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In a Grove
"In a Grove" (藪の中, Yabu no Naka?) is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, first appearing in the January 1922 edition of the Japanese literature monthly Shinchō. Akira Kurosawa used this story as the basis for his award-winning movie Rashōmon.
"In a Grove" is an early modernist short story consisting of seven varying accounts of the murder of a samurai, Kanazawa no Takehiro, whose corpse has been found in a bamboo forest near Kyoto. Each section simultaneously clarifies and obfuscates what the reader knows about the murder, eventually creating a complex and contradictory vision of events that brings into question humanity's ability or willingness to perceive and transmit objective truth.
The story is often praised as being among the greatest in Japanese literature.
"In a Grove" is an early modernist short story consisting of seven varying accounts of the murder of a samurai, Kanazawa no Takehiro, whose corpse has been found in a bamboo forest near Kyoto. Each section simultaneously clarifies and obfuscates what the reader knows about the murder, eventually creating a complex and contradictory vision of events that brings into question humanity's ability or willingness to perceive and transmit objective truth.
The story is often praised as being among the greatest in Japanese literature.
14 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1922
About the author
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
1,247 books1,840 followersAkutagawa Ryūnosuke (芥川 龍之介) was one of the first prewar Japanese writers to achieve a wide foreign readership, partly because of his technical virtuosity, partly because his work seemed to represent imaginative fiction as opposed to the mundane accounts of the I-novelists of the time, partly because of his brilliant joining of traditional material to a modern sensibility, and partly because of film director Kurosawa Akira's masterful adaptation of two of his short stories for the screen.
Akutagawa was born in the Kyōbashi district Tokyo as the eldest son of a dairy operator named Shinbara Toshizō and his wife Fuku. He was named "Ryūnosuke" ("Dragon Offshoot") because he was born in the Year of the Dragon, in the Month of the Dragon, on the Day of the Dragon, and at the Hour of the Dragon (8 a.m.). Seven months after Akutagawa's birth, his mother went insane and he was adopted by her older brother, taking the Akutagawa family name. Despite the shadow this experience cast over Akutagawa's life, he benefited from the traditional literary atmosphere of his uncle's home, located in what had been the "downtown" section of Edo.
At school Akutagawa was an outstanding student, excelling in the Chinese classics. He entered the First High School in 1910, striking up relationships with such classmates as Kikuchi Kan, Kume Masao, Yamamoto Yūzō, and Tsuchiya Bunmei. Immersing himself in Western literature, he increasingly came to look for meaning in art rather than in life. In 1913, he entered Tokyo Imperial University, majoring in English literature. The next year, Akutagawa and his former high school friends revived the journal Shinshichō (New Currents of Thought), publishing translations of William Butler Yeats and Anatole France along with original works of their own. Akutagawa published the story Rashōmon in the magazine Teikoku bungaku (Imperial Literature) in 1915. The story, which went largely unnoticed, grew out of the egoism Akutagawa confronted after experiencing disappointment in love. The same year, Akutagawa started going to the meetings held every Thursday at the house of Natsume Sōseki, and thereafter considered himself Sōseki's disciple.
The lapsed Shinshichō was revived yet again in 1916, and Sōseki lavished praise on Akutagawa's story Hana (The Nose) when it appeared in the first issue of that magazine. After graduating from Tokyo University, Akutagawa earned a reputation as a highly skilled stylist whose stories reinterpreted classical works and historical incidents from a distinctly modern standpoint. His overriding themes became the ugliness of human egoism and the value of art, themes that received expression in a number of brilliant, tightly organized short stories conventionally categorized as Edo-mono (stories set in the Edo period), ōchō-mono (stories set in the Heian period), Kirishitan-mono (stories dealing with premodern Christians in Japan), and kaika-mono (stories of the early Meiji period). The Edo-mono include Gesaku zanmai (A Life Devoted to Gesaku, 1917) and Kareno-shō (Gleanings from a Withered Field, 1918); the ōchō-mono are perhaps best represented by Jigoku hen (Hell Screen, 1918); the Kirishitan-mono include Hokōnin no shi (The Death of a Christian, 1918), and kaika-mono include Butōkai(The Ball, 1920).
