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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This is among my favourite works in aesthetics. It articulates a vision of beauty, which is growing rare. It captures a shift in material culture, and reflects upon what is lost with a move towards modern lighting. The work may be criticised for its treatment of women, which makes for difficult reading at times. Yet, there remains a case for the appreciation of shadows.
reflective
medium-paced
Fluid insight into more than just architecture or aesthetics but into the philosophy of perception and visual perspective. Second book on Japan this year... growing more fascinated by the minute.
fast-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
funny
reflective
more than anything else abt this book, i appreciated that tanizaki’s ruminations sparked my own whether in opposition or somewhat begrudging, footnoted agreement. a lot of times it felt like an exercise in self-orientalization & also calcification of a culture (which most of us are guilty of doing, to be fair). i sympathized with his wishful, “if only” thinking regarding how certain technologies that came out of the west might have suited japanese life & aesthetics better if only they’d been invented in japan or china (even if similar thoughts i’ve had were ones i had more than a decade ago & not ones i find particularly productive, worthwhile, or interesting today). his tangent on women & their presentation as another argument in support of japanese cultural value of shadows & darkness felt like it came a bit out of left field & seemed to speak more to standard misogyny (& maybe more culturally japanese misogyny) than anything else. some lines made me laugh out loud sometimes from sheer absurdity & disagreement; other times, bc he sounded like a parody of himself but i could still relate on some level to his thoughts on aesthetics, etc.
Interesante hallazgo
No había leído nada de literatura japonesa y por “casualidad “ me encontré con este libro y autor. Me atrajo de inmediato su capacidad narrativa y el relato sobre la cultura de su país en función de la luz y las sombras. Recomendable!
No había leído nada de literatura japonesa y por “casualidad “ me encontré con este libro y autor. Me atrajo de inmediato su capacidad narrativa y el relato sobre la cultura de su país en función de la luz y las sombras. Recomendable!