Emma > Recent Status Updates

I think I still haven’t quite grasped the meaning of the word ‘ontological’ which is becoming a little problematic because it keeps appearing about every two pages.

Otherwise I’m rather proud of myself for not needing a dictionary yet.

I was actually quite enjoying the story til this point. I’ve been loving the magic realism and even if the characters have often felt 2D, they’ve still been interesting. And yet, the 15-yo’s Oedipus complex has now well and truly kicked in and it is not a fun time.

28 pages in and the underage male protagonist has already sexualised the other female character and had a boner. This is actually very on theme for Murakami 😑😑

This is one of those books I’ve felt obligated to read rather than for leisure. So I decided to read it in French, then at least I would be expanding my vocabulary. However, thus far, I have only picked up the French words for:

- Executioner
- Scaffold
- Pillory
- Larceny

(The last two I didn’t know in English either so that’s just an extra bonus).

It can only go uphill from here :)

This is one of those books I’ve felt obligated to read rather than for leisure. So I decided to read it in French, then at least I would be expanding my vocabulary. However, thus far, I have only picked up the French words for:

- Executioner
- Scaffold
- Pillory
- Larceny

(The last two I didn’t know in English either so that’s just an extra bonus).

It can only go uphill from here :)

god damn I’m already getting teary

Can we stop inventing new words pls.

I have left myself only five days to read an entire book for class in a language in which I’m not fluent and about a political system I don’t understand.

This is fine.

Putting this down while I go on exchange and hopefully will return to it next year but this is pretty dense reading.

Would've appreciated the various definitions for "ontology" to have been explained about 92 pages earlier but at least I now know vaguely what I'm reading.

I think I still haven’t quite grasped the meaning of the word ‘ontological’ which is becoming a little problematic because it keeps appearing about every two pages.

Otherwise I’m rather proud of myself for not needing a dictionary yet.

‪Merry talks of “modern facts” & my brain decides now to ask, “but what even is a ‘fact’?” & all I can think about is E.H. Carr talking about “fishing for facts” & now my brain is unhelpfully making “bob bob bob” thought-noise. I’m also thinking of academic areas where postmodernism isn’t a thing, no one has given me a definition of “fact” & this was not the existential dilemma I expected when I started this book. ‬

As much as I am enjoying the poetry and the accompanying introductions, the romanisation style (I think it’s Wade-Giles) is driving me crazy. I thought pinyin would be fairly accessible?

I’m meant to be saving this book for my flight tomorrow but this is so achingly well written and structured ahhhh

How am I only this far through?? This is one super dense book. The information is interesting but there's just so much of it!

To quote the poem 'Doug Work': "I'm one of about three people in the world / Who understand his book." Amen to that kid. I don't think you're intentionally being meta but I think you're getting this more than me.

Thus far: I can't deal with weird poetry. I'm too dumb for this stuff. Help.