Akutagawa married Tsukamoto Fumiko in 1918 and the following year left his post as English instructor at the naval academy in Yokosuka, becoming an employee of the Mainichi Shinbun. This period was a productive one, as has already been noted, and the success of stories like Mikan (Mandarin Oranges, 1919) and Aki (Autumn, 1920) prompted him to turn his attention increasingly to modern materials. This, along with the introspection occasioned by growing health and nervous problems, resulted in a series of autobiographically-based stories known as Yasukichi-mono, after the name of the main character. Works such as Daidōji Shinsuke no hansei(The Early Life of
Akutagawa was born in the Kyōbashi district Tokyo as the eldest son of a dairy operator named Shinbara Toshizō and his wife Fuku. He was named "Ryūnosuke" ("Dragon Offshoot") because he was born in the Year of the Dragon, in the Month of the Dragon, on the Day of the Dragon, and at the Hour of the Dragon (8 a.m.). Seven months after Akutagawa's birth, his mother went insane and he was adopted by her older brother, taking the Akutagawa family name. Despite the shadow this experience cast over Akutagawa's life, he benefited from the traditional literary atmosphere of his uncle's home, located in what had been the "downtown" section of Edo.
At school Akutagawa was an outstanding student, excelling in the Chinese classics. He entered the First High School in 1910, striking up relationships with such classmates as Kikuchi Kan, Kume Masao, Yamamoto Yūzō, and Tsuchiya Bunmei. Immersing himself in Western literature, he increasingly came to look for meaning in art rather than in life. In 1913, he entered Tokyo Imperial University, majoring in English literature. The next year, Akutagawa and his former high school friends revived the journal Shinshichō (New Currents of Thought), publishing translations of William Butler Yeats and Anatole France along with original works of their own. Akutagawa published the story Rashōmon in the magazine Teikoku bungaku (Imperial Literature) in 1915. The story, which went largely unnoticed, grew out of the egoism Akutagawa confronted after experiencing disappointment in love. The same year, Akutagawa started going to the meetings held every Thursday at the house of Natsume Sōseki, and thereafter considered himself Sōseki's disciple.
The lapsed Shinshichō was revived yet again in 1916, and Sōseki lavished praise on Akutagawa's story Hana (The Nose) when it appeared in the first issue of that magazine. After graduating from Tokyo University, Akutagawa earned a reputation as a highly skilled stylist whose stories reinterpreted classical works and historical incidents from a distinctly modern standpoint. His overriding themes became the ugliness of human egoism and the value of art, themes that received expression in a number of brilliant, tightly organized short stories conventionally categorized as Edo-mono (stories set in the Edo period), ōchō-mono (stories set in the Heian period), Kirishitan-mono (stories dealing with premodern Christians in Japan), and kaika-mono (stories of the early Meiji period). The Edo-mono include Gesaku zanmai (A Life Devoted to Gesaku, 1917) and Kareno-shō (Gleanings from a Withered Field, 1918); the ōchō-mono are perhaps best represented by Jigoku hen (Hell Screen, 1918); the Kirishitan-mono include Hokōnin no shi (The Death of a Christian, 1918), and kaika-mono include Butōkai(The Ball, 1920).
Akutagawa married Tsukamoto Fumiko in 1918 and the following year left his post as English instructor at the naval academy in Yokosuka, becoming an employee of the Mainichi Shinbun. This period was a productive one, as has already been noted, and the success of stories like Mikan (Mandarin Oranges, 1919) and Aki (Autumn, 1920) prompted him to turn his attention increasingly to modern materials. This, along with the introspection occasioned by growing health and nervous problems, resulted in a series of autobiographically-based stories known as Yasukichi-mono, after the name of the main character. Works such as Daidōji Shinsuke no hansei(The Early Life of
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June 15, 2024
I sank once and for all into the darkness between lives
What is truth? Is being in accord with fact or reality can be called as truth? And what are facts or realities in that case? It is often said that a fact or reality may be an unquestionable data about various aspects of a circumstance, but is our reality unquestionable? We have come a long way from the perceived veracity of reality in ancient times to be evolved to accept that reality may not be fixed or universal, in fact it could be subjective and flexible. We say that reality is the encapsulation of everything exist in our universe but what if our universe is just projection or simulation, then how could be the reality of such universe may be assumed to be existent or how could we ignore the possibility of our reality being imaginary. What could be said about the nature of truth arising from such a reality? Aren’t we too pristine and biased to divide our reality in truth or falsehood, shouldn’t we do away with our fixation of binaries which appear to be too obsolete to our current times.
