of 50 years
ago (since tempered a bit by time and experience and
tempered a lot by the influx of a ton of non-white people).
Quite a few years ago now, during a previous employment and
professional incarnation, I was at a dinner in Washington
D.C. at one of Bethesda's tastier Chinese restaurants. Our
host was a well-known Washington and government professional
of impeccable liberal and academic credentials. His wife was
an absolutely lovely woman, born in Manchuko to a Japanese
admiral in the '30's. During the dinner one of the servers,
who was apparently Chinese and spoke very poor English,
spied this man's wife and haltingly inquired if she were
Chinese. For a moment I thought this woman would strike the
server, before she literally hissed out, "I AM JAPANESE!"
The server cowered like she could be slapped and scurried
away. Everyone at table was very polite and kept on
shoveling in the food. All very instructive to see the
daughter of an actual warlord at work, however.
Dick in Alaska where our many Japanese visitors may despise
us, but do it very politely
=============== Reply 23 of Note 25 =================
To: DHGK37A ERNEST BELDEN Date: 11/18
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 0:51 AM
Ernie: Apparently lots of people have read Ruth Benedict,
looking at this thread. I never really thought of C&S as
anthropology so much as it was an exercise in applied
psychological analysis. Some of it was fairly perceptive in
terms of the war, and some of it was downright silly. It
must have been quite interesting to talk with some of those
old folks who worked with Benedict, though. Even the young
soldiers of that war are getting so old these days -- and
it's our turn next.
Dick in Alaska, putting a good, if wrinkled, face on things
=============== Reply 24 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/18
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 7:35 PM
Theresa,
It has been a very long time since I read Benedict's book. I
might view it entirely differently if I read it today, but
as I remember it, she treated the Japanese culture with
respect and, at the time at least, I thought she had some
good insights. It is always risky to make generalizations
about a culture because so many individuals don't follow the
model. And yet, I think that it can be helpful to study the
preconceptions that every culture takes as givens.
I want to thank you for suggesting this book. Once I got to
the flood, I couldn't put it down. I finished it last night
in a marathon weekend read. The characters were "real"
people for me and I had to keep reading to find out if
Koi-san and Yukiko would ever find a husband and/or true
love. I find it quite interesting that this novel, which
deals almost exclusively with female characters, was written
by a man. Have you read any other books by Tanazaki, and, if
so, what would you recommend reading next?
Ann
=============== Reply 25 of Note 25 =================
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/18
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 7:37 PM
Dick,
Unlike the United States, Japan is an extremely homogeneous
society. There is a Korean minority, which, 25 years ago at
least, some analysts considered the "blacks" of Japan. In
the pre-war era, racism was definitely part of Japanese
imperialism.
Among the Japanese I have known personally, however, I have
never seen any evidence of this. I also taught English as a
second language in the United States for a couple of years,
and the Japanese mixed very well with the other foreigners.
In fact, when I was in graduate school, I shared the main
floor of an old house with a roommate from Osaka, one from
Taiwan, and one from Kansas. We all got along great.
Ann
P.S. Thanks for alerting us to the Ondaatje interview on
Fresh Aire. The broadcast is repeated a day late here, so I
heard it today. No danger to the electronic antenna on our
car -- we already broke that a couple of weeks ago. Ouch --
what an expensive item to repair!
=============== Reply 26 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/19
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 2:45 AM
Hi Ann. I'm glad you liked Makioka Sisters. I also liked
the Benedict book - it was an interesting read, but I was
reading it as an anthro student. I think Benedict was
making a very earnest effort to meld two different social
sciences. She was a great friend (and, some rumor, more) of
Margaret Mead. According to Mead, at that time there was a
movement to unify the social sciences - so that, for
instance, sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, etc.
would coordinate research, and work with each other's
theories, practice, etc. The idea died, according to Mead
at least partly due to professional jealousies and
ambitions. Benedict and Mead were trained together as
anthros at Columbia University, back when it was a
comparatively new "science." Benedict had rather severe
emotional problems, including at times incapacitating
depression. Which most likely accounts for the direction of
her research.
