Words with Mr. Kaumans by KEVIN KAUMANS
It’s no secret that the manga industry is at an all-time high. According to a study from PBS journalists Ali Rogin and Claire Mufson, the sales of Japanese comic books has quadrupled since 2019. As to what has caused this massive growth of manga, the answer depends on what person you ask. Some blame the pushing of politics in Western comics, others argue that the absurd and creative art style or the phenomenal concept of the writing.
I, however, will not be discussing this topic. Instead, I will be discussing some of the history behind Japanese literature.
Have you ever heard of The Pillow Book, fellow reader? It’s a diary written by a courtesan named Sei Shonagon and is considered by some literary scholars to be the first novel. The book had such an influence on Japan that we even read some sections of it in my World Literature class. You see, though the college of Northwestern considers me to be an English literature major, I like to see myself as someone who studies writing from all countries, which is why I took the class in the first place.
And trust me when I say that Shonagon-san has the ability to make anything sound romantic in her writing more than any other author I have yet to see so far. If you are someone who is just getting into Asian literature, I highly recommend you start with this book.
Another famous book that was written in the same time period as The Pillow Book is The Tale of Genji. While the former is a diary, this book is an actual story.
It’s centered around Hikaru Genji, the son of the Emperor of Japan who spends his youth hidden away to protect himself from the envy of the emperor’s other mistresses, as Genji’s mother was his favorite.
The story discusses themes of love, class, and the treatment of women at this time period.
I won’t spoil the protagonist’s fate for you, as I believe the author ends his story in an interesting way that other writers rarely do and would hate to ruin the surprise.
Anyway, I thank you, fellow reader, for letting me waffle on about my interests. You know, you’re such a good listener. Perhaps this little parasocial relationship might go somewhere. That is, of course, if you’re willing to let me ramble on about my other autistic thoughts as well as my obsession with lost media.