Caterina.net: Mishogyny

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{ Sunday, April 11, 2004 }

Mishogyny

I can't sleep on planes so I read. I finished Forbidden Colors by Mishima. Some notes: Too long by a third. Interesting look into 1950s Japanese gay culture. Fascinating description of a gay man's transition from Subject to Object, from Gazing Upon to Gazed At.

Some other issues too. You know how sometimes an author loses control of the story's "voice", the narrative tone? That was happening here. The misogynistic passages were so vehement, so passionate, they no longer seemed to be the voice of the character but the voice of the author, they appeared to be trying to persuade.

The characters in the story were loathsome, sure. That is not generally a problem for me. I found American Psycho to be a horrifying but accurate depiction of a psycho killer. The character was certainly a misogynist. But the book did not appear to me to be misogynistic. I felt that the misogyny in Forbidden Colors was not a depiction of misogyny, it was misogyny. The last book I read that I felt was itself misogynistic was Arabian Nights and Days by Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz. And the only other book of Mishima's that I read, Temple of the Golden Dawn, had some nasty depictions of women, but they were minor, incidental characters. That Mishima himself had a lot of unresolved issues is understating the case.

I also read Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, which I found to have the heavy-handed high school English Lit "significance" of John Steinbeck, Lord of the Flies or Heart of Darkness. It was good but had no grace. Might have been the translation of course. Next on my Japanese bookshelf: The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki.

But first I must get over the jet lag.

LINK | 9:27 PM | TB

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{ COMMENTS }

And despite all that jet lag you manage to read all that?
You amaze me.

Also, I am getting the Murakami book. Because of its significance w/o grace.

Camilo | April 12, 2004 7:38 AM

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have you guys read any other murakami? he's one of my favorite writers. I'd recommend "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" if you haven't read it. And also "A Wild Sheep Chase", too.

telemarkskier | April 12, 2004 1:12 PM

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Add my vote to Murakami's "Wind Up Bird Chronicle". It has grace, not sure about significance. The pace reminds me of '70s movies, which when you watch them today, seem to have these long moments of stillness that you rarely see in modern movies anymore.

Martin | April 13, 2004 7:30 AM

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I just finished Norwegian Wood, which is a bit adolescent and sentimental at times, but still entertaining. Solid writing and memorable, if cartoonish characters. Maybe it was the frequent sex scenes that kept me reading.

tim | April 13, 2004 11:17 AM

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If you're in the mood for more Mishima, the February issue of The Believer has an interesting piece.

http://www.believermag.com/issues/february_2004/index.htm

* Unfortunately, you'll have to find a physical copy. Believer's site just pimps the rag.

Todd Dominey | April 14, 2004 7:09 AM

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A couple more for you: Tanizaki's "Some Prefer Nettles" which is beautiful whilst not managing to get anywhere at all, and "Coin Locker Babies" by Ryu Murakami (that last has a wonderfully loan-worded Japanese title, something like "Coinu Rocku Bebiz").

Chris | April 19, 2004 2:03 AM

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I love Murakami, but I have to say that (for me) Sputnik Sweetheart is not one of his best books. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle tops my list, followed in no particular order by Hard Boiled Wonderland and Norweigian Wood.

Banana Yoshimoto is another modern Japanese author worth checking out. Her latest book, Argentine Hag, is a thing of beauty.

Mira | April 19, 2004 11:46 PM

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