Perhaps we need to start from the basic premise, with the ontological question that is it even possible to define the truth, could we distinguish things or circumstances as true or false, is there no truth beyond our truth; and how does truth constitute our knowledge, if we now know that truth may not be absolute, then how the knowledge arising out of it could not be relative. So could we say that the truth of various people may differ from each other and it is more a matter of positioning than of factual absolute? Perhaps it is rather difficult to ascertain the vantage point from where one could see the entire truth, we know our knowledge develops from our truths, which in turn vary as per our experiences, so in essence, we can formulate only our version of truth which may not be in unison with that of others. It brings us to an intriguing possibility that perhaps the truth is fragmented.
link: source
Let us assume for the time being the very basic and innocuous concept that truth is being accordance with the facts, but can we say with authority that these facts are true and authentic experiences of a being. We see in Akutagawa’s story- In a Grove that facts which are taken as truths, are more or less secondhand experiences of people as they put forth these experiences to us, the readers, through the Magistrate. Even if we assume these experiences to be true, being not the firsthand accounts, these acquaintances of truth always carry substantial element of doubt and considerable ground for suspicion. Let’s explore the problem of truth by further delving down into its being, people often feel they are saying the truth, but then again, they may not be as well, since our experiences and thereby our truths are limited to our senses of perception.
On further diving down into the very essence of the problem of truth, we may find something frightening about human nature which shakes us from inside with a shudder since we are talking about ourselves as if looking into a mirror reflecting our own abyss. It is interesting to note that often people may lie about these ‘truthful’ experiences since, generally, our truth gets contaminated by our quintessential virtues of self-interest, lust, vigor, power or beauty. If we look at the psychological level, we will find that human beings have a natural tendency to look for acceptance, in other words, to be heard by others, perhaps that makes us social, and it gives us a sense of importance and power whenever we get even slightest of a chance to express ourselves. The tendency to fulfill our innate desire of power may often lead us to path of deceit, lie or cover up, at times we may go up to such an extent our mind start believing it is our new, transformed truth to give us a feel of creating a unique version of humanity. It brings us to consider another intriguing problem of human existence, that is to explore the nature of our memory, can we say with a commanding jurisdiction that our memories are reliable when the basic nature of our truth is questionable.
In a Grove contains fragments of truths which are told by various people as different versions of the same event, what really intriguing to note is not that how many fragments of truths are conjured up to tell the story but the manner in which they are put forth in front of the readers, by twisting, lying, deceitfully transforming or hiding the pieces of the story which makes it a quizzing puzzle. In the universe of Akutagawa, the reader can’ t be left alone to passively enjoy the story from a distance, and what better example of it could be than this story which truly existential in nature and forces the reader to come out of his comfort zone and flex his mental muscles to arrange various pieces of the puzzling tale and thereby to explore the probable truth or truths, to be more precise. It is like a captivating riddle which you try to solve multiple times but every time it gets better of you.
While certain details of various accounts of the murder (which is expectedly not central theme of the story) by various people including the testimonies of innocuous looking woodcutter, a sacred priest, a dubious policeman, a sympathetic old woman, and confession of a seemingly terrifying bandit, and oscillating accounts of husband and wife, may match but it is difficult to ascertain who is telling truth or who is not leaving, just like human beings. Moreover, we never get to know that version of Magistrate whom all these people are submitting their testimonies and some confessions as well, and further there is a possibility of twisting the facts by the person who may be recording these accounts, so it leaves us with tantalizing possibility that perhaps all are victims and guilty at the same time. In fact, it leads to another fascinating possibility that perhaps there may not be one single possible story framed out of these dubious accounts of various characters of the story, rather there could be multiple possibilities in the story which are pleasingly left to the cognizance of the reader. However, one may feel an intense desire to read it again after finishing it, but on multiple readings you may contradict our own convictions leaving you to wonder at the beauty of the tale.
link: source
Though the story has been written quite early as far as the age of literature is concerned but it gives rise to the captivating and much sought after concept of unreliable narrators, the concept which has been extensively explored in the art movement of modernism. The fabulous tale of Akutagawa stands tall in the litmus test of time and perfectly encapsulates our modern world of fake news, grandiose narratives, and social media hypes. The story underlines the fact that there could not be any absolute truth and it reminds me of A Heart So White by Javier Marias, which deals with the fact that how do we assimilate knowledge and perceive truth.
January 12, 2018
Concatenated thoughts #1 - #2
[previous] ...In a Grove; another fine inspiration for Kurosawa's film. This story includes four testimonies, one confession, one repentance and a final account concerning the murder of Kanazawa no Takehiro, a 26 year-old samurai, and the rape of his wife, a 19 year-old woman named Masago, by a notorious brigand known as Tajōmaru. Those might be the most accurate details of the entire story since there are many contradictions among all the people involved in this case, making it impossible for the reader to actually know the truth, even when there might not be such a thing... rather than realities naturally connected with subjectivity. The witnesses' inconsistencies might have not been on purpose. Some sort of explanation can be found in the obvious fact that our memory is not completely reliable. Therefore, inconsequential details or relevant events might get lost in a sea of information, especially to those who are not used to such things that eventually improve one's observation skills. However, I do not believe the same can be said about the other three characters: the samurai (in fact, his spirit), his wife and the criminal, for they all have good reasons to invent, embellish or distort their versions to save their lives and honor.