Her book reminds me of Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Gray
Falcon. Although not a psychological study of a culture by
any means, BLGF illuminates an area and its culture in a
similar way. The present situation in former Yugoslavia
would surprise no one who has read West's book.
I've read quite a few of Tanizaki's books. Makioka Sisters
is a bit of an anomaly. Aside from his ability to tell a
good story, he is interesting to me as someone who was
strongly drawn to and influenced by "western" authors, and
returned to an appreciation for Japanese traditions, yet
without the rampant, almost fascist nationalism of Mishima.
Makioka Sisters, to me, is more of a study of a "normal"
family and its relationships. Tanizaki's other books tend
to focus more on psychological imbalance - yet in a very
matter of fact way. Some Prefer Nettles and The Key were
both very interesting. You may have noticed Tanizaki's
interest in bodily functions. He always makes note of his
character's digestive problems. I heard a very funny joke
about this penchant once, but cannot remember it for the
life of me. Don't know that it would pass the Prodigy
censors, anyway. I'd also recommend Tanizaki's
autobiography - growing up in the merchant class in Tokyo,
in late 19th/early 20th century Japan. Very interesting
book.
Was it you that posted that you had taught in Japan for a
couple of years? How interesting. Can you speak Japanese?
What Japanese authors would you recommend? I've read and
enjoyed Shusako Endo (short stories better than novels),
Fumiko Enchi, Banana Yamamoto (good books but kinda childish
- I mean, she is young, and she's playing it for all it's
worth), and others I can't recall right now. I am not much
of a fan of Yukio Mishima.
Theresa
=============== Reply 27 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/19
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 8:41 PM
Theresa,
Thank you for the recommendations of Some Prefer Nettles
and The Key. I checked the online catalog for our local
library and they don't have them, but I think I saw both
books at BORDERS. Reading about psychological imbalances has
never been a problem for me, and I plan on giving his
other books a try.
You are better read in Japanese literature than I am. It has
been years since I read Mishima's books. I know he was an
extremist nationalist and somewhat crazy to boot (in the
latter part of the twentieth century normal people don't
commit sepuku -- ritualistic suicide by disemboweling
themselves), but I remember that I found his books very
interesting. After 25 years, however, I remember almost
nothing else.
I studied Japanese while I was in Japan, but the most I ever
learned was band-aid Japanese--i. e., enough to get around
on public transportation and do my shopping. Since I was
teaching English, everyone I met wanted to speak English,
and I lacked the self-discipline to really apply myself. I
lived in a tiny Japanese apartment with tatami mat floors,
no central heating, a Japanese style bath (you get
completely clean BEFORE you get in the tub), and sliding
doors between the rooms. My job involved traveling to
Japanese companies to teach English conversation, as well as
teaching at an English center in downtown Nagoya. I have
never had a job that I enjoyed as much. Japanese people
were extremely generous to me, and it was a wonderful
experience. The terrible overcrowding and the unequal
position of Japanese women (at least in the 1970's) got to
me after awhile, however, and I was ready to come home.
My Japanese students were very concerned about me because I
was almost 25 and still not married. At the time, 25 seemed
to be some kind of a match cut off line. If you hadn't
snared a husband by then, you might have missed your chance
forever. So the constant concern over the marital status
of Yukiko and Taeko in this book really made me smile. I
have read that more recently, young Japanese women are not
nearly so anxious to get married.
By our cultural standards, Yukiko would definitely be
considered passive aggressive, wouldn't she? I could
certainly relate to the more westernized Taeko more, but I
felt very sorry for Yukiko. It seemed pretty obvious that
she would have been happiest if she had just been allowed to
remain single.
