JPN/EAS 380
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Text: A Personal Matter, John Nathan, trans.
Monday, Nov. 28th |
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Readings: |
Chapters 1-7 (pp. 1-90)
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Questions to Consider: |
Ôe himself had a child with a severe brain abnormality, and this is one of the several works he wrote dealing with the theme. Does this seem like an autobiographical work? An "I novel?" Ôe is known for insisting that literature have a role in social change. What kind of social consciousness do you detect in this work? This book contains frequent, and often explicit, descriptions of sex and brutality. What is the effect of this on the story?
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Wednesday, Nov. 30th |
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Readings: |
Chapters 8-13 (pp. 91-165) |
Questions to Consider: |
Bird describes the situation with the baby as "a personal matter" several times. What is the significance of this phrase being taken for the title of the work? Is Bird's decision at the end consistent with his behavior throughout the book? Is it believable? At around the same time that this book was written, Ôe also published a book called Hiroshima Notes on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. What kind of presence does awareness of atomic weapons have in this book?
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