A lie works as a mechanism of self-preservation for most people.
The plot revolves around some interesting themes that include the inability to know an absolute truth since everything seems to be contaminated by our impressions; self-interest, beauty and lust, dishonor and the atrocities a person is willing to do to remedy that situation, the ephemeral essence of our existence and the heinous rationalization behind the act of taking somebody else's life.
'Truly human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning', stated the traveling Buddhist priest in his testimony.
Since the film gave me the absurd idea of merging these reviews, it is only fair to say that Kurosawa's approach differs a bit from Akutagawa's story, where ambiguity controls every aspect of it. But the movie is something you do not want to miss due to stunning performances, sublime music and the symbolism they have employed that is simply mesmerizing, ranging from particular elements to a dichotomy conveyed through an exquisite use of light. Besides, you haven't cinematographically (?) lived until you see Mifune fluctuating between serious dialogues and sudden outbursts of laughter with his unique voice.
Anyway, as the book reaches its peak, everything seems rather superfluous. Even words. There was an implied communication between some of the characters in which many things were said through the eyes. A poetic interpretation would not apply here, since I believe they did it to find whatever they were resolved to find. Another excuse to justify their actions. Nonetheless, in the end, I suppose they were all guilty as they were victims.
The story ends with the account of the murdered samurai as told through a medium. It is the part I loved the most since it allowed me to take a glimpse at Akutagawa's beautiful and poignant writing, something that could not exist in the previous attempt to describe cold, hard facts. A desire for truth. An absolute truth that might never be able to avoid the contact with our personal experiences, our opinions, our interests. Our ego.
Jan 23, 16
* Also on my blog.
[previous] ...In a Grove; another fine inspiration for Kurosawa's film. This story includes four testimonies, one confession, one repentance and a final account concerning the murder of Kanazawa no Takehiro, a 26 year-old samurai, and the rape of his wife, a 19 year-old woman named Masago, by a notorious brigand known as Tajōmaru. Those might be the most accurate details of the entire story since there are many contradictions among all the people involved in this case, making it impossible for the reader to actually know the truth, even when there might not be such a thing... rather than realities naturally connected with subjectivity. The witnesses' inconsistencies might have not been on purpose. Some sort of explanation can be found in the obvious fact that our memory is not completely reliable. Therefore, inconsequential details or relevant events might get lost in a sea of information, especially to those who are not used to such things that eventually improve one's observation skills. However, I do not believe the same can be said about the other three characters: the samurai (in fact, his spirit), his wife and the criminal, for they all have good reasons to invent, embellish or distort their versions to save their lives and honor.
A lie works as a mechanism of self-preservation for most people.
Am I the only one who kills people? You, you don't use your swords. You kill people with your power, with your money. Sometimes you kill them on the pretext of working for their good... It's hard to say who is a greater sinner, you or me.
The plot revolves around some interesting themes that include the inability to know an absolute truth since everything seems to be contaminated by our impressions; self-interest, beauty and lust, dishonor and the atrocities a person is willing to do to remedy that situation, the ephemeral essence of our existence and the heinous rationalization behind the act of taking somebody else's life.
'Truly human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning', stated the traveling Buddhist priest in his testimony.
Since the film gave me the absurd idea of merging these reviews, it is only fair to say that Kurosawa's approach differs a bit from Akutagawa's story, where ambiguity controls every aspect of it. But the movie is something you do not want to miss due to stunning performances, sublime music and the symbolism they have employed that is simply mesmerizing, ranging from particular elements to a dichotomy conveyed through an exquisite use of light. Besides, you haven't cinematographically (?) lived until you see Mifune fluctuating between serious dialogues and sudden outbursts of laughter with his unique voice.
Anyway, as the book reaches its peak, everything seems rather superfluous. Even words. There was an implied communication between some of the characters in which many things were said through the eyes. A poetic interpretation would not apply here, since I believe they did it to find whatever they were resolved to find. Another excuse to justify their actions. Nonetheless, in the end, I suppose they were all guilty as they were victims.
The story ends with the account of the murdered samurai as told through a medium. It is the part I loved the most since it allowed me to take a glimpse at Akutagawa's beautiful and poignant writing, something that could not exist in the previous attempt to describe cold, hard facts. A desire for truth. An absolute truth that might never be able to avoid the contact with our personal experiences, our opinions, our interests. Our ego.
