Chris Baterna’s Reviews > Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories > Status Update
Chris Baterna
is on page 42 of 268
Very helpful and comprehensive introduction and notes by Murakami and Rubin.
Using these short stories to break up larger novels - and so far they are the most fascinating insights. 藪の中 (In a Bamboo Grove) and 羅生門(Rashomon) are my favorites so far: they open up a whole world of moral and ethical discourse
— May 22, 2023 10:38PM
Using these short stories to break up larger novels - and so far they are the most fascinating insights. 藪の中 (In a Bamboo Grove) and 羅生門(Rashomon) are my favorites so far: they open up a whole world of moral and ethical discourse
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Chris’s Previous Updates
Chris Baterna
is on page 206 of 268
或阿呆の一生 (The Life of a Stupid Man)
This is the most haunting piece of writing I've ever read and I am so not ready to read the final story. Akutagawa's sensitive immersion and poetry in each section is insanely exposing; I think most people would say they 'know' him personally with this.
— Dec 30, 2023 08:56PM
This is the most haunting piece of writing I've ever read and I am so not ready to read the final story. Akutagawa's sensitive immersion and poetry in each section is insanely exposing; I think most people would say they 'know' him personally with this.
Chris Baterna
is on page 186 of 268
点鬼簿 (Death Register)
Although it's not a fictional work, this one is just a lyrical and heartbreaking as the others. Really feeling the pull towards death now, and it's hurting.
— Dec 30, 2023 03:11AM
Although it's not a fictional work, this one is just a lyrical and heartbreaking as the others. Really feeling the pull towards death now, and it's hurting.
Chris Baterna
is on page 180 of 268
子供の病気 (The Baby's Sickness)
in support of his writing concerns from 文章、 Akutagawa's recollection of this anxiety-filled event is a lot more striking than some of his works intended to be literary. Here, his superstitions - and meta-superstitions, are so honestly layed out as a father's guilt and anxieties
— Dec 27, 2023 12:09AM
in support of his writing concerns from 文章、 Akutagawa's recollection of this anxiety-filled event is a lot more striking than some of his works intended to be literary. Here, his superstitions - and meta-superstitions, are so honestly layed out as a father's guilt and anxieties
Chris Baterna
is on page 172 of 268
文章 (The Writer's Craft)
sometimes writing and its worldly conditions do really prohibit a writer like that.
— Dec 26, 2023 11:41PM
sometimes writing and its worldly conditions do really prohibit a writer like that.
Chris Baterna
is on page 162 of 268
大道寺信輔の半生 (Daidouji Shinsuke: The Early Years) - I’m in tears… this is definitely in my top 5 Akutagawa stories so far. The traces of his own identity are so heartwarming but tragic as Rubin puts it in the notes: “Had he lived longer, Akutagawa might have come to realize that he was far from alone.”
— Dec 10, 2023 10:49PM
Chris Baterna
is on page 147 of 268
馬の足(Horse Legs) - I, too, would like to gallop away from my responsibilities. Akutagawa is so real for this one
— Nov 26, 2023 12:50AM
Chris Baterna
is on page 130 of 268
ネギ(Green Onions) - Akutagawa’s tone in this is hilarious but makes me so curious as to what his critics were saying for him to write with such spite and energy. A wildly different pace to his other short stories, but retains the classic Akutagawa irony and clever charm
— Oct 13, 2023 06:14PM
Chris Baterna
is on page 121 of 268
首が落ちた話 (Story of a Head that Fell Off) - not his best, but still made me sit and stare at a wall in thought about life and universality for like 2 hours.
— Aug 17, 2023 04:47AM
Chris Baterna
is on page 112 of 268
忠義 (Devotion) - I wonder how much of the symptoms into madness were reflective/didactic of Akutagawa’s own life…
Also, I really appreciate the kanji nuance. 忠 for loyalty, and 義 for righteousness/morality. There’s always a divide since the very start of the story.
— Jul 29, 2023 03:43PM
Also, I really appreciate the kanji nuance. 忠 for loyalty, and 義 for righteousness/morality. There’s always a divide since the very start of the story.
Chris Baterna
is on page 90 of 268
おぎん(O-gin)
Honestly felt this one HARD with the “I’d go to hell if that’s where my loved ones are” agenda…Really interesting questions on the nature of religion and its interpretation.
— Jul 04, 2023 06:53AM
Honestly felt this one HARD with the “I’d go to hell if that’s where my loved ones are” agenda…Really interesting questions on the nature of religion and its interpretation.
