Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookpossum
Thanks very much for your post, astrangerhere. I was particularly interested that this was a first in Japanese literature for the unreliable narrator. Perhaps his unreliability shows up in the latter half of the book, as it wasn't something that had struck me.
I got as far as the end of Chapter 3 in Volume II, and just couldn't face reading any more. I found what was presumably supposed to be humorous to be laboured.
The misogyny which is rampant throughout the book was no doubt quite normal for the time, and not only in Japan of course. The long section towards the end of Volume I concerning Mrs Goldfield was horrible. However unpleasant a character might be, pages and pages of nasty comments about the fact she has a large nose is not funny - it is disgusting. As the cat thought to himself: "He's still going on about noses. What a spiteful bore he is." I could only agree.
Actually, I quite liked the cat, unreliable or not. I just wished he would get on with telling me the story, instead of waffling on interminably!
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I think so much of this is cultural context. It took a LONG time studying the language for me to "get" modern Japanese humor. The vintage brand is still discordant, and I can understand why it might be for you.
About the noses... In Japan a large or prominent nose is actually a feature of desirability. The phrase "takai hana" means prominent or noble nose. I can't check the translation right this second, but I am willing to bet that is the phrase used and the translation is just not coming across. This is due to the fact that native Japanese tend to have a low nasal arch. There is at least one journal article out there, I am sure, that would argue that the fixation on Garfield's nose is actually a satire for the newly open Japan being obsessed with all things West, no matter how objectively ugly that thing is.