#english manuscipt

[jamiegege]

Why is Ranpo associated with Fyodor in this scene ?

Heeeey today (tonight lmao) i wanted to talk ab this exact panel/scene in bsd (chapter 56 and in the 5th episode of the 4th season) because i saw a lot of people not understanding this and be like "i don't get why Ranpo and Fyodor are associated in this scene they have nothing in common blah blah blah" so your fav detective is here to explain evrything ! As usual you guys need to know that it's basically MY interpretation, i'm not Asagiri or anyone in charge of the manga so i'm not saying that my opinion is the only right way to understand it, i'm just sharing how i get the scene. I'm also fully open to the corrections (bc english isn't my 1st language) and others opinions so if you have things to say (or to ask) don't be scared of leaving a comment i'll gladly respond to it :D.

First i'm gonna put back the scene into its context : so Ranpo and Mushitaro are in Poe's novel which is made to make Mushi admit his crime because even if Ranpo knows what happened he has no evidence of it so only a confession from the culprit would help. As Mushitaro doesn't wanna admit his crime Ranpo has no choice but use manipulation (using poe's novel) to make Mushi talk, that's what we'll talk about in this post.

Here's the full panel bc it'll be useful later in the explanation :

We'll start by analyze the 2 first boxesof the panel (the ones on the right side) : At the beginning Ranpo is talking about how Fyodor (called "Dostoyevsky" by Ranpo which highlights the respect that he owns for Fyodor's abilities and intellect bc Ranpo usualy calls ppl by their firstname (ex. Atsushi, Kenji, Ed (Poe)). As Ranpo is used to put himself above others, treating someone (especially Fyodor) with respect proves that he admitted his (as he's part of the agency) defeat), by his intelligence, destroyed the ADA. This (seeing the ADA destroyed and hurt) affected Ranpo a lot (as he's one of the founder of it) and he wants to protect the members of the agency more than everything, so he decides to turn himself into a "demon" to fight fire with fire bc he considers Fyodor as a demon ("to that end, i will mould myself into a demon.").

Now we'll talk about the 3rd box : on this box we only have a black phylactery (speech bubble) with a "stained" background. The background prooves, with its patern, that what is told is violent, we can, for example, associate the stains with ink stains (with the whole thing ab the missing page of the manuscipt) or with blood stains (which works with violence and the "demon side" i was talking ab in the 1st part). The fact that the phylactery is black is also here to highlight the rough side of Ranpo's speech, it creates a contrast with the others speech bubbles which are white. Here Ranpo says "if you do not surrender, i'll publicly announce my current theory", first he uses "do not" instead of "don't" probably because the uncontracted version is scarier ; second he uses Mushitaro's public image to disturb him, probably because he saw how public image is important for Mushi and he knows that being a murderer isnt good for the image (nah shit Sherlock ?). The whole visiual thing ab this box is made to underline how Ranpo's sentence had a huge impact on Mushitaro and how aggressive it was to him => it's the biggest and most important part (with guilt) of Ranpo's manipulation.

And finally the big part, the 4th box : Ranpo is now shown fully with a faceless Fyodor behind (and above (which prooves that Fyodor surpassed and surpasses Ranpo in some way)) him (he's faceless to explain that we're talking ab what Fyodor represents and not him as a person). Also their capes are floating in the exact same way which shows the fact that at this specific moment they're acting the same way/using the same stratagem. Ranpo explains to Mushitaro that he used the ploy of a demon, ploy that is a dangerous ability and that he doesn't like to use but that he uses to protect the Agency against another demon (Fyodor).

Conclusion : So we can say that Ranpo isn't associated with Fyodor, he actually associates himself with him cause he decided to use the same tactic even if he doesn't agree with it (because he would use every stratagems, even the worst ones, to protect people he likes (here the Agency)).

i think i said almost everything (or at least the most important stuff) so i'm gonna stop here (also bc it's super duper long), kiss kiss <33

[upennmanuscripts]

Ms. Codex 865 - Analysis librorum Physicorum Aristotelis

This manuscript features some lecture notes on Aristotle's works of physical science, including De caelo, De generatione et corruptione, Meteorologica, and De anima, preceded by a compendium of geometry. It was possibly composed by Alexander Cunnighame in England, between 1674 and 1675 CE. 

