Kokoro

Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: "Kokoro" is an excellent read: the writing style is poetic, yet simple, and the characters have great depth. The narrator meets a man he calls "Sensei" at a beach and they form a bond that one might call a friendship. Yet no matter how hard the narrator tries to understand the mysterious man, Sensei refuses to let the boy break down his defenses. Then the narrator leaves Tokyo to visit his ill father and receives a letter from Sensei that describes his life and reason for his despondent nature.

While the story ends tragically, it seems like the only ending possible that releases the agony of the characters. Sensei may appear to be an insensitive, heartless man in the beginning yet his testament shows much he cares. It shows how a man can have so much passion for life, for loved ones, yet at the same time can be conflicted with guilt, distrust, and despair.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: "Kokoro" is an excellent read: the writing style is poetic, yet simple, and the characters have great depth. The narrator meets a man he calls "Sensei" at a beach and they form a bond that one might call a friendship. Yet no matter how hard the narrator tries to understand the mysterious man, Sensei refuses to let the boy break down his defenses. Then the narrator leaves Tokyo to visit his ill father and receives a letter from Sensei that describes his life and reason for his despondent nature.

While the story ends tragically, it seems like the only ending possible that releases the agony of the characters. Sensei may appear to be an insensitive, heartless man in the beginning yet his testament shows much he cares. It shows how a man can have so much passion for life, for loved ones, yet at the same time can be conflicted with guilt, distrust, and despair.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated to a degree that is almost incredible.
Review: After reading and rereading this book, and then following that with hours of discussion and lecture in a modern Japanese literature course, I can honestly say that this is one of the most overrated books that I have ever read.

Kokoro is weak from a technical standpoint. Whereas a novel generally has the components of exposition, rising action, climax, and denouement, this book has only the first or the last. I have been unable to decide which. That characters die in the course of the story is obviously intended to evoke some sort of emotional response, but Soseki does such a poor job of making any of the characters interesting or anything more than utterly one dimensional that one is hard-pressed to feel anything resembling sympathy when a character dies. It is as if Soseki assumed that the reader already passionately cares about the characters, which is a ridiculous assumption on the part of any writer; it is an even more egregious fault in someone who is considered one of the greatest novelists whom Japan has ever produced.

Much of the novel is spent in descriptions that have no bearing on anything in any way, serving no purpose except as an excuse for Soseki to display his mastery of poetic language. After reading a ten page section, one inevitably asks oneself what the point was. The response is invariably that there is none other than to serve as yet more foreshadowing.

The entire course of the book is extremely predictable. In fact, if you have ever read "A Separate Peace", then you will know exactly what is going to happen in the second half of the book. The predictability of events and emotional dysfunction further reduce any sort of pathos that might have been created. While it is true that such predictability can be used to evoke a heightened sense of inevitability in the deliberate pace of fate, one needs to have characters about whom we know something and whom we understand. Without such characters, we are only left wondering when it will all be over and done.

While the book does say some vaguely interesting things about the nature of human relationships, its messages would have been clearer in essay form: the awkwardness, banality, and heavy-handed predictability of the story do naught but get in the way.

Natsume Soseki wrote several worthwhile pieces, including "I Am a Cat", which is a personal favorite, but "Kokoro" is not one of his better efforts. Its status as one of the great Japanese novels is a befuddling fact, considering that there have been many other novels to come out of Japan that outstrip this plodding, predictable, and utterly banal book by leaps and bounds.

kono hon ga yahari dame de aru.

Rating:
Summary: A slow, but poetic death--a tragic hero is born
Review: All of these are themes found in Japanese art, and all have a home in "Kokoro." Kokoro translates to heart or soul or spirit, and this book does justice to its title. Inside this slim volume is a testament of spirit, of youth and age, of man and woman, of ancient and modern juxtapositions of kokoro. What is love? What is friendship? What is responsibility?

The writing style is slow and delicate, with a precise economy of ideas and words. The translation is excellent, lending credible authenticity to the language. The Ideas, of course, need little interpretation as they are human in nature, and can be understood by all. Small cultural notes, such as the important suicide of General Nogi, are wisely footnoted and explained to deepen understanding of the narrative.

The simple story of Sensei, his wife, the young man and his family lay a basic framework upon which to weave the emotions that are the true focus.

Overall, while a book with an extremely Japanese flavor, it does transcend the barriers and gets at the inner life, the kokoro.

Rating:
Summary: poetic and inspiring
Review: Despite the sad overtones of the book, I enjoyed this interesting narrative regarding life, death, and love. It took me a mere two days to read, yet it was still worth every second.

I am now off to explore more works by Natsume Soseki.