Ann
=============== Reply 28 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/19
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 9:56 PM
All: Does anyone recall a Masterpiece Theater production
involving an English woman who was stranded/widowed in Korea
about the time of the Russo-Japanese War and became the
mistress of a Japanese man (military, I think?) in Japan? I
believe the production spanned most of her life and was very
rich in details about Japanese social behavior and cultural
motifs. I bring it up because I had the vague recollection
it was based on either fact, or a book, or maybe both and
was at least somewhat related to the discussion we're having
about 'The Makioka Sisters'.
Dick in Alaska where it was the barmaid's birthday
=============== Reply 29 of Note 25 =================
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/19
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 10:55 PM
The Ginger Tree, by Oswald Wynd. PBS production was good,
book is even better. I think she is was in China with her
husband (a real cold fish) - had a love affair with a
Japanese man, discovered, husband took child, she went to
Japan, had another child, lover took child. Japanese lover
not a gentleman by European standards, but behaved very
correctly by his own. I liked this book a lot - have never
found another book by Wynd, though. This book covers the
same time period as Makioka Sisters - would be an
interesting next read for those who haven't yet read it.
Theresa
=============== Reply 30 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/20
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 0:31 AM
That's the one!
Dick in Alaska, recall impaired
=============== Reply 31 of Note 25 =================
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/20
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 1:40 AM
I saw the Masterpiece Theatre production of THE GINGER
TREE, too. I remember it as very good, although I think the
Times gave it a terrible review. I'd like to try the book,
but how will I ever? My TBR list stretches into the new
millenium.
Ruth, in Calfornia where the propane tank at her mother's
cabin is behind the herb garden and the woodpile.
=============== Reply 32 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/20
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 6:14 PM
Theresa and Dick,
I loved both the Masterpiece Theater production and the
book. I saw it on TV first and then went right out and got
the book from the library. Great love story, but extremely
complicated by the cultural differences between this pair. I
think that the TV version was filmed for high definition
TV.Unfortunately, almost no one had high definition TV to
appreciate it. A few years back we saw sumo wrestlers filmed
in high definition TV --let me tell you, those mounds of fat
highlighted in such fine detail are really a sight to see.
Ruth, I recommend you move this book up a few notches on
your TBR list.
Ann
=============== Reply 33 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/20
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 11:11 PM
Ann,Theresa, Sir R., and Ruth and all other MAKIOKA readers,
I am on page 400, and I find it extremely interesting that,
although, Yukiko has led a very sheltered life, she is
allowed to travel by herself. Another startling passage was
about the death of the sisters' mother. Sachiko mentions in
passing how her father couldn't stay away from the geishas
and that he used to take her to the tea houses with him when
she was a little girl! There is such a contrast in the life
of these sisters and their father's debauchery. I am
learning a lot about the Japanese culture. (When my mother
married my father and went with him to Indiana, one of his
nieces asked her if she wasn't an old maid when they got
married. She was 26. So Japan is not so strange.) Jane
who helped Tom N. celebrate his 48th birthday yesterday.
=============== Reply 34 of Note 25 =================
To: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Date: 11/21
From: KEXT98A TONYA PRESLEY Time: 1:40 AM
Jane,
Tell Tom Happy Birthday from Texas!!!
Tonya, less than 100 pages into this book, in record
breaking heat today - about 85 degrees I think.
=============== Reply 35 of Note 25 =================
To: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Date: 11/21
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 6:16 PM
Jane,
Traditional geishas were carefully trained in the
traditional Japanese arts of music and dance. Some of them
saw some action on the side, but geisha is not synonymous
with prostitute and I think things were quite sedate at
those tea houses. So, while it was inappropriate for Mr.
Makioka to take Sachiko to the tea houses, it wasn't as bad
as you might think.
Ann
=============== Reply 36 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/21
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 9:28 PM
Ann,
Thanks for the information. There was something implied
there by Sachiko that her father was taking her along while
he was having a fling. She mentions that she knew that her
father loved her mother the best of all of the women. And
his love life didn't become a scandal until her mother was
gravely ill. Did you read the same thing into this passage?
Jane who is glad she is an American.
Tonya, Tom N. says, "Thanks for the birthday wishes!"
