In this blog post, I’ll summarize the plot and share my thoughts on Jules Verne’s novel ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’. Plot On July 20, 1866, the Hagin’s, sailing in the waters east of Australia, was attacked by an unidentified monster and wrecked. A few days later, on July 23, a fishing boat in the Pacific was stranded after being attacked by the same monster, and a...
Why did Platonov become a banned author in the Soviet Union despite being a communist?
In this blog post, we will carefully examine Platonov’s contradictory life and literary journey—including his major works and biography—to understand why he was criticized and banned during his lifetime and how he came to be reevaluated after his death. Platonov’s Life and Work The history of Andrei Platonov and the reception of his works is as contradictory and ambivalent as the fate of...
Who do the “two Adams” in ‘Frankenstein’ refer to?
In this blog post, I will interpret Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ through the lens of the “two Adams” to examine the tragedy and moral responsibility entangled between the creator and the creation. The Plot and Tragic Atmosphere of the Work Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ is a tale of ruin brought about by a genius scientist’s forbidden quest. When a young scientist...
What does this three-generation story, which goes beyond a tempestuous romance, reveal?
In this blog post, I’d like to explore why Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ can be read not merely as a story of tempestuous love, but as an epic drama spanning three generations. Emily Brontë was born on July 30, 1818, in a rural village in Yorkshire, northern England, and spent most of her life at the Haworth parsonage—where her father, Patrick Brontë, served as a...
Why Are Aldous Huxley and “Brave New World” Still Read Today?
In this blog post, I’ll summarize Aldous Huxley’s background and literary world, focusing in particular on the significance and influence of “Brave New World.” The Author and His Family Background Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) is one of the leading British authors of the 20th century. He came from a distinguished family of scholars and writers; his grandfather, Thomas Henry Huxley, was a...
The Path of Spain as Seen Through Ortega’s ‘Meditations on Don Quixote’
In this blog post, I will examine Spain’s intellectual tradition and the issue of modernity through the lens of José Ortega y Gasset’s ‘Meditations on Don Quixote’, and summarize the development of his thought along with its literary and philosophical implications. The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets and the Suffocation of Thought Whenever I speak about Spain’s intellectual...
The Meaning of Socrates’ “Poisoned Cup” and “One Chicken”: The Role and Courage of the Intellectual
In this blog post, we will take a detailed look at the theme of the role and courage of the intellectual, focusing on the significance of the “poisoned cup” and “one chicken” as depicted in the scene of Socrates’ death. What is the meaning of the “poisoned cup”? Greek scholar Alexander Elliott concludes his play ‘The Trial’—which dramatizes the process from Socrates’ trial to...
Why Does the Novel ‘The Dead’ Focus on Reincarnation Rather Than Death?
In this blog post, we’ll examine how the recurring imagery of death in the novel ‘The Dead’ shapes the concept of “the dead” and creates a narrative of reincarnation, using the examples of Negeli and Amakasu. Introduction This novel begins with a shocking depiction of death right from the first chapter. Chapter 1 describes a Japanese officer committing seppuku, which is filmed...
Where does the enduring vitality of Isaiah Berlin’s biography of Marx come from?
In this blog post, we will examine Isaiah Berlin’s biography of Marx and the reasons for its enduring vitality. Isaiah Berlin and the Two Concepts of Liberty Isaiah Berlin is widely recognized as a leading political theorist and scholar of the history of ideas in the latter half of the 20th century. He gained widespread recognition for his 1958 lecture, “Two Concepts of Liberty.” This...
What kind of work is Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess’, and what was the author trying to convey?
In this blog post, we will explore the literary world and plot of Thomas Hardy and his masterpiece, ‘Tess’, to examine the work’s literary significance. Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was a leading novelist and poet of the late Victorian era. He reached the pinnacle of late Victorian British literature as a novelist and was also highly regarded as a poet. Using his hometown of Dorset...