botchan
read soseki's botchan, said to be one of the most widely-read book by the japanese.
it tells of a young man who leaves tokyo to teach math in the country.
i think it is so popular because it is very straight-forward and also because botchan's character is rather appealing, in that many people probably wish they could be like him: cavalier approach to life, direct and frank, simple. no doubt he gets into a lot of trouble on the way, but at least he lives honestly and decently.
perhaps readers are reminded of their innocence.
anyway, it also reflects the situation in japan at that time( at around the turn of the 20th century): the clash between modernity and tradition, the rise of western thought, as well as the corrosion of traditional japanese values.
it tells of a young man who leaves tokyo to teach math in the country.
i think it is so popular because it is very straight-forward and also because botchan's character is rather appealing, in that many people probably wish they could be like him: cavalier approach to life, direct and frank, simple. no doubt he gets into a lot of trouble on the way, but at least he lives honestly and decently.
perhaps readers are reminded of their innocence.
anyway, it also reflects the situation in japan at that time( at around the turn of the 20th century): the clash between modernity and tradition, the rise of western thought, as well as the corrosion of traditional japanese values.
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