=============== Reply 37 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 11/22
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 11:16 AM
Yes, Jane, I see what you mean. I think you interpreted the
passage correctly. I just meant that I didn't think there
were overt sexual activities going on at the teahouses
themselves, although I could be wrong. After World War II,
many American servicemen thought "geisha" meant the same as
prostitute. The true geishas had to undergo years of
training in traditional singing and dancing. They generally
came from poor families and often had a male "protector",
but they didn't sleep with just anyone.
There were some professional geishas in Taeko's dance
classes, weren't there? They weren't exactly considered
respectable, but their artistic talents were recognized. On
the other hand, Okubata also hung out in the geisha quarters
and this was considered a very bad sign.
BTW, I was rather appalled that both Sachiko and Yukiko
thought it preferable for Taeko to marry the degenerate
Okubata than the photographer, Itakura. There seemed to be a
very strong emphasis on social class in the pre-War period.
The Makiokas were probably particularly sensitive to this
since their social position had already eroded so much
thanks to Mr. Makioka's failures.
Ann
=============== Reply 38 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/22
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 9:59 PM
Ann,
I guess I thought that the word "professional" in front of
geisha meant that the woman was a prostitute. I am sure
that can't be right or these women wouldn't have been
welcome at Sachiko's home. This matter of culture
differences is so fascinating to me, particularly because I
try to teach "French culture". Jane who has less than 100
pages to go.
=============== Reply 39 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/25
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 4:10 PM
Theresa: I still have a ways to go in THE MAKIOKA SISTERS
but am finding it to be, as somebody here has said,
"old-fashioned" in the best sense of the term--solid,
satisfying writing with a sense of much going on underneath
the literal surface.
My edition says the novel originally appeared in Japan
under the title SASAME YUKI. Does anyone know the literal
meaning (apparently a reference to Yukiko), or have any
ideas why it might have been changed?
Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 40 of Note 25 =================
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 11/25
From: EUCR61A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 5:40 PM
Dale: We're going to have to take off points here for
failure to pay attention in class -- Jane & Theresa (I think
it was Theresa; whoops, there go my points) posted on this a
while ago (10 days maybe?). Apparently the Japanese title
means something close to 'lightly falling snow', and in
Japanese there is a pun or play on words involved with
Yukiko's name. This subtlety was too much for English
translation, so they went with 'The Makioka Sisters', which
if not clever, is at least clear. This is the point on the
exam question where, to conceal my lack of further
information I scrawl "TIME!".
Dick in Alaska, out of it (time that is)
=============== Reply 41 of Note 25 =================
To: EUCR61A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/25
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 9:30 PM
I think it was Jane who gave us this info. Yukiko means
snow child. Sasameyuki means something along the lines of
lightly falling snow. This is the sort of thing we miss out
on with translations - not only plays on words, but plays on
cultural knowledge. A really good translator can compensate
for some of this, but not all.
Theresa
=============== Reply 42 of Note 25 =================
To: EUCR61A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/25
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 10:49 PM
Dick: Er, ah...I knew that. What I was doing, since this
former-title business is such a particularly illuminating
insight into THE MAKIOKA SISTERS, was feeding you a setup
line so that you could reiterate Jane's note for the benefit
of CRs who are paying less attention than they should be.
Yeah! That's the ticket...
Dale in Ala., whom time holds green and dying, but he
sings in his chains like whatever
=============== Reply 43 of Note 25 =================
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 11/25
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 11:39 PM
Dale: No need to feel bad; even with a crib sheet I only got
it half right.... At our age we should start saving our
memory capacity for important stuff, like where we parked
the car.
Dick in Alaska where your 70 degrees sounds downright
heavenly
=============== Reply 44 of Note 25 =================
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 11/26
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 2:00 PM
All, I finished MAKIOKAs just a couple of days ago, but
haven't had time to gather my thoughts. Now my mother's
going to be here and then there's the DEAD BIRD FESTIVAL...
It may be a few days before I can write anything coherent.
