Frank
Hello, this is Frank.
Allow me to share my impressions, quoting from a particularly insightful review found at the end of the book.
(The wedding banquet of the Sumoto and Hitotsubashi families has now reached the dessert course…)
With this striking opening, the story unfolds as a speech delivered by a mere “junior” guest at a wedding banquet. As we read on, the protagonist’s toast—delivered as someone who knows both the bride and groom—grows increasingly daring.
At first, there are cheers and laughter, but gradually the room falls silent, as if water has been poured over it. By the end, jeers and heckling fill the air.
Words such as “magnificent wedding celebration,” “vows of eternal companionship,” and “sweat pouring down” occasionally appear—archaic and difficult phrases that, paradoxically, add a unique charm to the work. The final scene describes the now-empty banquet hall:
(…The hall, now desolate and devoid of people, saw even the once dazzling chandeliers’ lights flicker and fade away…)
On a personal note, I’m reminded of an experience from about 25 years ago, when I was invited as the guest of honor at a former student’s wedding. I still remember it well because most of the cash gift I gave as a congratulatory present was returned to me as a “transportation fee.”
To my surprise, my speech as the guest of honor was a huge hit. My student was an ENT doctor, and most of the guests were professors or doctors themselves.
MC: “Now, let’s hear a few words from Frank Yoshida, business consultant and instructor of English and Spanish.”
Wearing a decidedly out-of-place moss green double-breasted suit, I stood up, looked around, took a deep breath, and declared:
Me: “Well, I must say, this is the gloomiest wedding I’ve ever attended.”
I felt bad for my student, the groom, but the wedding really was dark and not fun at all. I simply spoke my mind, but it brought the house down—the entire hall erupted in laughter.
The classic work “Kashoku,” written with a playful spirit by a great author of the past, is both humorous and tinged with a certain loneliness. The language, so different from my own speech, highlights the gap between eras. Yet, I suspect that sense of not quite fitting in was something both I and the story’s guests shared.
Perhaps this sense of being out of step with the times is one of the pleasures of literature. Why not put down your smartphone for a while this evening and indulge in a bit of “learning from the past” through these literary gems?
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新品価格 |
Thank you for reading today.
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