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Kokoro and Selected Essays
English (translation)
Original Japanese
Original Japanese
- GenresJapanJapanese Literature
325 pages, Hardcover
Published February 26, 1992
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About the author
Natsume Sōseki
890 books3,259 followersNatsume Sōseki (夏目 漱石), born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助), was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note. In Japan, he is often considered the greatest writer in modern Japanese history. He has had a profound effect on almost all important Japanese writers since.
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September 1, 2017"Kokoro and Selected Essays" or why Natsume Soseki is brilliant.
-Kokoro-
In short "Kokoro" is a simple story and an absolutely crushing novel. An unnamed narrator/ student in university in Tokyo tells the story of an older man he calls Sensei who he begins to take after. The novel is in three acts; two acts from the narrator's perspective and one from Sensei's perspective. The actual sections are each divided into these little bite-sized chunks and go no more than two and half pages without having a break in the text. The two narrators speak of memories for the entirety of the novel making the bite sized chunks of text work exceptionally well. The chinks feel like how one remembers important events.
"Kokoro" is written in what I'd call an extremely plain and matter of fact sort of style. EXAMPLE, the opening three sentences:
"I always called him 'Sensei.' I shall therefore refer to him simply as 'Sensei,' and not by is real name. It is not because I consider it more discreet, but it is because I find it more natural that I do so."
The student narrator and Sensei are both vague about details. For example, Sensei and the student both tell the reader they studied things in college but the reader will never know what they studied nor will the reader be told the title of any books either of the two read. The details, the reader are told will stand out all the more because of this vagueness.
- The Essays or It's not Okay to Call them Essays because They're lectures-
Jay Rubin does a brilliant job giving an intro to these two speeches or essays as the book calls. For the first: "The Civilization of Modern-day Japan," the newspaper Soseki was the staff novelist on (the Asahi Shinbun) sent their editors on a speaking tour (much to Soseki's chagrin). "My Individualism" arrives from a lecture he gave to an all boys school which he says he cobbled together the morning of.
-The Civilization of Modern-day Japan-
...Is hilarious, well articulated, and relevant to today. A quick aside, you cannot find this lecture (nor the other one) online anywhere (at least in English). You might find a quick reference to it in a larger article about Soseki or Meiji period society but as for finding the full speech you have to stick to this book. And that's a real shame, Soseki's lectures deserve wider readership and wider critical study. Anyway....
"With the weather as hot as it is, I imagine the last thing anyone would want to do is pack into a hall and listen to a bunch of lectures" is how Soseki opens up his speech. He sprinkles in jokes and chides the audience for cramming themselves in to hear him speak. He tells the audience he asked the previous speaker to extend his talk because he was worried about filling time.
On defining Civilization:
"As much as I admire the skill and intelligence of scholars who can summarize complex characteristics with the utmost simplicity, I also find that I often deplore their stupidity when I see the definitions they come up with. It's as if they've sucked the life out of a thing and set it in a coffin, stiff with rigor mortis."
Some explored topics: the invention of free time and how free time effected the West's development versus the East's development. External versus Internal motivations for nations. Group consciousness. The rules of socialization. Progress's effect on peace of mind.
Soseki takes on the tone of the cat from his "I am a Cat." The resemblance between Soseki and his feline narrator is striking and would absolutely make for a great lens literary analysis for that novel or for this lecture.
-My Individualism-
This one is a bit harder to read as a non Japanese person. A few sexist comments also pockmark this speech making me wonder if he's not just playing to his audience in a sense (both Mr. Sneaze's and Sensei's wife are written brilliantly and both "I am a Cat" and "Kokoro" make a point of husbands unfair attitude's towards their wives). Nevertheless, the lecture still provides numerous bits of witticisms and ideas worth reading and discussing. Soseki isn't (and I'm not sure he ever will be) dated.
-Kokoro-
In short "Kokoro" is a simple story and an absolutely crushing novel. An unnamed narrator/ student in university in Tokyo tells the story of an older man he calls Sensei who he begins to take after. The novel is in three acts; two acts from the narrator's perspective and one from Sensei's perspective. The actual sections are each divided into these little bite-sized chunks and go no more than two and half pages without having a break in the text. The two narrators speak of memories for the entirety of the novel making the bite sized chunks of text work exceptionally well. The chinks feel like how one remembers important events.
"Kokoro" is written in what I'd call an extremely plain and matter of fact sort of style. EXAMPLE, the opening three sentences:
"I always called him 'Sensei.' I shall therefore refer to him simply as 'Sensei,' and not by is real name. It is not because I consider it more discreet, but it is because I find it more natural that I do so."