Suffice it to say, it was a long, leisurely old-fashioned
read, as some of you have noted. The kind of book I used to
live for, but seldom read any more, but that's more to do
with me, than with the book.
Ruth, on a glorious warm sunny day in beautiful southern
California
=============== Reply 45 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/26
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 9:25 PM
For those interested in the original Japanese title and the
word plays on "snow" backdate to 11-15-96 on this note and
you will find Tonya Presley's post on the subject.
Ann
=============== Reply 46 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/27
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 9:36 PM
Ann,
Thanks for setting everyone straight. I have been off the
board for a few days because I have been ill with
bronchitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis and every other itis you
might care to mention. I was going to jump in and say that
Tonya had posted about the meaning of the original title.
Jane who hasn't had the energy to get out of bed much less
to turn on the computer.
=============== Reply 47 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 11/27
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 9:49 PM
I had it half-wrong as well. Tonya deserved the credit. So
here you go Tonya - CREDIT. If this much gets lost in just
translating the title, makes you wonder what else we're
missing out on. And maybe the best books in translation are
not at all the best books in the original language.
Theresa
=============== Reply 48 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 11/29
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 7:02 PM
All,
The brief respite between the post-turkey collapse and the
pre-candycane frantics affords me a bit of time to reflect
upon my reaction to THE MAKIOKA SISTERS. This is the kind
of long, slow book that used to delight me. Now, I chafe at
the bit somewhat. I've pondered on why that is so, but
perhaps that's a subject for another thread.
However, I perservered along with the Makiokas to where the
book stopped. That's what I said, stopped. It just didn't
feel like an ending to me. And maybe that was the author's
intent. The four Makioka sisters will just go on and on,
turning on the spit of their petty, insular concerns,
condemned to endless repetition either by their personal
inclinations or society's expectations, probably by both.
I kept wanting to give these women a swift kick in their
kimonos. Is this all you can think about? The world is
teetering on the verge of devastation and you're worrying
about what people will think if you veer from tradition by
an angstrom? Egad. Yukiko. Talk about passive/aggressive.
And all of them, more impressed by a man's social standing
than whether he's a no-brain irresponsible jerk, or a clever
irresponsible jerk.
I just found this whole thing sad and I was never sure
whether the author meant to expose their empty lives or not.
What did you others think?
Ruth, in Redlands, where it's windy, clear and chilly
=============== Reply 49 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 11/29
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 9:09 PM
Hi Ruth. I'm still not certain what exactly captivates me
so about this book. I think, in some respects, the Makiokas
were living through the last years of a Jane Austen type of
remnants-of-feudalism society. Finding Mr.
Right-Social-Status probably was the ultimate life-defining
and life-determining task for the sisters, made more
difficult by the fact that they could not by any means
appear to be active participants in the search.
And I think there is a lot more going on than is immediately
apparent. Maybe because we are not very familiar with
Japanese culture. I don't know that I'm shocked at their
focus on "petty" concerns in the face of looming, earth-
shaking events. Most of the world lives this way. And I
think Tanizaki may have been trying to show that at least
some of this was wilfull ignorance - the Makioka's
(especially the second sister's husband) probably were aware
to some extent of the oncoming changes in their world. And
turned a blind eye, just as people the world over will do.
They also attempted to turn a blind-eye to their own changed
social status, even in the absence of societal changes.
The introduction to my translation describes this novel as
Tanizaki's return to appreciation of more traditional
Japanese culture (he had been impressed with Flaubert,
Wilde, and their ilk - the more flamboyant westerners).
And his affection for that world shines through, though as
with most novelists I admire he is able to look at his own
culture with a bit of the "outsiders" eye.
I guess what interested me (aside from the story itself) was
that the form was so similar to many European and American
novels I'd read, and yet described such a different culture
and mind-set - though still reminiscent of themes in Western
books (Turgenev and Austen in particular).
Theresa
=============== Reply 50 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 11/29
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 10:14 PM
Ruth and Theresa,
I understand very well the mind set of the Makioka women.
