first update! (12/08/26 lunar eclipse)
a late start, but i'm grateful. yesterday i began lady chatterly's lover by d.h. lawrence, and the first chapter hooked me immediately. a really lovely coincidence (since i'm choosing the tbr semi-randomly), but the night before i sat with my cousin in her garden and watched the perseids. my first meteor shower, alternatively named in my religion 'the tears of st. lawrence'. the story goes, that the saint was making jokes at his execution, and that the meteors are his tears, out of pain or laughter (i know which version i prefer). i'll come back with more detailed thoughts once i'm finished!
for korean study, i have been grinding out an essay on the influential pre-modern writer (/philosopher/poet) kim sisup. thus, i've been rereading one of my favourite stories of all time, '이생장규전' (the story of student yi/ student yi peers over the wall). this is a story from his 금오신화 (tales of mount kumo/new tales of the golden turtle) collection.
i'll include a little background on kim sisup in case anyone is interested: he came from a noble family in the early joseon period, was talented from birth and is said to have started composing his own poems at age 3. after losing his mother and failing the civil service examination he began studying on a mountain to attempt to take the test again, and to get a government position. however after a violent coup against the king (danjong, who was 11 years old) by his uncle prince suyang, kim sisup became disillusioned with politics and confucianism. some accounts claim that he did not leave his room for 3 days, and when he finally emerged he burned his books, shaved his head and converted (or, pretended to convert, depending on who you ask) to buddhism. he wandered the korean peninsula for many years, and many of his stories come from his experiences on the road.
anyways, the reason why i chose to write about the story of student yi is because is it at first glance a story about children finding love in a strict society. but as you continue to read, and read more deeply, it is a harsh criticism of confucianism, class dynamics, the nature of virtue, and a study into what people hold onto in times of political strife and invasion. it reminds me of romeo and juliet in that way, it is a love story, but it's not really about these children at all, but the world that forces them to part. if anyone's interested in giving it a read, let me know and i'll send over a pdf! i was given a beautiful english translation by one of my professors last year.
okay and finally. for international relations i thought i'd begin with baldwin. i have on of those little penguin modern classic copies of 'dark days' and wow. wow wow wow. no one is like him. i'm ashamed to say that i've only read giovanni's room and a good chunk of another country, but i implore anyone who's had him banished to the tbr to forget everything else for a minute and jump. i'm not sure other people have this issue, but sometimes i put off reading something because it does'nt feel like the right time. i promise you that now is the right time for baldwin.
let me know what you've been reading these days, i'm so interested. have a good week, speak soon and God bless you. <3