The student narrator and Sensei are both vague about details. For example, Sensei and the student both tell the reader they studied things in college but the reader will never know what they studied nor will the reader be told the title of any books either of the two read. The details, the reader are told will stand out all the more because of this vagueness.
- The Essays or It's not Okay to Call them Essays because They're lectures-
Jay Rubin does a brilliant job giving an intro to these two speeches or essays as the book calls. For the first: "The Civilization of Modern-day Japan," the newspaper Soseki was the staff novelist on (the Asahi Shinbun) sent their editors on a speaking tour (much to Soseki's chagrin). "My Individualism" arrives from a lecture he gave to an all boys school which he says he cobbled together the morning of.
-The Civilization of Modern-day Japan-
...Is hilarious, well articulated, and relevant to today. A quick aside, you cannot find this lecture (nor the other one) online anywhere (at least in English). You might find a quick reference to it in a larger article about Soseki or Meiji period society but as for finding the full speech you have to stick to this book. And that's a real shame, Soseki's lectures deserve wider readership and wider critical study. Anyway....
"With the weather as hot as it is, I imagine the last thing anyone would want to do is pack into a hall and listen to a bunch of lectures" is how Soseki opens up his speech. He sprinkles in jokes and chides the audience for cramming themselves in to hear him speak. He tells the audience he asked the previous speaker to extend his talk because he was worried about filling time.
On defining Civilization:
"As much as I admire the skill and intelligence of scholars who can summarize complex characteristics with the utmost simplicity, I also find that I often deplore their stupidity when I see the definitions they come up with. It's as if they've sucked the life out of a thing and set it in a coffin, stiff with rigor mortis."
Some explored topics: the invention of free time and how free time effected the West's development versus the East's development. External versus Internal motivations for nations. Group consciousness. The rules of socialization. Progress's effect on peace of mind.
Soseki takes on the tone of the cat from his "I am a Cat." The resemblance between Soseki and his feline narrator is striking and would absolutely make for a great lens literary analysis for that novel or for this lecture.
-My Individualism-
This one is a bit harder to read as a non Japanese person. A few sexist comments also pockmark this speech making me wonder if he's not just playing to his audience in a sense (both Mr. Sneaze's and Sensei's wife are written brilliantly and both "I am a Cat" and "Kokoro" make a point of husbands unfair attitude's towards their wives). Nevertheless, the lecture still provides numerous bits of witticisms and ideas worth reading and discussing. Soseki isn't (and I'm not sure he ever will be) dated.
June 16, 2012
"Kokoro" bercerita tentang tokoh utama, yang hanya disebutkan sebagai aku, yang menjalin pertemanan dengan seorang pria tua yang disebut sebagai sensei. Ada 3 bagian dalam novel ini. Bagian pertama, Sensei and I, bercerita mengenai bagaimana si aku bertemu dengan sensei dan perlahan mempelajari bahwa sensei hidup hanya bersama istrinya dan memilih untuk terpisah dari dunia luar.
Pada bagian kedua, My Parents and I, si aku pulang ke rumah keluarganya karena penyakit ayahnya yang bertambah parah. Pada saat ayahnya terbaring lemah, sebuah surat datang dari sensei. Pada bagian ketiga, Sensei and His Testament, bercerita mengenai isi surat yang diterima oleh aku. Pada suratnya, sensei bercerita mengenai bagaimana dia kehilangan kedua orang tuanya, ditipu oleh pamannya sendiri sehingga kehilangan sebagian besar harta warisannya, dan pertemanannya dengan seseorang yang dia sebut sebagai K.
Sensei yang setelah tahu akan penipuan pamannya memutuskan untuk tinggal di rumah seorang janda yang memiliki seorang putri. Dia kemudian mengajak K yang berada dalam kesulitan dengan orang tuanya untuk tinggal bersamanya. K yang bersifat anti sosial, di luar dugaan, ternyata jatuh cinta pada putri si janda. Sensei yang sebenarnya menyimpan perasaan yang sama menjadi cemburu dan buru-buru melamar putri sang janda.
K yang kemudian mendengar kabar pernikahan sensei dan wanita yang dia cintai menjadi putus asa dan memilih bunuh diri. Di sisi lain, sensei yang merasa kecewa pada kemanusiaan takut akan fakta bahwa dia juga memiliki sisi gelap yang sama dengan manusia lainnya dan merasakan penyeselan dan rasa takut akan kematian temannya itu.
Setelah bertahun-tahun menyimpan rasa bersalah itu, sensei, pada akhir suratnya, memutuskan untuk bunuh diri setelah mendengar kabar bahwa General Nogi Maresuke (seorang tokoh Jepang) bunuh diri dalam kondisi mental yang sama seperti dirinya.
