Week 4: The New Weird

Week 4: The New Weird


For this topic, I read "A Souvenir from Japan", "The Neglected Garden", and “The Snow Child”. Like the title, they are pretty weird stories. I started with "A Souvenir from Japan" and I didn't really understand it. That's why I tried something else and I read " The Neglected Garden". I still didn't quite get it, but maybe a bit better compared to "A Souvenir from Japan". “The Snow Child” feels like a more metaphoric version of the Snow White story.

"A Souvenir from Japan" seems to be a story about a Caucasian lady that lives in Japan and feels like an alien? A lot of the descriptions are observations. Even during the intimate moment in the hotel, it feels more like an observation too. She talked about the legend of Momotaro as something really alien for her, not just foreign. It feels kind of weird for me. Maybe because Momotaro is one of the folktales I grew up with and it feels weird to read the description in such an alien way or just in a weird way. But I got a sense that this lady has settled down after a while and more sympathetic for the things around her.

“The Neglected Garden” feels really creepy. I found myself wanting to skip many parts because of the gruesome description. I wonder if what happened to Anne, the way she is supposed to be dead but not, is like a metaphor for someone who’s dead inside but continue to lives on? Maybe she hurts herself physically because of the stress. The neighbor’s reactions are also weird because they seem to care but at the same time, not really? They just observe Anne, feel pity, but they don’t really do much to help her. They just choose to ignore the man. For the ending, I wonder if it’s a representation of a guilt seems the woman seems to mock the man with a smile.

“The Snow Child” seems pretty close to the original Snow White concept wise. I can see the same description of the girl and elements of jealousy. Instead of the mother wanting a daughter as white as snow, as black as wood, and as red as blood, it was the father who wanted her. In the original Snow White, the step mother was jealous of Snow White while in this version, the mother herself was jealous of Snow White. I think this is pretty interesting because it’s like the condensed version of the original Snow White. It is also interesting that when I read this version, it feels rhythmic until the very end. It’s a pretty fun read because of that.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FRANKENSTEIN

01/19/2019 FRANKENSTEIN I read Frankenstein years ago, but never got to finish it. I think I read the translation version and it got kind of confusing and boring that I stopped reading. Now that I read the English version, it's actually pretty fun and more clear to me.  I enjoyed reading Frankenstein. I like how Mary tells the story using the perspective of three different characters. I've always loved reading from different perspectives as it gives me more sympathy for the characters. The beginning part that tells the story of Walton through letters felt kind of long, but it gave me a good sense of what kind of person he was and what's important for him. Once I finished that part, it got more fun and interesting.  Hearing the history of Victor Frankenstein’s family, his childhood, and understanding his passion was a good set up. It pays off well when I got to the ending where he died. I feel sad for him that he has to experience losing his fa
Read more

WEEK 12: Diverse Position Science Fiction

Week 12: For this week, I read "I Live With You". I really enjoy reading it. I think it's kind of creepy because it feels like we're seeing from the perspective of a stalker. What makes it more interesting is that this stalker seems to be something that is not normal. She has the same look but also not her. I'm wondering if she is a doppelganger? But it seems to be something more than that. I'm wondering if it's a metaphor. Is the stalker actually her other persona? That's why she does things, like inviting a man without realizing it? But it doesn't make any sense too because the person who gets stalked does notice that someone else is living with her.... Or does this stalker actually just someone with mental disorder that thinks she is just like the other person? Another possibility, judging from other readings like Bloodchild, maybe alien? It feels too random though. It's interesting though that this stalker was able to change the woman&#
Read more

BLOODCHILD - 15 April 2019

BLOODCHILD 1) I was confused with the terms and how the world works at the beginning. I didn't understand what the eggs are and where they come from. At the end of the story, I'm still unsure. The story seems interesting and creepy at the same time, but it's hard for me to visualize it because I don't exactly know how to imagine T'Gatoi. Is she like a spider or some kind of other bugs or insects? Does she have a human face? Is she basically an alien with appearance like an insect or myriapods? Bug, grubs, and worms have always creeped me out, so this story definitely creeped me out too. Not to mention the description on the blood and human flesh during Lomas' process of being opened and harvested. The story is definitely not my cup of tea. 2) I can relate to Gan when he puke after seeing Lomas being opened and T'Gatoi eating. I think I would be the same, if not, I might even passed out. Other connection I have with the story is probably on responsibility
Read more