[home]
Jan 23, 16
* Also on my blog.
January 17, 2019
Read as part of my binge on Japanese writers (especially Akutagawa), This excellent short story brings into question the accuracy of the human perception and fully illustrates our tendency to lie.
Akutagawa excels in examining the darker side of our nature, and the great thing about this story is he doesn't really provide the reader with a distinction between what are the truths and what are merely fabrications. We get certain information, and it's up to us to form the puzzle and make out the story for it to be rational. There is a series of testimonials, seven in fact, about a murder. And the further the story moves along, your beliefs or ideas of what truly happened would be contradicted by another person's account, constantly sending the reader on a Merry-Go-Round of suspicion. 4/5
Akutagawa excels in examining the darker side of our nature, and the great thing about this story is he doesn't really provide the reader with a distinction between what are the truths and what are merely fabrications. We get certain information, and it's up to us to form the puzzle and make out the story for it to be rational. There is a series of testimonials, seven in fact, about a murder. And the further the story moves along, your beliefs or ideas of what truly happened would be contradicted by another person's account, constantly sending the reader on a Merry-Go-Round of suspicion. 4/5
January 16, 2015
This story is contained in one or two of the anthologies of Akutagawa's short stories. The easiest to get hold of might be Rashamon and Other Stories or Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories.
I'm hovering on the brink of giving this particular short story 5 stars, just for the premise alone. ( Having more than one protagonist (or no specific protagonist at all) , and the differing viewpoints that these protagonsists have on the same set of events.)
The translation also came across as a lot more elegant than some of Akutagawa's other stories. I've heard that the film that was partly based on this story, Kurosawa's film "Rashomon", actually improves on the characterizations, and if so, I don't want to give the story top marks if it could conceivably have been even better.
I'll write a proper review once I've had a chance to view the film.
In the meantime, may I once more express my disgruntled irritation that GR doesn't allow for half-stars, in which case I could have slipped out of my predicament by giving this 4 and a half stars.
I'm hovering on the brink of giving this particular short story 5 stars, just for the premise alone. ( Having more than one protagonist (or no specific protagonist at all) , and the differing viewpoints that these protagonsists have on the same set of events.)
The translation also came across as a lot more elegant than some of Akutagawa's other stories. I've heard that the film that was partly based on this story, Kurosawa's film "Rashomon", actually improves on the characterizations, and if so, I don't want to give the story top marks if it could conceivably have been even better.
I'll write a proper review once I've had a chance to view the film.
In the meantime, may I once more express my disgruntled irritation that GR doesn't allow for half-stars, in which case I could have slipped out of my predicament by giving this 4 and a half stars.
July 22, 2023
This is a masterful short story that skillfully delves into the enigmatic nature of truth. By presenting conflicting accounts of a crime, it compels readers to question the reliability of individual perspectives and the elusive concept of objective truth. Is truth an absolute reality, or does it shift depending on the storyteller? How do our biases and perspectives shape the truth we perceive, and can an absolute truth ever be attained? These questions linger, and leaves us contemplating the intricacies of human perception and the complexity of reality itself.
August 12, 2017
Simply Amazing.
January 5, 2016
In the end, it's still not clear what the truth is, given that all three have different things to defend and hide. I suspect that even the ghost wants to preserve as much of his honor as possible even after death.
September 6, 2021
In a Grove is a short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa that served as the basis of Akira Kurosawa's classic movie, Rashomon (title based on another short story by the same writer).
The story is about the murder of a samurai through the account of various witnesses. The interesting thing being that every account varies in some aspect. Akutagawa has written the short story in an intelligent fashion, the differing and contradictory accounts of the witnesses exploring multiple realities and questioning the unreliability of eye witnesses.
It is an enjoyable short story and worth one's time .
The story is about the murder of a samurai through the account of various witnesses. The interesting thing being that every account varies in some aspect. Akutagawa has written the short story in an intelligent fashion, the differing and contradictory accounts of the witnesses exploring multiple realities and questioning the unreliability of eye witnesses.
It is an enjoyable short story and worth one's time .
July 1, 2012
Simplicity is ever so complex. I have to admit that I read this short story mainly because of Kurosawa's Rashomon, which I consider one of the best movies by the best filmmakers in the history of the moving picture which, despite its age and style as we see it with our so-called modern eyes, transcends both time and place. I first did not like this short story, and gave it two stars, mainly because, as they are by definition, short stories are short and I wanted to keep on reading and was left hungry for more. Then I read and re-read it, again and again, and found myself hooked, and still found something new each time, yet still could not find where the truth lied. In 10 pages, Akutagawa has captured the millions shades of grey of the human spirit. This is truly a five star.
