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talentedcain's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
kiyasa3's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
trilobiter's review against another edition
4.0
Drama and poetry, love and money, anguish and honor. It's not quite correct to say that Chikamatsu's plays have got it all - from this small selection, it seems he had a particular focus on a particular aspect of Japanese urban life, though in "The Battles of Coxinga" his imagination flew much further afield. But in spite of the monochrome cover art and the lack of illustrations, the stories themselves burst with color. With elements of both tragedy and comedy, they are immensely entertaining, all the more so when you remember they were written to be performed by puppets. Though titles like "The Love Suicides at Sonezaki" give away the ending, the stories are still replete with surprises and populated by fascinating characters.
The metatextual elements of translation notes and commentary were also valuable and intriguing. Certainly, it would be very difficult to appreciate the complex wordplay of the original in a mere translation, and a footnote is necessary to explain the relevance of allusions to other plays. But I also noted an occasional strain of condescension from the translator, as though he needed to apologize for the suggestion that puppet theater be treated as literature, or that the moral calculations of the characters might offend an English speaking audience. It comes from the right place, and cultural context is necessary in a book like this, but it can come across as painfully white. Chalk it up to mid-century academics.
On the other hand, the fascination with suicide probably does merit an explanation to Westerners - or more precisely, the forces that leads characters to commit it. At the very least, it is potentially valuable to consider the question of suicide from a different culture's point of view, and to see how culture might create the obligations that impel us to unpleasant actions. After all, there is nothing more universally human than to be trapped by social conventions.
My main regret is that I didn't buy the longer version of this book which apparently exists; after only four plays, my curiosity was not quite satisfied. Likewise, as the translator admits, it is a shame to have to experience these dramas outside of the unique atmosphere of the puppet theater. I found myself picturing human actors in a cinematic context more often than not, and realized that I was not quite getting the complete picture of what a play by Chikamatsu was really like.
The metatextual elements of translation notes and commentary were also valuable and intriguing. Certainly, it would be very difficult to appreciate the complex wordplay of the original in a mere translation, and a footnote is necessary to explain the relevance of allusions to other plays. But I also noted an occasional strain of condescension from the translator, as though he needed to apologize for the suggestion that puppet theater be treated as literature, or that the moral calculations of the characters might offend an English speaking audience. It comes from the right place, and cultural context is necessary in a book like this, but it can come across as painfully white. Chalk it up to mid-century academics.
On the other hand, the fascination with suicide probably does merit an explanation to Westerners - or more precisely, the forces that leads characters to commit it. At the very least, it is potentially valuable to consider the question of suicide from a different culture's point of view, and to see how culture might create the obligations that impel us to unpleasant actions. After all, there is nothing more universally human than to be trapped by social conventions.
My main regret is that I didn't buy the longer version of this book which apparently exists; after only four plays, my curiosity was not quite satisfied. Likewise, as the translator admits, it is a shame to have to experience these dramas outside of the unique atmosphere of the puppet theater. I found myself picturing human actors in a cinematic context more often than not, and realized that I was not quite getting the complete picture of what a play by Chikamatsu was really like.
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