Scan barcode
kate66's review against another edition
5.0
I've been meaning to read Rashomon for a while now. I tend to read more modern Japanese literature but there's still that niggly list of "the classics" to be read as there is with every country.
What makes a classic? I've no clue but if they're all as wonderful as Rashomon I'm not sure I care.
The title story is that of a samurai murdered by a man who takes a fancy to the wife. It is told as witness accounts but all the accounts vary so that their version makes them out to be the most injured party. In the end you believe nobody - not even the corpse speaking through a medium.
The other stories are almost cautionary tales - Yam Gruel is the story of a pathetic samurai who loves yam gruel but makes the mistake of telling a powerful comrade that he can never get enough of the stuff. Definitely be careful what you wish for.
The Martyr is parable-like telling the story of Lorenzo who is saint-like and honest but is destined to be martyred by his religious cohorts.
Kesa and Morito is the tale of a doomed and depraved love affair. And finally The Dragon is a tale of a joke turned prophecy (just maybe).
All these stories were perfect. I am assuming it's the translation that gives them such a modern feel but either way, they were engaging, interesting and despite the obvious cultural references were pretty universal stories.
Loved it. Tale of Genji is next.
What makes a classic? I've no clue but if they're all as wonderful as Rashomon I'm not sure I care.
The title story is that of a samurai murdered by a man who takes a fancy to the wife. It is told as witness accounts but all the accounts vary so that their version makes them out to be the most injured party. In the end you believe nobody - not even the corpse speaking through a medium.
The other stories are almost cautionary tales - Yam Gruel is the story of a pathetic samurai who loves yam gruel but makes the mistake of telling a powerful comrade that he can never get enough of the stuff. Definitely be careful what you wish for.
The Martyr is parable-like telling the story of Lorenzo who is saint-like and honest but is destined to be martyred by his religious cohorts.
Kesa and Morito is the tale of a doomed and depraved love affair. And finally The Dragon is a tale of a joke turned prophecy (just maybe).
All these stories were perfect. I am assuming it's the translation that gives them such a modern feel but either way, they were engaging, interesting and despite the obvious cultural references were pretty universal stories.
Loved it. Tale of Genji is next.
angella1227's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lovely short stories, some are 5 star, some less. I really like seeing the world through Akutagawa's eyes in these stories. I absolutely recommend!
hespio's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Je to dobrý ale tolik mě to nenadchlo. Nejoblíbenější povídky jsou asi Nos, V houštině a Kapesník.
palomasstefani's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
cryo_guy's review against another edition
4.0
So I read this because Kurosawa's Rashomon is one of my favorite movies (and I found it by chance at a used bookstore woo). These short stories were pretty excellently crafted, and the volume itself is a very short read. The main value of this to me is that now I know where Rashomon the movie draws inspiration. And boy it really expands on themes that are very sparely put out in these short stories. I can't fault them for that of course, being as short as they are. The movie draws its plot from "In a Grove" which explores the ideas of differing, yet contradictory accounts of the same event. It takes part of its setting from "Rashomon" which is used in a much different way in the short story of the same name.
Anyway, the other stories were pretty neat too, also characterized by a sparse style but emphatically subtle. Lots of psychological exploration packed in very tight moments. And then others focus more on a folk tale theme. One is based on a story from a famous collection of 13th century folktales, another is based on a fable based on real events in a Japanese Christian community in Nagasaki. The others also more or less exhibit a fabulistic style without explicitly being based on traditional fables. Aside from the ones informing my understanding of the movie, I liked "The Dragon" the best because it had that real folktale feel to it. Made me want to watch the anime Mushi-shi.
The other thing here is that apparently Akutagawa is pretty famous. He's a big figure in Japanese lit and there are Japanese literary movements he's writing against and stuff...I'm not gonna get into all that because I simply don't know that much about it. But I can read a wikipedia page!
I would recommend this to...people who like Japanese lit or are interested in Kurosawa's Rashomon. It did remind me of another Japanese author Yasushi Inoue (mins folktale), although he wrote "The Hunting Gun" about 30 years later.
Anyway, the other stories were pretty neat too, also characterized by a sparse style but emphatically subtle. Lots of psychological exploration packed in very tight moments. And then others focus more on a folk tale theme. One is based on a story from a famous collection of 13th century folktales, another is based on a fable based on real events in a Japanese Christian community in Nagasaki. The others also more or less exhibit a fabulistic style without explicitly being based on traditional fables. Aside from the ones informing my understanding of the movie, I liked "The Dragon" the best because it had that real folktale feel to it. Made me want to watch the anime Mushi-shi.
The other thing here is that apparently Akutagawa is pretty famous. He's a big figure in Japanese lit and there are Japanese literary movements he's writing against and stuff...I'm not gonna get into all that because I simply don't know that much about it. But I can read a wikipedia page!
I would recommend this to...people who like Japanese lit or are interested in Kurosawa's Rashomon. It did remind me of another Japanese author Yasushi Inoue (mins folktale), although he wrote "The Hunting Gun" about 30 years later.
zahrowl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5