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noelrk's review
informative
fast-paced
2.0
Starts off personal and detail-oriented, but becomes broader and more padded as it progresses; much of the "Messages from Mars" chapter, for instance, is devoted to various dramas with the Dickinson family to barely connected pointed. By the end, the connections Benfey draws are stretched and bordering on the general.
Despite its title, there aren't very many "Japanese eccentrics" chronicled, focusing instead on the earliest American weeabos, almost all from New England, and almost all of those from Boston. Perhaps fittingly, there is also little pushback or contextualizing from Benfey when quoting his subjects. The discussion of the Ainu is a grand example, as Benfey just lets stand plenty of unthoughtful quotes.
Despite its title, there aren't very many "Japanese eccentrics" chronicled, focusing instead on the earliest American weeabos, almost all from New England, and almost all of those from Boston. Perhaps fittingly, there is also little pushback or contextualizing from Benfey when quoting his subjects. The discussion of the Ainu is a grand example, as Benfey just lets stand plenty of unthoughtful quotes.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
2.0
The title deserves close reading because you do get more of the gilded age misfits than the Japanese eccentrics. And the opening of Old Japan is pretty much through the eye of those gilded age misfits which is not everyone's cup of tea.
The first section was an equal mix of Japanese eccentrics and Gilded Age misfits, but towards the end it becomes much more about the gilded age misfits and about the impact on future writers - Camus, Sartre, etc. and if you are into the genesis of ideas and stanzas really quite interesting. But if you are into Japanese history more this is not your book.
The first section was an equal mix of Japanese eccentrics and Gilded Age misfits, but towards the end it becomes much more about the gilded age misfits and about the impact on future writers - Camus, Sartre, etc. and if you are into the genesis of ideas and stanzas really quite interesting. But if you are into Japanese history more this is not your book.
bellatora's review against another edition
5.0
Finding a popular history of Japan is very nearly impossible. Unlike popular histories about western Europe and the US which can be spotted a mile away hiding in a tree, popular histories (in English) about Asia can't be found on a clear day in an empty field.
This is in fact the FIRST and ONLY popular history I've ever found about Japan. I have theories about why this is so (1) the reading audience is more interested to read about the Founding Fathers and the Tudors and other well-known historical events/figures (2) Asian names are less familiar to the average reader and thus harder to keep straight (3) there's much less background knowledge so nearly all the information is new and thus harder to retain (4) the sources are in languages that are generally harder to learn and fewer people study.
Anyway, I was inclined to like this book just for what it is. And then it went and was excellent on top of that.
This book wasn't strictly chronological. Each chapter was devoted to one or two individuals or a central theme. My favorite stories were definitely those about Japanese figures, like the teenager who was shipwrecked and grew up partly in New England before returning to Japan. Or the Japanese official who had an affair with a diplomat’s wife (!) and the wife ended up being forcibly committed to an insane asylum by her angry husband (!) (I knew that shit went down in England, but who knew it happened in Japan, too?).
I only had two big problems with this book:
(1) I know Benfey is really big on how much Japan influenced stuff like modern poetry and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, and isn’t that neat? But frankly I don’t care about art and poetry and architecture and talking about minute details of those things bore me and there was far too much of that in this book as far as I’m concerned
(2) I didn’t realize going into this book how much it was about Americans; I thought it would be much more about Japan but a lot of it—especially the second half—is really about America, specifically New England. Japanese people barely even show up by the end, except in passing. It’s all about these New Englanders and how they went to Japan this one time. I really wish more of it had been set IN Japan. There seemed to be much more tenuous ties to Japan as the book went on. (though the Americans could at times be very interesting, like that huge scandal with Emily Dickinson’s brother and his nymphomaniac mistress, who was married to a guy who willingly pimped her out and was quite a ferociously sexual man himself). I guess it is easier to get sources on Americans, so I can see why Benfey spent so much time on them. But I wish he had done more with Japan.
Still, definitely worth reading and it gives a look into late 19th century Japan in an interesting way.
This is in fact the FIRST and ONLY popular history I've ever found about Japan. I have theories about why this is so (1) the reading audience is more interested to read about the Founding Fathers and the Tudors and other well-known historical events/figures (2) Asian names are less familiar to the average reader and thus harder to keep straight (3) there's much less background knowledge so nearly all the information is new and thus harder to retain (4) the sources are in languages that are generally harder to learn and fewer people study.
Anyway, I was inclined to like this book just for what it is. And then it went and was excellent on top of that.
This book wasn't strictly chronological. Each chapter was devoted to one or two individuals or a central theme. My favorite stories were definitely those about Japanese figures, like the teenager who was shipwrecked and grew up partly in New England before returning to Japan. Or the Japanese official who had an affair with a diplomat’s wife (!) and the wife ended up being forcibly committed to an insane asylum by her angry husband (!) (I knew that shit went down in England, but who knew it happened in Japan, too?).
I only had two big problems with this book:
(1) I know Benfey is really big on how much Japan influenced stuff like modern poetry and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, and isn’t that neat? But frankly I don’t care about art and poetry and architecture and talking about minute details of those things bore me and there was far too much of that in this book as far as I’m concerned
(2) I didn’t realize going into this book how much it was about Americans; I thought it would be much more about Japan but a lot of it—especially the second half—is really about America, specifically New England. Japanese people barely even show up by the end, except in passing. It’s all about these New Englanders and how they went to Japan this one time. I really wish more of it had been set IN Japan. There seemed to be much more tenuous ties to Japan as the book went on. (though the Americans could at times be very interesting, like that huge scandal with Emily Dickinson’s brother and his nymphomaniac mistress, who was married to a guy who willingly pimped her out and was quite a ferociously sexual man himself). I guess it is easier to get sources on Americans, so I can see why Benfey spent so much time on them. But I wish he had done more with Japan.
Still, definitely worth reading and it gives a look into late 19th century Japan in an interesting way.
beththebookdragon's review against another edition
2.0
Sometimes interesting, occasionally tedious stories of US citizens fascinated with and visiting Meiji-era Japan, and some Japanese citizens who visited or lived long-term in the US. A lot about how Americans idealized traditional Japanese culture, what they admired about it, and what did and didn't change in Japan culturally after it was forcibly opened to the West.
Notable for mentioning some women as well as men.
For people interested in this time period in Japan willing to slog through some good but not brilliant writing. If anyone has found a more interesting book on this topic or one that goes into depth in a captivating way on one or more characters mentioned, please let me know!
Notable for mentioning some women as well as men.
For people interested in this time period in Japan willing to slog through some good but not brilliant writing. If anyone has found a more interesting book on this topic or one that goes into depth in a captivating way on one or more characters mentioned, please let me know!
booksnguitars's review
5.0
Terrific history about Japan opening to the West, and the notable figures from that West that helped it happen. Not only important for the modernization of the country, but also important due to these writers/artists/aesthetes recognition of the sophistication of Japanese art & culture, rather than the dismissive prevailing attitudes toward the nation in the 1800’s.
The author does a terrific job of bringing to life these big personalities, rather than as cardboard figures belonging to the “petrified nineteenth century.” And Henry Adams wondered in his final days, “Why did we live...was that all?” These were all real, passionate people that deserve to be remembered for more than their works.
Great book for anyone wanting an intimate examination of the world starting to become a smaller place in late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
The author does a terrific job of bringing to life these big personalities, rather than as cardboard figures belonging to the “petrified nineteenth century.” And Henry Adams wondered in his final days, “Why did we live...was that all?” These were all real, passionate people that deserve to be remembered for more than their works.
Great book for anyone wanting an intimate examination of the world starting to become a smaller place in late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
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