(no subject)
Spence's modern Chinese history class continues to make me very happy. Witness the fact that I am actually doing the reading -- I've had enough trouble in the past being prepared for classes in which I am actually enrolled. Today he told us the story of the first Chinese person known to take up permanent residence in Western Europe, a certain Arcadio Huang, who went to Rome in the early 18th century to study and take religious vows, but ended up moving to Paris, marrying a French woman, and getting himself a position as "Interpreter to the King's Library" for Louis XIV, in which he consulted on the various Chinese-language material owned by the king, while also having all sorts of fascinating discussions on Chinese linguistics, politics, and social thought with all the leading French intellectuals of the day (a young Montesquieu, for one).
A friend and I decided (as I failed once again to find my own way out of the law school) that "Interpreter to the King's Library" was the only job for me, at least if I could find a modern King with a decent library.
This rather depressed me, actually. Recently I've been struggling with the concept that I'm really only fit for a limited set of jobs, ones that wouldn't involve too much human interaction and would allow me to employ the rather small set of skills that I'm really good at. It's sort of a bleak prospect for a kid who was always encouraged to believe she could be anything she wanted (except possibly an Olympic gymnast) -- although obviously it's rather colossal arrogance to be depressed by something like that. I'd like to believe I could change myself in some areas, but I have the feeling that there's only so much self-adjustment one can realistically accomplish in a lifetime.
On the other hand, I have resolved not to use this journal to whinge and complain about my life (possibly why I'm not doing a very good job of updating it) -- so, now back to translating Mencius. For some reason, he apparently felt it necessary to support all his political and ethical arguments with lengthy numerical anecdotes ("In a country with ten thousand chariots, those who rise and kill the king will be lords of a thousand chariots. In a country with a thousand chariots, those who rise and kill the king will be lords of a hundred chariots..." And this is not even to mention the peasants and their bloody mulberry bushes. Or piglets.) Mulberry bushes aside, I think Confucius is more fun -- at the least, you can find something suitably vague in the Analects to back you up in arguing almost anything.
In other news, the Japanese romance-drama about the wheelchair-ridden librarian and the socially awkward biker/hair stylist that we had to watch for class has a really addictive theme song.
A friend and I decided (as I failed once again to find my own way out of the law school) that "Interpreter to the King's Library" was the only job for me, at least if I could find a modern King with a decent library.
This rather depressed me, actually. Recently I've been struggling with the concept that I'm really only fit for a limited set of jobs, ones that wouldn't involve too much human interaction and would allow me to employ the rather small set of skills that I'm really good at. It's sort of a bleak prospect for a kid who was always encouraged to believe she could be anything she wanted (except possibly an Olympic gymnast) -- although obviously it's rather colossal arrogance to be depressed by something like that. I'd like to believe I could change myself in some areas, but I have the feeling that there's only so much self-adjustment one can realistically accomplish in a lifetime.
On the other hand, I have resolved not to use this journal to whinge and complain about my life (possibly why I'm not doing a very good job of updating it) -- so, now back to translating Mencius. For some reason, he apparently felt it necessary to support all his political and ethical arguments with lengthy numerical anecdotes ("In a country with ten thousand chariots, those who rise and kill the king will be lords of a thousand chariots. In a country with a thousand chariots, those who rise and kill the king will be lords of a hundred chariots..." And this is not even to mention the peasants and their bloody mulberry bushes. Or piglets.) Mulberry bushes aside, I think Confucius is more fun -- at the least, you can find something suitably vague in the Analects to back you up in arguing almost anything.
In other news, the Japanese romance-drama about the wheelchair-ridden librarian and the socially awkward biker/hair stylist that we had to watch for class has a really addictive theme song.