According to the class packet, modernism is a movement in art or any similarities such as writings and music that occurred from the late nineteenth century through the middle ages of the twentieth century, pretty much from eighteen hundred to nineteen fifty. By illustrating through multiple stories in one, “The Life of a Stupid Man” is chosen to discuss the modernism. The Life of a Stupid Man describes the events that occur throughout the authors, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, life. In doing so, it performs its best works in streaming of conscious, intertextuality and alienation. The reason being for choosing streaming of conscious is due to the text being a mixture of his events, representing his thoughts that he has chosen to written down. For intertextuality,
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Such example occurs when he references other artist and authors in the beginning when writing down the likes of,” Maupassant, Baudelaire, Strindberg, Ibsen, Shaw, Tolstoy” (186). By mentioning these authors, this could show that these individuals have influence the characters mindset or point of view. This is further shown when written,” Life is not worth a single line of Baudelaire” (187). Whether or not the authors had influences on the character, this line is one of many to show the despair that the character feels. To go along with the authors, the character also mentions references to religions and the bible. Such example occurs in “Hero” when in the poem mentions,” you who more than anyone obeyed the Ten Commandments (198)”. By referencing to the bible, it can be inferred that the character may have also have influences from religions. Evidence of this is mentioned in “Antiquity” (196) when referring to the Buddhas and in “Murder” (196) when the character mentions a catholic church in,” the domed roof of a catholic church” (197). Through assumption that the character has read many literature, it can be inferred that reading, although an enjoyed leisure, could have been a cause of the character depressing stories due to the amount of …show more content…
Alienation is described in the handout as loneliness or inability to express feeling causing detachment from life or invisibility. It could also be cause of superiority over others as in this case, the character seems to have accumulated knowledge from literatures. Such case is mentioned in “Captive” in the sentence,” he had always felt close to this man…the loneliness that lurked beneath his jaunty mask (205)” Also mention in the same story is,” you and I are both possessed by a demon (205)”. From this, it can be inferred that the character that he had a burden in him and that he only truly had one person he felt was identical to him thus causing him to feel detached from others. To add to that, when his friend went mad, this could have caused the character more despair as the feeling of potentially losing your only friend can cause hopelessness. To go back to the beginning of “The Life of Stupid Man”, the friend that he gives his manuscript is most likely Kume Masao. This is supported with the sentence,” I entrust this manuscript to you because you probably know me better than anyone else (186)”. With that, this justifies why the character has alienated himself and possibly could think of literatures as his only source of comfort but also the main cause of his
Such example occurs when he references other artist and authors in the beginning when writing down the likes of,” Maupassant, Baudelaire, Strindberg, Ibsen, Shaw, Tolstoy” (186). By mentioning these authors, this could show that these individuals have influence the characters mindset or point of view. This is further shown when written,” Life is not worth a single line of Baudelaire” (187). Whether or not the authors had influences on the character, this line is one of many to show the despair that the character feels. To go along with the authors, the character also mentions references to religions and the bible. Such example occurs in “Hero” when in the poem mentions,” you who more than anyone obeyed the Ten Commandments (198)”. By referencing to the bible, it can be inferred that the character may have also have influences from religions. Evidence of this is mentioned in “Antiquity” (196) when referring to the Buddhas and in “Murder” (196) when the character mentions a catholic church in,” the domed roof of a catholic church” (197). Through assumption that the character has read many literature, it can be inferred that reading, although an enjoyed leisure, could have been a cause of the character depressing stories due to the amount of …show more content…
Alienation is described in the handout as loneliness or inability to express feeling causing detachment from life or invisibility. It could also be cause of superiority over others as in this case, the character seems to have accumulated knowledge from literatures. Such case is mentioned in “Captive” in the sentence,” he had always felt close to this man…the loneliness that lurked beneath his jaunty mask (205)” Also mention in the same story is,” you and I are both possessed by a demon (205)”. From this, it can be inferred that the character that he had a burden in him and that he only truly had one person he felt was identical to him thus causing him to feel detached from others. To add to that, when his friend went mad, this could have caused the character more despair as the feeling of potentially losing your only friend can cause hopelessness. To go back to the beginning of “The Life of Stupid Man”, the friend that he gives his manuscript is most likely Kume Masao. This is supported with the sentence,” I entrust this manuscript to you because you probably know me better than anyone else (186)”. With that, this justifies why the character has alienated himself and possibly could think of literatures as his only source of comfort but also the main cause of his