Book Reviews / My input
IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS (IN'EI RAISAN)
Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
A short essay on the needed, and beautiful murkiness of Japanese art, including theater and culinary art. I read it because Diana had a copy of it, given to her by her boss. She said it mentioned architecture, but architecture was reduced to the art of taking a bath. The architecture of the bathroom and its needed shadows, as well as Japanese temples, their woodwork, and their shadows. The shoji, for example, is not a window for clarity, for peering outside, but is an aperture to filter light.
This holds true in most religious worship areas-- all windows filter light. The stained glass window was supposed to create another quality of light that was heavenly. Byzantine cathedrals relied on candle lit ceremonies to manipulate the shimmering gold-- to appear otherworldly. It is only up to now that the mysticism and play in light has vanished from worship-- megachurches are the death of (traditional) architectural sacred spaces, instead to be replaced with: mega-everything....projections, theater seating, stages, state-of-the-art sound. A spectacle.*
In Praise of Shadows mourns this change of scenery, albeit decades ago before the disease (spread, fad, influence) of megachurches. The veil of mystery has been lifted-- is this age more enlightened, or does the lifting of the veil just reveal another mask beneath? (See: false consciousness.) However, the book reiterates that a state of murkiness, gray area, is what makes life beautiful, rather than white and black. The more light, the more shadow. Sharp contrast.
The difference between western and eastern philosophy is in its reliance or rejection of dualities. Western religion is based on YES, or NO. The dichotomy of profane and sacred (See: Durkheim). Eastern religion, such as Daoism, Buddhism, etc, embrace a more holistic approach....YES, NO, BOTH, or NEITHER.
Score: For being a short essay, 9/10
UNDER MAO'S SHADOW
Philip P. Pan
A great, journalistic introduction to Chinese culture after the cultural revolution until pre-Beijing Olympics. Through various examples of life stories or second-hand documentaries, Pan illustrates the paralysis and aftershock of the Chinese after Mao's greatest mistakes: the Great Leap Forward (and the Soviet-based five year plans of the day) and the Cultural Revolution. Countless tales of injustice, political corruption, scare-tactics and demolition of both property and spirit.
Score: 9/10
ROBOTS OF DAWN
Isaac Asimov
I had read Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun more than a year ago...probably two or three years ago. I finally finished the Robot Novels series-- and I must say, Caves of Steel and Naked Sun were better. Asimov wrote this book 30 years after The Naked Sun, and he did not introduce any more moral dilemma, but just used where he left off. Just for your information, the Robot Novels follow Baily, a plainclothes policeman and detective, and his robot partner, Daneel. Earth is, as the previous title suggests, just caves of steel-- the sun, and the environment, hurts the human senses, as everything they know is artificial, controlled and enclosed. This is obviously a very common theme of all sci-fi novels, movies, and dystopias. This is, however, a mystery novel, as they are indeed detectives working for the government. Earth is always scolded by the Spacers, humans, once-or-never earthmen, that inhabit other planets. There is constant interstellar tension.
Anyway, the solution to the mystery was not very convincing as it was for the previous two installments. It made sense, but it seemed like an "easy way out." The entire book had a great built-up, but the last two or three chapters where everything unfolds felt sloppy. I liked the book still, because of the characters, their personalities and what they revealed and how.
Score: 6.5/10
BOOKS CURRENTLY ON SHELF:
. The Lonely Crowd: A study of the changing American character by David Riesman, with Nathan Glazer and Reuel Denney 0%
. The Aesthetics of Terror by Manon Slome and Joshua Simon 0%
. Entropy and Art by Rudolf Arnheim 10%
*I will probably speak more about this later, with examples.