Harune Sataka: The Joy of Lively Reading

2022/12/09

When I was in junior high school, I first encountered the work "The Water Margin," albeit through a translation. The heroes who appear in the work drink wine, eat meat, run wild, get very angry, laugh a lot, and sometimes cry a lot. It is lively through and through. I was so shocked by that vivid world that, before I knew it, I couldn't get out. Now, more than 20 years later, I have become a fledgling researcher, focusing on "The Water Margin" and studying popular novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Popular novels of this era are also visually lively. Mainly from the late Ming dynasty onwards, books containing additional elements called "pingdian" (commentary) were actively published alongside the main text of the novel. There are two elements to pingdian. One is the critic's comments on the main text, which are placed in various formats: next to the characters, in the top margin, inserted between lines, or placed before and after each episode. The other is symbols placed next to the characters in the text to emphasize highlights, with various types used such as "ヽ," "〇," "◎," and "△."

Particularly lively is the version of "The Water Margin" annotated by Jin Shengtan, a literatus of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The volume of his commentary is enormous, sometimes exceeding the amount of the main text itself. What stands out is his detailed analysis of literary expression, but his character critiques, which blatantly show his likes and dislikes, are also interesting. For his favorite, Li Kui, he praises even the smallest actions without missing a beat, affectionately calling him "Li Dage" (Elder Brother Li). On the other hand, for Song Jiang, whom he hates, he also doesn't miss a single minor action and insists that they are all schemes. Since I am also a fan of Li Kui, I find myself agreeing in my head, thinking "Yes, exactly!" while reading Jin Shengtan's comments. However, since I don't dislike Song Jiang either, I also complain in my head, "Isn't that a bit harsh?" My mind is very lively as well.

Research must be conducted calmly and objectively. I am well aware of that, but my research subjects try to stir my emotions with their various forms of liveliness. However, if they weren't such beings, I surely would never have thought of pursuing the path of research. Now, for those of you lamenting that your enjoyment has decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, how about entering the world of "The Water Margin" tonight and drinking and making a fuss to your heart's content?