They feel that they have to get on with their lives in spite
of any crisis that is taking place in the outside world. I
think that most of us function that way. I remember that
when JFK was assassinated that we were all devastated but
none the less, my high school played its basketball game
that very night and we all gave JFK a moment of silence and
many tears. Life does go on. Things don't stand still for
world crises. Do you suppose that Americans cancelled
weddings during the Gulf War? I think not. We all take
some sort of solace in life going on as if normal. I
remember reading somewhere that most people can't handle a
crisis situation for more than three days and then they try
to go back to their normal lives. Jane who understands very
well the Makioka's.
=============== Reply 51 of Note 25 =================
To: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Date: 11/30
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 0:10 AM
I didn't mean that life should stand still, Jane. I just
mean they seemed to pay no attention at all, didn't even
think about it.
And Theresa, brilliant comparison with Austen. I guess I
was just flummoxed that an Austen-world was existing in the
middle of the 20th century.
Ruth, who'll be thinking about this book for some time.
=============== Reply 52 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 11/30
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 11:47 AM
Ruth, Theresa and Jane,
Theresa, I liked the analogy to Austen. While not social
comedy, this book certainly reminded me of the restricted
female social life and insular concerns so typical of
Austen's novels. Even though the Napoleonic Wars were going
on during the period that Austen wrote about, one would
never guess it from her novels. And Ruth, I also found it
quite jarring that there was so little treatment of the
horrible political and military events going on in Japan and
China during the late 1930's, but remember that Tanazaki
started this book during the war. Any honest approach to
these problems may have been impossible at the time.
The words "passive aggressive" also came to my mind when I
read about Yukiko. An American psychologist would have a
heyday analyzing such behavior. However, frustrated as her
family sometimes became with her subtle sabotage of all the
wedding negotiations, they always considered her "normal."
The westernized Taeko was the character who violated their
sense of social and psychological norms. Open confrontation
is severely frowned upon in Japanese culture, while it is
often considered healthy in our own. I guess I liked this
book because it forced me to look at life from such a
different cultural perspective. And Tanazaki did have the
ability to plop me right down in the middle of another
world, something I value very highly in an author.
Theresa, I'm pretty sure I'm getting SOME PREFER NETTLES for
my Christmas. (It's high up on my list). I'll check back
with you after I read it.
Ann, who is currently immersed in the Stalinist purges of
the 1930's thanks to Vassily Aksyonov's GENERATIONS OF
WINTER. This particular world is a very painful one to
participate in, even vicariously.
=============== Reply 53 of Note 25 =================
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 12/01
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 0:06 AM
I was fascinated by THE MAKIOKI SISTERS. At first I had to
gear down to appreciate the detail, but after I acclimated,
I really enjoyed it. What fascinated me most was the
juxtaposition of old world customs and almost jarring modern
ideas. Individuals in this climate must have felt like
their world was dissolving or splitting apart. There didn't
seem to be much middle ground to rest on. Can you imagine
how perplexing i=============== Note 25 ==
go out to foreign restaurants, have telephones and cabs at
your disposal, be able to take language courses and courses
in the arts outside of the home, but simultaneously be
constricted in your choice of husband by such a primitive
throw-of-the-dice method? (Of course the families were
investigated rigorously. I couldn't help but think that
private investigators must have made a very good living).
Some elements of daily life were ruled by ancient rules,
some by more modern rules. The earthquakes and floods
almost seem to be a symbol of this phenomenon. Look how the
family used the telephone. Always on guard that someone
would listen in (a maid most likely or the child), setting
rules where the phone would be used. And of course the phone
and its use was the turning point in one of the marriage
proposals. Yukkiko would not talk on the phone, and that
fact was a telling point in her personality and the point
where the suitor learned her true nature (or thought he
did). It most likely was a way in which she could practice
her passive/aggressiveness. Was anyone else amazed at all
those vitamin B shots? And can anyone figure out why the
dark spot on Yukkiko's face would subside once she was
married (something to do with hormones of pregnancy
perhaps?) At the beginning of the book I really admired
Taeko, but towards the end I found her actions puzzling.