Rating:
Summary: evergreen, poetic and life in post Meiji Japan
Review: I became a fan of Soseki after I read "Botchan" and "I am a cat" - both were fascinating books. Then I found "kokoro" in a book shop in SF. I am glad i bought it. This is a different genre of book - more of introspection and constructive criticism of the post Meiji Japan. I took a long time to read the book, like I do to read Kawabata - the culture is vastly different and most of the ideas are not explicit - you have to think imagine. Actually another great Japanese author, Junichiro Tanizaki, said that the modern day writer is too kind to the reader - so you have to think and interpret while you read.
The book is written in first person (it is quite autobiographical). It explores the feelings of a young college graduate - it examines his feelings. The narrator is obsessed with his friend, philosopher and guide whom he refers as "sensei" even though this person in return do not have the same feelings for the narrator in the beginning. Still he directs the narrator through some of the torturous path of life. The narrators father is in his death bed when he receives the last mail from his "sensei" - the contents of this letter covers later half of the book. In the letter his teacher narrates his own life.
Two things to notice - the absence of religious overtones or under currents and the respect for death. As I have read Mishima, Akutagawa I have found that in Japanese culture death has a more profound meaning than just the end of life. More than often this end of life is preceded by the objective of going on to live and in its absence death seems to be the obvious choice even though ominous.
Here also we find quite a few death but everybody, which includes the person who is dying and his or her close ones look for the objective of living. The status of women may provide a little sting to western readers but please realize that this is near end of Meiji era is Japan and not Las Vegas in 2004.
Please do not try to read this book in your flight from Boston to LA or you will be bored to death better read it in the Christmas holidays

Rating:
Summary: wooooow gay
Review: i had to read this book for a world civilizations class. this book is a pathetic attempt and should not be used for any class. the first half shouldn't have been written and the second been cut down dramatically. foreshadowing is fine and all, but half a book of it is just pointless. the character "K" also has a few problems himself. why would any man go to the same swimming spot as another, and try to see him again and again. this is just obsurd and the rest of it is aswell. no man would ever kill himself so his friend would not feel guilty being with a girl that they both liked. i know this was not present day or anything, but one would get her and the other would find their own woman. i dont' really know why i'm writting this, i guess just because i'm pissed i had to read this boring book. i'm sorry for anyone else that is in the same situation as me. this book and its themes should have been in a essay or a short story. nothing would have been lost and everyones time would not have been lost either. blah blah blah hope this helps everyone decide to not buy this book and to stare at a wall instead. that definitely would be a better time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Loneliness
Review: I read Kokoro a couple of months ago and, now, I am reflecting on its various themes for a final paper. Reading a bunch of these reviews, I have realized that a major idea that has not been discussed is the theme of self discovery. Sensei leads a lonely life because he realizes that, when tempted, he can betray as well. How can one trust others when he cannot not even trust his own actions? However, in the end, Sensei comes to terms with his fear. In writing his testament to the narrator, Sensei shows that he was slowly learning to trust others again.

Thus, I believe this story though sad ends optimistically. We see that the narrator can learn much from Sensei's experiences. We also feel as though Sensei, though petrified, overcame his fear of friendship because of a sense of obligation.

Rating:
Summary: Beauty Comes From the East
Review: If I possesed the grasp of words that both Soseki and his translator did in this novel, I could better convey the emotions that poured out of me as I read this book. If I told you that this book was of loneliness as a result of the modern era in trun of the Centruy Japan, you would see Soseki as a reactionary against change. He was not, though but rather comfortable with modern conveniences. If I told you that never have I read a story with characters of such depth, you would pass it off as a complicated classic. It is not but rather simple to read. It is this style that makes the intense and profound truth so hard hitting. Imagine living in a country where, in one lifetime, modernization that took Europe centuries occurs. People from a set hierarchy spanning millenia come to ride the same train together and with the traditional age goes the moral values associated with it. This lack of identification with your own country men creates such a deep loneliness that only one's closest friends can fill. And when something comes between one and ones'friend at least the Emperor, which began this era is alive and unchanging. When the Emperor dies, what meaning does ones' existence have anymore. This modern age which took your friends, distanced you from your wife has no more things that link you to it. Why live?

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful but Slow
Review: Kokoro is a classic of Japanese literature. It follows the story of a young man who meets an elder one, who he calls Sensei (teacher, elder, master). Sensei is at first very mysterious about his past, but the young man learns slowly of his deep loneliness and its causes. Sensei had a life of betrayal and love turned sour.

The book is divided up into three sections: Sensei and I, My parents and I, and Sensei and his Testament. The first chronicles the two men's meeting and their relationship. The second describes the narrator going home to his parents only to find that he has changed so much that he no longer feels at home with them, and in fact honors Sensei above them. The last is a letter written to the narrator by Sensei, telling of Sensei's past.

I must caution any prospective reader about two things. First, the book is slow moving. There are very few exciting scenes, but many pondorous ones. This is due partly to the translation. Having read the book first in Japanese, I think it is a bit faster paced in its native language. Second, the author assumes that the reader knows some things about Japanese culture instinctivily. Occasionally, you may find that a character's action which the author doesn't bother to explain seems puzzling. I believe that any dedicated reader can, however, work through these obstacles and truly enjoy this book.

When the book is finished, readers often find themselves struggling with Sensei's character. He has been through terrible things, but what of that? People recover from worse things than he has passed through, and still seem cheerful enough. Why must he be so weak willed?

The answer to these riddles lies in the book's title. "Heart," it might be, translated, or "center," or "emotion." Sensei says of his own heart, "You see, loneliness is the price we have to pay for being born in this modern age, so full of freedom, independence, and our own egotistical selves."