Harune Sataka: The Joy of Lively Reading

When I was in junior high school, I first encountered the work "Water Margin," albeit through translation. The heroes who appear in the work drink wine, devour meat, run wild, get very angry, laugh heartily, and sometimes cry loudly. It is lively to the extreme. I was shocked by that vivid world and, before I knew it, I could no longer escape it. Now, more than 20 years later, I have become a fledgling researcher, focusing on "Water Margin" and studying popular novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

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

Particularly lively is the version of "Water Margin" commented on 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 minute analysis of literary expression, but his character evaluations, which blatantly show his likes and dislikes, are also interesting. For his favorite, Li Kui, he never misses even the slightest word or action to praise him, affectionately calling him "Li Dage" (Big Brother Li). On the other hand, for Song Jiang, whom he hates, he also never misses the slightest word or action, insisting 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 commentary. However, since I don't dislike Song Jiang either, I also complain in my head, "Isn't that a bit harsh?" My mind is also very lively.

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 "Water Margin" tonight and drinking and making merry to your heart's content?