Click here for the facsimile, or here for additional information. 

[my-eyes-hurt-more]

18/4/2022

@/oh-sweet-friend-of-mine Short story maniac that you are, I decided to feature Kunikida-sensei next. You're already familiar with some of Akutagawa-sensei's stories (although honestly I think you only remember In a Grove lol) which is why I'll do him later (when you request it xd).

Kunikida-sensei's style is quite... different to what you might normally expect. The short stories we read in our HS English World Lit class have many similarities in terms of structure and theme. I wouldn't say his works are strange or even far from what his contemporaries would have written, but I believe its "Japanese-ness" might throw you off a bit as what happened to me when I first read his works.

He's a Meiji era (1867-1912) writer, publishing stuff from around 1899-1908. Famous authors of the time included Mori Ougai and Natsume Souseki. If you care about the schools they were associated with, Mori-sensei would be a "romantic" while Natsume-sensei would be an "anti-naturalist". Actually, it depends on whom you ask but most seem to subscribe to this categorization.

Kunikida-sensei (who was and still is not quite popular, I'm afraid) is considered to be either a romantic, a naturalist, or sometimes even both. (just search up the terms yourself lol. but do keep in mind Japanese naturalism is quite different from what we know in the West - though honestly if one were to call Kunikida-sensei a naturalist, it's the Western definition that fits.) Personally, I would say he has both qualities and it feels like injustice to assign him to any particular school. He experimented a lot (you'll feel this when you read his works), but generally the way he wrote was in an attempt to convey his ideals. He was a Christian, you see, and common themes such as fate and oneness in nature are a result of that. (You're also a Christian. You should get it lol)

"I don't care about the history just describe his actual writing" ok fine lol

They're heavy on description. He started out with poetry, you see, but felt prose is much better suited for him. They're also quite introspective (a weird combination, you might think) and arguably reflections of the author's own thoughts.

Also, (this is a common thread in several authors in JP Lit, not just Kunikida-sensei, not just those during the Meiji era) I should mention that plot is not necessarily his strong point. They're more like impressionistic paintings in the form of prose, or sometimes essays in the form of a short story.

So yeah. Whether or not you'll be interested in reading further depends on this. Take it as a sort of warning (?) from me. Also writes mostly mild angst, if you will.

Old Gen

Synopsis: A lonely old fisherman tries to adopt a street rat.

Overall thoughts: Powerlessness against fate, scenic descriptions - quite the tragedy, really. I like this one just because I'm a sucker for the oofs.

Personal/other comments: One of his first works in fiction, I think. A lot of of themes here are echoed even in his later, more mature works.

Unforgettable People

Synopsis: A writer discusses with a man who he happened to meet at an inn the core idea of his manuscipt: who are those who are unforgettable?

Overall thoughts: Ngl the first part was an extreme drag lol. The meat of the whole thing is at the end (and also that last line ahfafdsf). Mix between a narrative, impressionistic sketches, and an essay.

Personal/other comments: I think you'll like this one! Idk I just think you will, knowing you.

River Mist

Synopsis: A man returns to his hometown after 20 years.

Overall thoughts: Another oof-fest like Old Gen but with a less personal touch/intervention of the narrator (although I think this is more representative of Kunikida-sensei's own life/feelings). Themes and imagery include "reminiscing/innocence of childhood," "pain of adult life," and LOTS of water. He likes watery imagery a lot. The ending hits just as, if not harder than Old Gen

Personal/other comments: Many consider this to be his best. I agree lol. But Old Gen just has a very special place in my heart so that's still my favorite of his. For you... hmm. Tell me what you think if you read this :>

An Honest Man

Synopsis: A story about an "honest" man who lives "honestly." Mostly involving avoiding a marriage subtly.

Overall thoughts: One of his unideal male protagonists HAHA SORRY IDK HOW TO DESCRIBE IT it's like, a sham of a man (like Dazai-sensei's lol) but very mild. If you ask me, it's a strange story, but it does explore some interesting concepts.

Personal/other comments: It's alright HAHA

those are all that I've read so far! I have to reread Musashino because I don't remember what my opinions on it were lol