The Awakening and Sleep

I really enjoyed how many of the works we read complemented other readings on the syllabus. I know that was the point of the course but in the specific instance of The Awakening and "Sleep"not only did the themes line up but so did the titles. Chopin's story  was about a woman who "wakes up" in her life emotionally, spiritually, and sexually. Murakami's story is about something similar. A woman wakes up in her life to find something is missing only she literally wakes up and cannot go back to sleep. In her state of wakefulness she develops herself as a person and does what she wants. Her life begins to extend further than just a mother and a wife. She does things for herself. It's a modern (non sexual) telling of Chopin's story. And interestingly enough, both stories end on dark notes. In The Awakening, she kills herself and in "Sleep" she is stuck in a car being rocked back and forth by people on a dock. It is also interesting to look at both women's connection to the water around them. It gives them both power but in the end also leads to their destruction.

Murakami's Writing and Twin Peaks

One of my favorite shows is Twin Peaks which was produced and directed by David Lynch. The show lasted only two seasons, from 1991-1993. The show is about the murder of the town's darling, Laura Palmer. The main character, Agent Dale Cooper, is in the FBI and comes to this small community nestled in the woods near the Canadian border to solve her murder. The show begins in the genre of fantastical realism but as the show goes on it gets stranger and stranger. I re-watched this series alongside this course- not on purpose but it ended up being a really interesting outcome.. Murakami was living in Cambridge in 1993 and I wonder if he crossed paths with Twin Peaks at all, or enjoyed any of David Lynch's movies. There are many, many similarities in tones and of characters. Twin Peaks, one could argue, is almost like a televised version of Murakami's works. It is a mystery with a detective and an everyday sheriff working side by side. There are hints of magic, aliens, and there are more than several sordid affairs. The music in the show is a haunting jazz music that would easily appear in the background of the adventures in a Murakami novel.

The 100% Perfect Girl short film

I thought the short film we watched in class of "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl" was a perfect representation of the short story. It captured the whimsical voice of Murakami and put strangely beautiful visuals to Murakami's strangely beautiful writing. The main character perfectly acted out the tone of the story and I loved seeing the girl pass by him multiple times. While Murakami doesn't write that she passes his vision a dozen times, it was great interpretation of the text. The story of him thinking of her over a period of several pages is a similar process as seeing her walk by dozens of time. I also loved at the end when they pass by each other and they look at each other. The film was in black and white but I loved that when they run into each other again they turn into different colors. The colors complement each other until they both turn into their own colors again and part their separate ways. I also thought the music in the background captured the feeling of the story. I don't know if I can make it any more clear that I loved this story.

The Metamorphosis and "Samsa In Love"

I absolutely loved reading The Metamorphosis and "Samsa In Love" together. I had never read The Metamorphosis before and was actually very surprised by it. It was not at all what I expected it would be and the ending caught me completely off guard. To be honest- I thought there would be a little more introspection about humanity and what Gregor's transformation meant from his own point of view. But I suppose the genius lies in the family's reaction to his metamorphosis. He continually tried to show them that he was still consciously Gregor by keeping away from them and trying to be conscientious of his sister's space, but still they chose to believe that there was nothing left of Gregor in the insect's body. One of the reasons I loved "Samsa in Love" was that it acknowledged the humanity and consciousness of all beings. In Kafka's story, Gregor is a conscious being as a human AND an insect. In Murakami's story he is an insect that has a consciousness as a person and it seems that he has had a consciousness as an insect as well before his metamorphosis. There are new dimensions to what he does and does not understand but he isn't shocked by conscious thought. It was a really interesting comparitive look at consciousness in Kafka's work.

Chloe's post #6 (of April 29)

 I’m really, really glad I took this class, because it expanded my thoughts on Murakami’s writing. I was actually afraid that perhaps I would grow to dislike it because it became required reading for me, but in fact the class gave me more insight into his style and background. For example, when I read his novels, I don’t usually look up the references he makes in music or otherwise. And that was fine because I still derived meaning from his works. But when we listened to the songs he mentions, I’ve come to realize that it really does add to my reading experience. I also highly enjoyed reading his influences, especially Salinger, Chandler and Auster. To be honest, there wasn’t a reading that I disliked. For my final assignment I chose to write a short story in Murakami’s style, which proved to be more difficult than anticipated. It’s still not as I’d like it to be because my own voice comes out. I don’t think I can describe scenes, objects, or people quite like Murakami can – he’s so detailed and there’s always this uncanny feeling that this could happen to you. But for what it’s worth, I put a cat, a disappearing woman, cigarettes, a strange birthmark and a fetish in.

Chloe's post #5 (of April 29)

            I really enjoyed reading Ghosts by Auster. The colors as names threw me off in the beginning because for me, it dehumanizes them. It’s like having numbers as names. Of course after a while I enjoyed the use of color and name play. Perhaps it was a hint on Auster’s part that Black was White, but I’m still grappling with why Black/White hired Blue in the first place. He says something along the lines of, “He needs to see me to exist,” which I thought was thought provoking. And indeed, Blue’s life is turned upside down after he becomes engrossed in watching Black/White. The idea of the double that Murakami so loves can be clearly seen here. As the story progresses, the reader forms doubts because Black/White’s actions mirror his own! I was hoping that the story that Blue read in the newspaper about Gold and the boy would tie into Blue’s narrative, but alas, Auster leaves us wanting. I thought that maybe the boy that was murdered wasn’t actually murdered, because Auster specifically states that the boy would be Blue’s age in present day. Furthermore, he says that Blue and Black/White appear to be the same age.

Closing Thoughts

This class has given me a new-found appreciation for short stories. The amount that Murakami and the author's who have inspired him are able to pack into two, three, five, or fifteen pages is astounding. I have loved diving into the worlds they create for or fifteen or twenty minutes and coming out of it with a slightly altered perception of the world; with a new experience in my pocket. I hope to continue reading more short (and long, and very long - 1Q84...) works by Murakami and to continue to explore more of the works that have shaped his own writing. It has been wonderful to dive into these short, different worlds and also to string them together.