April 14, 2024
Akutagawa plays the consummate illusionist throughout the entire narrative, keeping the reader bewildered and frequently reflective. Akutagawa has skillfully highlighted the complexity of human psyche through his unconventional narrative style. And it is precisely because of this that this will always be regarded as a cult classic.
May 13, 2022
Truly this gave me nothing. I have no idea who committed the murder.There are 7 narrators here but I feel like only three of them are directly involved in the crime so I'll ignore the other four. Eyewitness is unreliable anyway. Now I could say stuff about how this book brings to light the subjectivity of experience and how truth can never be verified blah blah blah. I'm not gonna do that. If there's no answer I'll invent one.
This is my take on things.
1) The robber does not seem to be very ashamed of being a rapist. He doesn't seem to have any guilt toward murder and there is a line where he proclaims how terribly inconvenient it is to murder the man. However I feel like he knows they're gonna sentence him to prison anyway and wants to write a story where he is heroic and murders the man cause the woman asked. He does not , I believe , murder the man.
2) She kills the dude. She is ashamed and sees the shame reflected in his eyes and kills him. In order to absolve herself she says that the husband asked her to kill him.
3) The husband cannot believe such a horrible thing happened to him and maintains that he killed himself in order to preserve his agency over his life.
(I believe the robber was taken aback by the woman's request and asks the husband if he should kill her which makes him like the robber. The robber then does not kill the man. This may even be the point where she runs?)
I'm open to different interpretations tho. I'm just upset there are none in the reviews.Gotta go read some analysis of this.
This is my take on things.
1) The robber does not seem to be very ashamed of being a rapist. He doesn't seem to have any guilt toward murder and there is a line where he proclaims how terribly inconvenient it is to murder the man. However I feel like he knows they're gonna sentence him to prison anyway and wants to write a story where he is heroic and murders the man cause the woman asked. He does not , I believe , murder the man.
2) She kills the dude. She is ashamed and sees the shame reflected in his eyes and kills him. In order to absolve herself she says that the husband asked her to kill him.
3) The husband cannot believe such a horrible thing happened to him and maintains that he killed himself in order to preserve his agency over his life.
(I believe the robber was taken aback by the woman's request and asks the husband if he should kill her which makes him like the robber. The robber then does not kill the man. This may even be the point where she runs?)
I'm open to different interpretations tho. I'm just upset there are none in the reviews.Gotta go read some analysis of this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2012
Oh what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive. - Sir Walter Scott
I felt this story was not really about different perspectives on a crime, distorted by panic and shoddy memory. You don't forget or misremember a fact like stabbing and killing a guy (or not). And yet there are multiple killers admitting to doing their task individually?
I think this is more of a story about the depths of the human psyche, which has its own reasons to deceive... take blame for crimes undone or done as to protect themselves or others.
Who did it? who knows... Who cares?
Nonetheless, quite a disappointing read given the high ratings.
I felt this story was not really about different perspectives on a crime, distorted by panic and shoddy memory. You don't forget or misremember a fact like stabbing and killing a guy (or not). And yet there are multiple killers admitting to doing their task individually?
I think this is more of a story about the depths of the human psyche, which has its own reasons to deceive... take blame for crimes undone or done as to protect themselves or others.
Who did it? who knows... Who cares?
Nonetheless, quite a disappointing read given the high ratings.
September 4, 2022
i love this story- the film too, is amazing. slightly different and goes more deeper, but they’re both very good (the film is actually called rashomon, though)
i love mysteries like this
i love mysteries like this
January 30, 2017
Un relato genial.
No llega a las 10 páginas, lo podéis leer aquí: http://www.medellindigital.gov.co/Med...
Y una reseña aquí: http://revista.abretelibro.com/2011/0...
No llega a las 10 páginas, lo podéis leer aquí: http://www.medellindigital.gov.co/Med...
Y una reseña aquí: http://revista.abretelibro.com/2011/0...
March 21, 2017
This was just 14 pages long on eBook (and 6 pages on paper), yet it had the ability to make my classmates and I crazy. Read it, and you'll find yourself doing this face:
November 27, 2023
از شدت زیبایی این متن از سخن عاجز شدم :)))))
"When I kill a man, I do it with my sword, but people like you don't use swords. You gentlemen kill with your power, with your money, and sometimes just with your words: you tell people you're doing them a favor. True, no blood flows, the man is still alive, but you've killed him all the same. I don't know whose sin is greater - yours or mine.
