In my opinion, the novel A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki embodies Longinus’ idea on the sublime.
A Tale for the Time Being is about two characters – Nao Yasutani, a sixteen-year-old girl who kept a diary in a Hello Kitty lunchbox and Ruth, a writer living in British Columbia, who finds the Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on shore as an aftermath of the 2011 tsunami in Japan. It is a great embodiment of sublimity because first, the concept of the novel is grand. It presents the idea of a time being – “...someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.” (Ozeki) Additionally, the novel talks about different relevant issues and themes such as the imminent environmental threat, …show more content…
Second, the novel exudes genuine emotion. Because the author came from two cultures and has had many experiences like the protagonist Nao, the novel sounded so real, honest and raw, as if every word is coming to life. And as Longinus stated, for a work to be considered sublime, it must be coming from “vehement and inspired passion”. Third, the novel made excellent use of the figures of speech. Nao herself makes use of metaphorical speech when she is speaking about the happenings during her time and when addressing the reader. The figures of speech are also depicted particularly in the speech of Nao’s great-grandmother, the old nun Jiko, who shares her Zen wisdom. Fourth, the novel contains “noble diction”, meaning the words used are elevated, and yet still appropriate. The author made use of simple words, appropriate enough to voice out Nao, as a sixteen-year-old girl and Ruth, as a writer. And yet, these simple words are striking enough to leave an impression and elevated feeling to the readers. Last, the whole novel is constructed in such a way that when all of the elements of sublimity – words, figures, thought
A Tale for the Time Being is about two characters – Nao Yasutani, a sixteen-year-old girl who kept a diary in a Hello Kitty lunchbox and Ruth, a writer living in British Columbia, who finds the Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on shore as an aftermath of the 2011 tsunami in Japan. It is a great embodiment of sublimity because first, the concept of the novel is grand. It presents the idea of a time being – “...someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.” (Ozeki) Additionally, the novel talks about different relevant issues and themes such as the imminent environmental threat, …show more content…
Second, the novel exudes genuine emotion. Because the author came from two cultures and has had many experiences like the protagonist Nao, the novel sounded so real, honest and raw, as if every word is coming to life. And as Longinus stated, for a work to be considered sublime, it must be coming from “vehement and inspired passion”. Third, the novel made excellent use of the figures of speech. Nao herself makes use of metaphorical speech when she is speaking about the happenings during her time and when addressing the reader. The figures of speech are also depicted particularly in the speech of Nao’s great-grandmother, the old nun Jiko, who shares her Zen wisdom. Fourth, the novel contains “noble diction”, meaning the words used are elevated, and yet still appropriate. The author made use of simple words, appropriate enough to voice out Nao, as a sixteen-year-old girl and Ruth, as a writer. And yet, these simple words are striking enough to leave an impression and elevated feeling to the readers. Last, the whole novel is constructed in such a way that when all of the elements of sublimity – words, figures, thought