Kokoro mengangkat tema rasa bersalah dan kesendirian. Baik sensei maupun K sama-sama mengisolasi dirinya dari dunia luar setelah merasa kecewa dengan dunia. Tokoh Okusan (sang janda) dan Ojosan (putri sang janda) memainkan peranan vital dalam menarik keluar kedua tokoh ini dari dalam isolasi mereka.
Saya pribadi merasa alasan utama tokoh utama tertarik dengan sensei adalah karena faktor kesamaan. Dalam berbagai hal, si aku memiliki banyak persamaan dengan sensei muda. Si aku berada dalam tahap yang sama dengan si sensei muda, sama-sama berada dalam masa transisi masuk dalam masyarakat, dan sama-sama tidak mendapatkan simpati keluarga.
Kokoro memiliki keunggulan dalam segi karakter dan alur cerita. Karakter-karakternya kompleks dan terasa nyata.
Teknik penceritaannya sebagian besar menggunakan teknik "tell" sehingga terkadang ada adegan klimaks yang kurang terasa klimaks karena cara penyajiannya yang terlalu santai. Membaca "Kokoro" terasa lebih seperti membaca sebuah buku yang mempelajari psikologi manusia ketimbang sebuah novel.
Dua esai dari Soseki yang ada di dalam buku ini juga patut untuk dibaca karena selain memberikan pandangan lebih dalam mengenai cara berpikir Soseki, juga lebih membuka mata kita mengenai masyarakat, individualisme, dan nasionalisme.
Pada bagian kedua, My Parents and I, si aku pulang ke rumah keluarganya karena penyakit ayahnya yang bertambah parah. Pada saat ayahnya terbaring lemah, sebuah surat datang dari sensei. Pada bagian ketiga, Sensei and His Testament, bercerita mengenai isi surat yang diterima oleh aku. Pada suratnya, sensei bercerita mengenai bagaimana dia kehilangan kedua orang tuanya, ditipu oleh pamannya sendiri sehingga kehilangan sebagian besar harta warisannya, dan pertemanannya dengan seseorang yang dia sebut sebagai K.
Sensei yang setelah tahu akan penipuan pamannya memutuskan untuk tinggal di rumah seorang janda yang memiliki seorang putri. Dia kemudian mengajak K yang berada dalam kesulitan dengan orang tuanya untuk tinggal bersamanya. K yang bersifat anti sosial, di luar dugaan, ternyata jatuh cinta pada putri si janda. Sensei yang sebenarnya menyimpan perasaan yang sama menjadi cemburu dan buru-buru melamar putri sang janda.
K yang kemudian mendengar kabar pernikahan sensei dan wanita yang dia cintai menjadi putus asa dan memilih bunuh diri. Di sisi lain, sensei yang merasa kecewa pada kemanusiaan takut akan fakta bahwa dia juga memiliki sisi gelap yang sama dengan manusia lainnya dan merasakan penyeselan dan rasa takut akan kematian temannya itu.
Setelah bertahun-tahun menyimpan rasa bersalah itu, sensei, pada akhir suratnya, memutuskan untuk bunuh diri setelah mendengar kabar bahwa General Nogi Maresuke (seorang tokoh Jepang) bunuh diri dalam kondisi mental yang sama seperti dirinya.
Kokoro mengangkat tema rasa bersalah dan kesendirian. Baik sensei maupun K sama-sama mengisolasi dirinya dari dunia luar setelah merasa kecewa dengan dunia. Tokoh Okusan (sang janda) dan Ojosan (putri sang janda) memainkan peranan vital dalam menarik keluar kedua tokoh ini dari dalam isolasi mereka.
Saya pribadi merasa alasan utama tokoh utama tertarik dengan sensei adalah karena faktor kesamaan. Dalam berbagai hal, si aku memiliki banyak persamaan dengan sensei muda. Si aku berada dalam tahap yang sama dengan si sensei muda, sama-sama berada dalam masa transisi masuk dalam masyarakat, dan sama-sama tidak mendapatkan simpati keluarga.
Kokoro memiliki keunggulan dalam segi karakter dan alur cerita. Karakter-karakternya kompleks dan terasa nyata.
Teknik penceritaannya sebagian besar menggunakan teknik "tell" sehingga terkadang ada adegan klimaks yang kurang terasa klimaks karena cara penyajiannya yang terlalu santai. Membaca "Kokoro" terasa lebih seperti membaca sebuah buku yang mempelajari psikologi manusia ketimbang sebuah novel.
Dua esai dari Soseki yang ada di dalam buku ini juga patut untuk dibaca karena selain memberikan pandangan lebih dalam mengenai cara berpikir Soseki, juga lebih membuka mata kita mengenai masyarakat, individualisme, dan nasionalisme.
April 11, 2007
modern japan angst. self-loathing. guilt.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews