1Q84 1,2,3권을 다보고 나서

1Q84 3 - 10月-12月 ㅣ 1Q84
무라카미 하루키 지음, 양윤옥 옮김 / 문학동네 / 2010년 7월

특별히 어떤 책을 떠나서, 하루종일 한 권의 책을 잡고 시간을 보낸다는 것이, 과연 시간을 '사용하는' 것인지, '죽이고 있는' 것인지 모를 때가 많다. 재미없는 책을 읽고 있다면 시간을 죽이는 것이고, 재밌는 책을 읽고 있다면 시간을 사용하고 있는 것일까? 오늘 하루종일 1Q84 3권을 읽는다고 하루를 소모했는데, 약간 허무하기도하고, 책 3권의 대장정을 끝냈다는 것에 뿌듯하기도 하고 그렇다. 대체적으로 무라카미 하루키의 소설을 읽고 있을 때면, 시간을 '죽인다'는 생각은 잘 들지 않는데도, 3권은 아무래도 너무 끄는 경향이 있었다. 리뷰적기에 약간 피곤한 지금.

책이 3권까지 다 나왔을 때 한꺼번에 사길 잘했다는 생각이든다. 2권까지 보고 3권을 기다려야하는 심정이었다면...덜덜 그런찝찝한거 싫다. 1권, 2권, 3권 중에 2권이 제일 재밌었던 것 같다. 주인공들의 활동이 가장 활발하고, 플롯적인 요소가 제일 많이 들어있다. 글 하나 기막히게 잘쓰는 하루키의 글솜씨에 집중'하기'보다는 아주 자연스럽게 집중'된다'랄까. 여하튼 재밌다.  하루키가 글 속에 또다른 이야기를 집어넣는 액자식 구성은 잘 취하지 않는 걸로 알고 있는데, 이 소설에서는 특별히 소설 속의 소설장치 '공기 번데기' 의 내용이 이 글의 핵심을 담당하고 그게 무슨 의미일지 생각해가면서 읽는 것이 이 소설의 묘미이다.

판타지적 요소가 많아서 그런지, 상징적인 것들이 많이 나온다. 리틀피플, 마더, 도터, 두개의 달, 공기번데기, 그리고 1Q84년도...이런 것들이 사실상 다 무엇을 말하려는 걸까....라는 생각을  가지고 현실상황과 연관지으려고 노력하다보니, 읽는 도중에 머리가 지끈거리기도 했다. 가령 1Q84와 조지 오웰의 1984년과의 연관관계.. 이 소설이 1984에서 모티프를 따왔다는 것은 당연한 거지만, 특히나 그 중에서도 무엇이 연관되는가이런것이 알고 싶었다. (조지오웰의 1984는 하도 어렸을때 읽어봐서 기억조차 가물가물하다. 조만간 다시 읽어봐야지ㅋ) 1Q84야 1984년도에서 파생된 년도라고 치더라도, 그렇다면 이 소설 내에서 1984년은 무었을 의미하는지 궁금하다.

하나 엉뚱한 생각이긴하지만, 책을 읽는 내내, 난 무라카미 하루키가 이 소설을 통해서, 이 시대를 대표할 어떤 상징적 단어를 제작해 내고싶어하는 게 아닌가..라는 생각을 받았다.ㅎ 마치 조지오웰이 1984를 통해서 'Big Brother'라는 새로운 단어를 만들어낸것처럼, 하루키도 그런 것들을 만들고 싶었던게 아닐까. 리틀피플, 마더, 도터..그런 것들이 그런 연장선상에 있는 게 아닐까.ㅋ 괜히 이런생각해본다.

내용에 대한 의문점에 관해 이야기해본다면.... 3권을 마치고도 뭔가애매한것도 여러가지 있다. 덴고의 엄마는 누구한테 살해된 것일까. 우사카와의 몸에서 진행되고 있는 공기번데기 만들기 작업은 어떤 도터를 빚어내고 있는 걸까. 아오마메의 몸에 있는 아이는 '선구'와 어떤 관계가 있는가. 그리고 그 둘이 수도고속도로 비상구로 다시 나온 곳은 진짜 현실일까?(이건 뭐 독자에게 맡겨둔 문제이긴 하지만)  으아아아아 여러 해결되지 않은 문제들이 많다.

하루키는 3권으로 책을 마감한 것일까? 아니면 4권을 써낼까?? 개인적으로 안써냈으면 좋겠다. 지금으로 딱 적절하게 아름답게 끝났다. 더이상 덴고와 아오마메가 만난 후의 일들은 듣고싶지 않다. 그냥 그 아름다운 만남의 순간으로 기분좋으니깐 ㅋ

오랜만에 장편의 소설을 본 것같다. 이렇게 바쁜 시기에 장편의 소설을 끝낼 수 있었던 것은 작가 하루키의 힘인 것 같다. 책을 놓지 못하게 만드는 힘.

개인적으로 해변의 카프카보다 대작이라고 생각하지는 않는다. 나는 여전히 성장소설이 로맨스소설보다 더 높은 가치를 부여하기 때문이다. (로맨스소설은 자칫해서 가벼워지기 쉽다) 그렇지만 하루키는 하루키이기에 역시 1Q84는 굉장했다. 조만간 [1Q84 어떻게 읽을까]를 읽어봐야겠다. 여러 비평들을 다 모아놨다던데. 

Finding yourself through the journey

먹고 기도하고 사랑하라 - 극장판+감독판 동시수록
라이언 머피 감독, 줄리아 로버츠 외 출연 / 소니픽쳐스 / 2011년 1월

Eat, Pray, Love

Some criticize this book by saying that Elizabeth Gilbert wrote this book to justify her remarriage and tell people that was the process of balancing her life again. Very sharp opinion, I think. Yes, that's very plausible criticism and might be true.

The book, [Eat, Pray, Love] became "big, mega-sensation, international bestseller thing," like she said, and she may also have achieved a huge success in legitimizing her divorce and remarriage. Smart lady.

However, screw that and just focus on the movie per se.(I haven't read the book yet.)

I really like it and I think it's very interesting.

It has several factors that efficiently appeal to audiences: exotic places, victim of love, and the process of finding yourself.

①Exotic Places

I dream of going exotic places like Italy, India, and Bali and this movie takes me to those places. Especially, I've fantasized about India since I watched the movie "The Little Princess" during my childhood and India described by this movie is very similar image that I've thought of.

While watching it, I found myself who's captured by desire to travel abroad.

Colorful scenary, delicious-looking food, strangers and on and on.. I can name of many things that persuade me to love this movie.

②The victim of love

Including Elizabeth Gilbert, people she met throughout the journey are victims of love. They are afraid to start to see someone because they are scared of being hurt again. Probably many audiences are like that too so they empathize to the characters very easily. What's good about this movie is at the end of the movie, Katut, the medicineman in Bali, tells Gilbert the wisdom of life, and she finally changes her mind to love, getting over her trauma. Typical ending, but it is hopeful and touching at the same time.

③The process of finding yourself

I like this kind of movie which is about finding out insight of life through journey. As we can look back ourselves while traveling, it means alot to us. Some may say it's wasting time and money to hit the road, but if you find out what you like and who you are, that is invaluable time that is unalterable.

I'd wanted to watch this movie for a long time, and now after watching it, I feel good.

Oh oh oh, I'm not gonna forget this; "dolce far niente," or  sweetness of doing nothing. (it's an Italian phrase introduced in the movie.)

It counters against my creed, but sometimes I have to have this attitude. Sweetness of doing nothing. :)

Nice movie.    

The Reader-Bernhard Schlink (06/04/2010~06/09/2010)

The Reader (Paperback, Media Tie In) - Vintage International
베른하르트 슐링크 지음, Janeway, Carol Brown 옮김 / Vintage Books / 2008년 12월

Before I read the book, I confronted the movie first, and I was so impressed by plot. Although the plot is not much complicated or thrilling, it has a power to make the audience keep reading. Considering I had a week bombarded by homework, finishing this book in 5 days means this book was absorbing.

Before talking about the book, please give me a moment to compare the book and the motion picture. Usually, in the case that I went through both a book and a movie, I used to choose which one is better than the other. Even though I didn’t mean to do it, but I tend to prefer one to the other. However, in case of The Reader, I should break down some. The movie was good at describing the moment they were together, and the book was better at depicting the process of the trial and afterward. I will leave this here and continue at the movie review.      

The best thing I like about this book is it shows the stream of protagonist's consciousness through his monologues and dialogues, and thinking about how his consciousness(especially toward Hanna) changes as time passes is difficult but pleasant process of reading this book.

Personally, I think the kid’s love started as a complex of manic and erotic love and finished as Agape (I’m not perfectly sure about Agape, though).

When he met Hanna, two things I pointed out were he was fifteen and sick. It depends on people, but around fourteen to seventeen many people experience their puberty and he was in the moment of starting puberty. Going through puberty and his low self-esteem were the best condition for the kid to crush on older woman. Another point is he was sick when he firstly met Hanna near her house and Hanna took care of him by washing out his puke on the street and taking him back to the home. As Hanna got the kid out of physical illness, she got him out of dull life and immatureness. To the kid, she was the medicine for the body and the mentality. And then, he became totally crush on her. How much he loved and cared about her is well expressed by his a few comments after first fighting with Hanna.

	I understood that she was upset. I understood that she wasn't upset because I couldn't upset her. I understood that I couldn't upset her, but that she simply couldn't allow me to behave that way to her. In the end, I was happy that she admitted I'd hurt her.
	-p.48, The Reader, Paperbook, Published by Vintage Books in 2008

 This has two meanings; firstly, he was happy that he was imporant person to Hanna even having power to hurt her, and secondly, he was happy that as she admitted he hurted her, he got a chance to apologize and get the relationship back. I mean his love is just unconditional love which has power to embrace her upset by attributing her upset to his fault. He was totally into her.  

However, as time passes and he spent more time with his friends, his love became a little bit different than before. He still loved Hanna more than anything, but in the meantime, his sacrificing love was kind of faded away. 

	Then when I proceded to get bad-tempered myself and we started a fight and Hanna treaded me like a nonentity, the fear of losing her returned and I humbled myself and begged her pardon until she took me back. But I was filled with resentment.
	-p.73, The Reader, Paperbook, Published by Vintage Books in 2008

 He still asked her forgiveness, but he started to be captured by resentment. This is definitely a change from before and finally he became to lose her. Hanna suddenly took off to somewhere else. Then, he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind, and several years passed.  

When he ended up meeting Hanna again in the trial, his went blank as he said "I recognized her, but I felt nothing. Nothing at all." I was thinking about where his blankness came from. I would say it is the blankness coming from full of confusion between past and present, and also love and betrayal. He didn't feel anything but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about Hanna if you consider the fact that he went to the trial without absences. He did not know how to deal with this trial and Hanna's behavior standing in the middle of Hanna in the past and Hanna in the present. Anyway, finally she was sentenced to life and he became going back to his life.  

While she was in jail, he decided to read to Hanna on tape. He recorded all kinds of book and sent to her and finally she became literate. Then what he felt to Hanna was a proud. He thought he was proud of her. This is the moment that all kinds of his complex feelings turns into Agape. He respects and admires her. Beyond the sexual or manic love, he shows his homage towards her.  This is why this book is such a perspicuous book; as the boy becomes old and mature, his love also becomes ripe and mature. This jorney is quite bitter but worthy.  

I loved it. Especially the book elaborated the process of trial which the movie quite failed to describe. I did not discuss about Hanna and Nazi-related problem in this blog, because I only focused on the change of protagonist's consciousness but the political view this book takes was really interesting too.   

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English is pretty easy comparing to other books, and it is not that long as well. It's good for those who want to study English, I guess.

Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner (Paperback)
칼레드 호세이니 지음 / Riverhead Books / 2004년 4월

I should have written down the review right after finishing the book not to forget what I felt at that moment.
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Hmm. Kite Runner. I didn't actually expect this book to be riveting. I confronted this book from 지식인의 서재, 이미도편 and this was one of his recommending books. How cannot pick it up and read it? I mean, come on. That is THE 이미도's recommending one. As soon as seeing that book, I ordered used one through Amazon. (Actually I bought two other books with it, The Blank Slate and The Sparks of Genius.) This book totally got my interest. It blew me away.  
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Isabel Allende praise this novel by saying "this is one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years. All the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel; love, honor, guilt, fear, redemption." Like she said, this book has little bit of everything of our lives, but that doesn't bother me at all, because those flakes of our lives are really well fabricated in Khaled Hosseini's hand.

Sin and redemption. Amir wants to redeem himself from the sin that he observes Hassan get raped by Assef but escapes from that situation. The sin caused by fear puts him feel guilty through his whole life and makes him decide to redeem himself when Rahim Khan let him know the way to be good again. Sin is committed by fear, but redeeming himself is the process of overcoming the fear. When he confronted the fear against Assef in 1975, which I want to call first crisis, he denied Hassan by running away from the situation. However, when he met Assef after becoming an adult, which I want to call second crisis, he fought against Assef and fear. This is the only way to be good again like Rahim Khan said, and Amir totally redeems himself even adopting Hassan's child, Sohrab.  

The symbolic meaning of the kite is obvious. The thread of the kite is the passage connecting past and present, and also Hassan to Sohrab. To Amir, the past has two contradicting meanings. On the one hand, that was the time he was innocent and had enjoyable time with Hassan running kites. However, on the other hand, the past was his most sinful moments relating with low self-esteem which also comes from the love that Baba showed to Hassan not to him. By fixing the latter part, he wants to be totally good man, but he becomes to find out Hassan is already dead, so he is adopting Sohrab instead.  

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The book is unexpectable and enough to fascinate me. If I think about Afghanistan, I automatically relate it to some kinds of malecious terrorists, but there are children who are just like any other children in all over the world. Even though I have an interest in Middle East history, meeting Afghanistan by novel is another exotic experience. I might read Khaled Hosseni's another famous novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.  

Girl with a pearl earring

진주 귀걸이를 한 소녀 - Girl with a Pearl Earring
영화

Actually, I didn't read the original book of this movie. It came out with the book first, and then the movie is made based on the novel. So I don't know about the novel--my friend, Emily, told me the novel is way better--but I doubt it. Paintings are "pictures" not "letters." Since this is the story about Johannese Vermeer, "showing" a process of finishing a masterpiece is better than "writing" a process of it. It's just my thought, but I don't know. I may read the book, too.  

The movie totally blew my mind! I think I love to watch European classic movie such as Pride and Prejudice, The Duchess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Little Princess and on and on. Of course I am fascinated by that kind of stories, but more attracting factors come from somewhere else.

First, I love some distinctive sounds that I can only hear from European (or Western) classic movies. For instance, wood cracking from the floor when someone walks on, the sound of clinked silverware when a maid pours soup on a master's plate and the sound from horse walking on sandstone after rainy day make me pleased. I can see how movie staffs take care of these sound effects when they make a classic movie. It is just delightful and essential part of the classic movie.

Secondly, I love classic fashion of people. I don't really appreciate colorful clothes, and instead love black, white and red. Usually, the colors of maid's clothes are composed of black and white which appeals alot to me. I don't know what to call it but scarf maids usually hang around their heads is neat going with jet black simple dress.

Overall the atmosphere of stories background is usually chilly and cold. Putting on several black or brown blankets around their body, people go to markets to get some plain baguette. 

Just all of them are lovely to watch and enjoy.  Then it is easy to guess how I feel about this movie, Girl with a Pearl Earring. This movie was BEAUTIFUL.

First of all, I should confess I have little knowledge about Johannese Vermeer. Although, I DIG his masterpieces and especially, The Girl with a Red Hat(picture on the right). She looks so classy and the contrast between colors are also nice. People who don't know well about Vermeer even had seen this picture, I guess. Anyway, this is not the movie about. lol
 

This movie is about Vermeer's one of the masterpieces, Girl with a Pearl Earring (picture on the left). I looked for some information about this picture and the movie, but this story is not related to the movie at all. Actually, the life of Johannese Vermeer is almost a mystery having little information about him, needless to say his paintings. And personally, I don't believe only this girl was attracting to Vermeer. Of course she definitely has beautiful atmoshpere, but it is hard to exaggerate their relationship like a novel, for almost all of Vermeer's paintings are portraits or workers by themselves.  

The real painting is so mysterious. Are her wide eyes and enigmatic half-smile innocent or seductive? And why is she wearing a pearl earring? The movie doesn't deal with her smile, but does deal with her earring. If the whole story is created in the author's brain, I want to give her a hand. It was pretty brilliant.  

 Speaking of the movie, I was glad those factors that I mentioned above was fully in the movie. I was astonished when Griet(the main character) firstly enters Vermeer's studio to clean it up because the studio was just like the one in his real painting! The movie takes good care about his studio. Neat white wall, proper amount of light, just everything was perfect.

One disturbing thing to me was the way Scarlett Johannson plays. Maybe some don't agree with me, but she was overreacting in case of her facial expression. It was awkward.

Overall, I love it. The storyline was simple, but it was good to know how this masterpiece came out to the world even though it is the author's imagination. :) Don't even talk about the atmosphere of the movie. It was gorgeous.