(A sarcastic smile.) "
P.s: like he may be a murderer but at least he never pretended that he wasn't!!!! He confessed it. The honesty involved in this dialogue is just so pure and desirable :)) He is a beast and he'd just faced it. There's no mask included. And yet there's people who can't take his truth.
P.s 2: This short story revolves around the fact that sometimes human beings can't be trusted with what they might perceive as truth and it may be falsified with one's biased perception towards an incident.
Also truth can be multifaceted and it may overlap sometimes.
"When I kill a man, I do it with my sword, but people like you don't use swords. You gentlemen kill with your power, with your money, and sometimes just with your words: you tell people you're doing them a favor. True, no blood flows, the man is still alive, but you've killed him all the same. I don't know whose sin is greater - yours or mine.
(A sarcastic smile.) "
P.s: like he may be a murderer but at least he never pretended that he wasn't!!!! He confessed it. The honesty involved in this dialogue is just so pure and desirable :)) He is a beast and he'd just faced it. There's no mask included. And yet there's people who can't take his truth.
P.s 2: This short story revolves around the fact that sometimes human beings can't be trusted with what they might perceive as truth and it may be falsified with one's biased perception towards an incident.
Also truth can be multifaceted and it may overlap sometimes.
December 4, 2023
ლიტ. და პოლიტიკის კურსის მასალაშია ეს მოთხრობა შეტანილი და უბედნიერესი ვარ, რომ ძლივს ისეთ რაღაცას ვსწავლობ, რაც მართლა მაინტერესებს.
აკუტაგავასთან პირველად მქონდა შეხება და ძალიან კმაყოფილი ვარ. წყალივით იკითხება. მივხვდი, reading slump-ში რომ ვარ მხოლოდ ჩემი ბრალი არაა.
შოპენჰაუერის გამონათქვამი - "სამყარო არის ჩემი წარმოდგენა" გამახსენდა კითხვისას.
აკუტაგავასთან პირველად მქონდა შეხება და ძალიან კმაყოფილი ვარ. წყალივით იკითხება. მივხვდი, reading slump-ში რომ ვარ მხოლოდ ჩემი ბრალი არაა.
შოპენჰაუერის გამონათქვამი - "სამყარო არის ჩემი წარმოდგენა" გამახსენდა კითხვისას.
April 17, 2023
Esperaba más de este cuento.
February 4, 2022
Is this story really about a rape and murder, or about marriage? Ingenious and delicate, by retelling the events from multiple perspectives, the author sheds light not only on different aspects of human nature, but on details of late medieval Japanese culture, making this a bit of a double treat.
In A Grove (1922) is the short story that inspired Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950). The broad strokes of the tale can be seen despite the contradictions in the patchy, overlapping narratives. What the author is trying to demonstrate is that there are different levels of truth (just as Georg Cantor proved that there are different levels of infinity). Broader truths may persist and remain whole and coherent even if their constituent pieces are flawed or faulty.
That the story's impact has been profound can be seen in that the word "Rashomon" has become an essential part of our cultural lexicon - like "Orwellian" and "Lovecraftian" - to express with a single word the idea that a shared experience can give rise to a collection of fragmented and seemingly irreconcilable observations shaped by the perceptions, preconceptions and psychosocial makeups of the various observers, ultimately revealing more about the observers themselves than the thing they observe.
In A Grove (1922) is the short story that inspired Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950). The broad strokes of the tale can be seen despite the contradictions in the patchy, overlapping narratives. What the author is trying to demonstrate is that there are different levels of truth (just as Georg Cantor proved that there are different levels of infinity). Broader truths may persist and remain whole and coherent even if their constituent pieces are flawed or faulty.
That the story's impact has been profound can be seen in that the word "Rashomon" has become an essential part of our cultural lexicon - like "Orwellian" and "Lovecraftian" - to express with a single word the idea that a shared experience can give rise to a collection of fragmented and seemingly irreconcilable observations shaped by the perceptions, preconceptions and psychosocial makeups of the various observers, ultimately revealing more about the observers themselves than the thing they observe.
August 27, 2018
This is the most well known modern Japanese short story owing to it being the plot of Akira Kurosawa's Rashōmon. The basic plot is a murder and rape occurs, but no one who witnesses it (4 to 5 people) can agree on how or what the details of it are. This story gives a great insight into how who we are can effect how we perceive even basic things.
October 30, 2017
Ոճը շատ հետաքրքիր էր:
January 4, 2021
Cada quien desde su perspectiva y conveniencia...
February 10, 2023
Interesante:
En el bosque
Aburrido:
La nariz
Rashomon
En el bosque
Aburrido:
La nariz
Rashomon
December 30, 2022
Puntuación: 2.5/5 Mej
Me pareció regular, medio aburrido.
