Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki), Part A

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The Man Who Did Not Wish To Die:

  • Very serious subject matter for a fairy tale, life and death
  • Elixir of Life sounds very similar to the Fountain of Youth
  • This hermit life sounds very similar to the idea of nirvana in buddhism and living an ascetic life free of possessions and relationships
  • Strange that they would still grant him eternal life after saying that his request was selfish
  • Could be an interesting story about where the land of perpetual life is
  • He says it is a country but unlike his own, could be the future/America/some other strange land
  • Very psychological story, a very "the grass is always greener" story
  • Sentaro is a very inconsistent man, never happy with what he has
  • It was a dream?
Paper Crane

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki link to reading

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