Can anyone figure out her relationship with Kei-boy? His
being such a big part of her life seemed to be a result of
her not quite knowing how to be a modern woman. Even within
her modernity there were nuggets of the old ways. I felt
the sorriest for her in a way. Her dreams were the most
compromised by circumstances. And she was blamed for so
much.
I agree with Ruth that the book seemed to abruptly stop. I
wonder if the translation contributed to that feeling at
all. I appreciate books that transport me to another time
and place and make me learn something. Thanks, Theresa, for
nominating it.
Sherry
=============== Reply 54 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 12/01
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 2:17 PM
Sherry,
Yes, what was with all those B shots? And the author's
constant fascination with his character's minor illnesses
and bodily functions? Perhaps to show how the Makiokas were
constantly turned inward? I could have done without the
bedpan descriptions.
Thanks for pushing a book I would never have picked up on my
own, Theresa. Just because the Makioka women gave me the
woobies, doesn't mean I didn't find the book worthwhile.
Ruth, ready for Ann Sexton
=============== Reply 55 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 12/01
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 2:43 PM
Ruth: I think that craze for injections of vitamin B came
from the Europe of the 20's and 30's. B vitamins, goat
glands, you name it -- they'd pump it into you. An early
version of better living through chemistry, and in the
context of the story, a minor western influence motif,
weaving its way into the traditional Japanese society.
Dick in Alaska where it's COLD this morning
=============== Reply 56 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 12/01
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 3:41 PM
Sherry & All: I'm well into the Makiokas and finding the
novel very interesting, but wanted to pose a technical
question that occurs to me.
I'm impressed by the sweep and scope of Tanizaki's story,
but in order to pull this off he had to use, not
surprisingly, the omniscient point of view. One minute we're
into the investigator's thoughts, the next minute the
mother's, the sisters', this city, then that city. Not at
all easy to do and he certainly covers a lot of ground, but
it seems to me the down side is that we never feel quite the
dramatic tension for a particular character that we would if
it were told through a third-person limited viewpoint.
I can't think offhand of a novel of this scope that's
written in third-person, though. Could the two things be
mutually exclusive? I seem to remember GONE WITH THE WIND,
WAR AND PEACE, TOM JONES, etc., etc., all use the ol'
omniscient. Michael Shaara's THE KILLER ANGELS is told
through the viewpoints of individual generals, but it covers
just a few days in time, at one location, Gettysburg, and
presumably a reader knows enough basic facts about the time
period to set the stage, which most of us do not about
pre-war Japan.
Does anybody else feel this way about THE MAKIOKA SISTERS?
Dale in Ala., who grooves on the minutiae of their
illnesses and would like to have a cup of tea with the
severe bronchitis sufferer and compare notes
=============== Reply 57 of Note 25 =================
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 12/01
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 4:13 PM
Ruth - that's Tanizaki for you. Shots. Bedpans. Bodily
functions. Really, this fascination is toned down a bit in
Makioka Sisters.
Theresa
=============== Reply 58 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 12/01
From: BUYS59A BARBARA HILL Time: 7:16 PM
I thought it curious that in choosing a husband for Yukiko
if a man could drink a lot and hold his liquor it was a plus
B. Hill
=============== Reply 59 of Note 25 =================
To: BUYS59A BARBARA HILL Date: 12/01
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 7:30 PM
I think that still is a plus in Japan, Barbara. It's
important for businessmen to get together after work and
drink a lot. I met an anthro grad student from Japan a few
years ago who insisted Japanese had a different genetic
reaction to alcohol than Europeans - quickly get flushed
faces and a little giddy, but very rare to get a hang-over.
I think a lot of the so-called physical reaction to alcohol
is culture-based, though. Don't know if this guy had
actually found the genetic marker to support his claim. He
also adored those wild French poets - Rimbaud, Baudelaire,
etc. An interesting guy. Who could hold his alcohol. And
do a very good recitation of "Invitation au Voyage" while
in his cups.
