The Murakami Technique

This book is so rich in intertextuality, that it simply blows my mind. I can just imagine how calculated each aspect of this tale must have been. It has been difficult to peel my thinking away from traditional ways of viewing literature, not to mention that dang plot diagram. It's comforting to know that things don't really need to make sense to make sense. This is such a revelatory idea for me. It reminds me of my feelings towards math. Math is a constant and has a set way of doing it, and it makes sense (although I may not always get it)...but the thing that I most hate about math is the thing that I also most appreciate about it. I feel the same about this book. It hurls you into a realm of uncertainties, and miscalculated conclusions, which frustrate me, yet one can't help but feel a certain amount of comfort at the aspect of an unbound and uncertain, yet certainly free, future. This is what keeps me turning the pages.

Peace

A Wild Sheep Chase..?

I have discovered that I am an avid fan of the "hard boiled" detective phenomenon. I cannot help but think of this type of narrative as having a vague relationship with the "stream of consciousness" style found in the works of author's such as Virginia Wolfe. It reads as if the reader is inside of the narrator's head, nonsensical comments and all. Although we are reading "Non-Western" literature, I must admit that I am a little bit disappointed at the seemingly common hybridity with Western-culture that arises in these works. I agree with Jim when he said in class that as he was reading, he couldn't even tell that the story was set in Japan. As I look at the picture of the author on the back of the book, I find myself having trouble linking the face to the writing style. So what does this say about generalizing? For some reason, my brain seems to want everything to fit in it's own place. I am a prisoner of my socialization, education, and over-analyzation. This story challenges that part of me. I'm up for it.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Rushdie

I found myself completely entertained while reading this book. Rushdie does a wonderful job of making the whimsical seem plausibly realistic. I felt as though I was supposed to be noticing some overall theme as I was reading, so I truly appreciated our class discussion today. I noticed that the Hybridization that he uses in the story came across is several ways. The one that stuck out the most for me was the way the he mixed things that don't logically/typically mix. For instance, the way that he made the fish speak, the gardern into a gardener, and birds mechanical. I also appreciated the realistic aspects that he added, such as the very relatable and difficult situation that Haroun and his father found themselves in upon the absence of Haroun's mother. I did find it a little unrealistic that she should just come back and everything returns back to it's normal happy state. But then again, maybe this was the Walrus at work and the authenticity of it doesn't really matter anyway since the emotion produced is more valuable then whether or not this is a genuine perchance happening or not. After all, it is magical realism...