Me pareció regular, medio aburrido.
March 24, 2022
What a fine read. I see, so I found another crazy author. He's definitely going to be on my list.
October 28, 2016
I haven’t watched Rashōmon by Akira Kurosawa yet, but reading this story for the first time made me relate it to another film I have watched not so long ago, Thailand's The Outrage. I remember being both amused and mystified by the incongruity of the plot and how the movie had left me wanting to pull my hair strands unnecessarily—a bad habit whenever I mull over things—because it drastically ended without any definitive conclusion.
And it is exactly how it was in this story. There is the plot story (the murder of a samurai), the premise (i.e. a dead samurai, his missing weapons, his missing wife), the conflict (varying affidavits of the murder as told by seven individuals), but the conclusion as to who among them tells the truth is left for the readers to decide, and this conjecture leads to even more questions than answers.
Two realizations after this read: One, the human mind is indeed so perplexing; and two, I now want to watch Rashōmon.
And it is exactly how it was in this story. There is the plot story (the murder of a samurai), the premise (i.e. a dead samurai, his missing weapons, his missing wife), the conflict (varying affidavits of the murder as told by seven individuals), but the conclusion as to who among them tells the truth is left for the readers to decide, and this conjecture leads to even more questions than answers.
Two realizations after this read: One, the human mind is indeed so perplexing; and two, I now want to watch Rashōmon.
June 21, 2013
In a Grove is simply amazing. If you haven't read it yet, well, I'm telling you to read it right now and you will never regret it. This story brings into question the accuracy of the human perception and fully illustrates our tendency to lie. But the thing about this story is Ryūnosuke Akutagawa didn't really provide us with a distinction between what the truths are and what are merely fabrications. What he did is provide us with information, and it would be up to the readers to form the puzzle and make out the story for it to be rational. This is a series of testimonials about a murder. And as you go on reading along, your former belief of what really happened would be contradicted by another person's account...leaving the readers to wonder what really happened after all.
July 26, 2013
Seven different accounts of the same murder from seven different characters. All in a short story of about thirty pages.
Incredible! Wow!
A must read!
Incredible! Wow!
A must read!
April 30, 2022
Unreliable narrator? Pfft how about seven of them
October 21, 2019
In a Grove is a very short story that can be read in under 20 minutes. It tells the story of a murder that happens in a bamboo grove, except that it is not actually one story, but mainly three.
The book is written as a compilation of interviews with 5 people who have some kind of contact with the incident. The Woodcutter who found the body, The bandit who claims killing the victim, A Priest who heard confession from a woman who most certainly is the wife of the murdered, her mother, and the spirit of the dead person through a medium. Even though they are interviewed, there is only one person talking (you don't see the questions asked) which is something new to me and really interesting.
The problem with this book is that it ends with no ending at all. I assume this is what the author wanted, to let us decide whose story was the true one.
Now, I actually picked up this book when I found out it has a movie adaptation I wanted to see for so long:, Rashomon. Even though the author published another story with this name, In a grove is the actual story upon which Rashomon movie has been adapted.
Let's talk about the movie: it must be really hard to make a movie out of a 14-page story, because the movie has a lot of unnecessary scenes and additions. The worst part in my opinion is the acting (it almost made the movie comical, and also there were a few things that didn't make sense) but the the message was the same: we all tell lies. We are still not informed which story is the true one, it is up to us to decide. The bottom line is, each one may hide some part of the truth out of shame of being exposed.
The book is written as a compilation of interviews with 5 people who have some kind of contact with the incident. The Woodcutter who found the body, The bandit who claims killing the victim, A Priest who heard confession from a woman who most certainly is the wife of the murdered, her mother, and the spirit of the dead person through a medium. Even though they are interviewed, there is only one person talking (you don't see the questions asked) which is something new to me and really interesting.
The problem with this book is that it ends with no ending at all. I assume this is what the author wanted, to let us decide whose story was the true one.
Now, I actually picked up this book when I found out it has a movie adaptation I wanted to see for so long:, Rashomon. Even though the author published another story with this name, In a grove is the actual story upon which Rashomon movie has been adapted.
Let's talk about the movie: it must be really hard to make a movie out of a 14-page story, because the movie has a lot of unnecessary scenes and additions. The worst part in my opinion is the acting (it almost made the movie comical, and also there were a few things that didn't make sense) but the the message was the same: we all tell lies. We are still not informed which story is the true one, it is up to us to decide. The bottom line is, each one may hide some part of the truth out of shame of being exposed.
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