Theresa
=============== Reply 60 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 12/01
From: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Time: 11:23 PM
Sherry, Dale, Ruth, and Theresa,
The omniscient viewpoint didn't bother me at all. What
bothered me was reading the thoughts of the various sisters
that they were unwilling or unable to express to each other.
Perhaps this is also a cultural thing. The sisters seemed
pretty adept at holding their liquor as well. I don't
remember any of them dancing on the table after an evening
of drinking. Jane who hasn't run for eight days and who
misses it.
=============== Reply 61 of Note 25 =================
To: FAVB99B JANE NIEMEIER Date: 12/02
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 0:13 AM
Now that you mention liquor, Jane, isn't curious that being
a "good drinker", i.e., one who drinks a lot, was considered
a positive thing in a prospective husband.
Ruth, who when you said you hadn't run for 5 days, at first
thought you meant, hadn't run in the manner a clock doesn't
run../
=============== Reply 62 of Note 25 =================
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 12/02
From: NMTT86A JAMES HEATH Time: 8:30 AM
Dale: Novels of this scope in the third person? Hmm. Would
WUTHERING HEIGHTS qualify or LORD JIM?
--Peasant Jim in Oregon
=============== Reply 64 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 12/02
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 7:50 PM
Sherry,
I wondered about Taeko's relationship with Okubata too. The
evidence at the end seemed to point to the fact that she
started out loving him, but ended up using him.
A sequel to this book would be interesting, don't you
think? Yukiko's marriage to the playboy who had never really
held down a job and was a little too fond of his liquor
sounded like a nightmare in the making. Taeko's bartender
seemed to be a much better sort, but I doubt if she could
ever get over the fall in social class and alienation from
her sisters.
I really was curious about that spot too. Ruth, isn't your
husband a retired gynocologist? Has he ever heard of such a
thing? It certainly played a symbolic role, but I wonder if
such things really exist.
Ann
=============== Reply 65 of Note 25 =================
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 12/02
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 7:54 PM
Theresa,
I think the grad student was right. Many Japanese do get
very red when they drink. When I was there in the 70's, some
of the men would get absolutely blasted and no one seemed to
think much of it, but they never, ever drove when they were
drinking. They either relied on public transportation or had
a designated driver.
I think the sisters wanted someone who drank so that they
could indulge occasionally themselves. I was considered some
something of an oddity because I drank. Of course, times
change. Ann
=============== Reply 66 of Note 25 =================
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 12/02
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 7:56 PM
Dale,
I was interested in your comments regarding the point of
view of the author. To me it seemed that the other sisters'
behavior was almost always seen from Sachiko's perspective.
There were a couple of exceptions that come to mind. During
the flood, we got some idea of what Taeko was thinking, and
once, after the meeting that involved the firefly hunt,
Tanazaki briefly let us inside Yukio's head. Most of the
time, however, Sachiko conjectures what is going on with
the other sisters. Yukiko's and Taeko's motivations were
often something of a mystery to me, but I always knew where
Sachiko was coming from. Ann
=============== Reply 67 of Note 25 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 12/02
From: EUCR61A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 8:05 PM
All: One thing that interested me (naturally) in this book
was the reference to 'The Alaska Restuarant' on the 10th
floor of the Asahi Bldg. in Osaka. Don't suppose any of you
nipponofiles out there know anything about this? Like, is
there still an 'Alaska' restuarant in Osaka? How did it get
it's name? Is there still an Asahi Bldg? (or at least, did
the old building survive?)
Dick in Alaska, ever the hometown boy
|
I really like reading about this pre-war Japanese
culture. Although I can identify with these sisters on a
very human level, I also find the differences in cultural
norms fascinating.
Ann
This matter of culture
differences is so fascinating to me, particularly because I
try to teach "French culture".
Jane
[I find] it to be, as somebody here has said, "old-fashioned" in the best sense of the term--solid, satisfying writing with a sense of much going on underneath the literal surface.
Dale
|
