irohsteaa

[irohsteaa]

i hate when a piece of kids media is so well made that people start saying "clearly this was made FOR adults not for silly little babies. we are the true target demographic" like cmon man. you don't have to pretend it's something it isn't. sometimes things that are made for 12 year olds are good.

[irohsteaa]

[irohsteaa]

watching BoJack Horseman for the first time with my partner, currently season 3, and my partner told me that Im something between Todd and Diane and Im hdhdjdjdjd yes I guess

[irohsteaa]

Every time I think Im much too intense about something, I remember that Nabokov was SO intense about the right translation of Pushkins Euegene Onegin that he spent a decade translating it and that it ultimately led to the existence of Pale Fire

It also cost him his friendship with Wilson, but eh, theyd fight over something else anyway

OF COURSE THIS KIND OF STORY WOULD WORK LIKE CATNIP ON THE AUTHOR WHO LOVES SOME DRAMATIC MIDDLE-AGED AND OLD MEN

Recently, I sent my Rabbit Nabokov, Ruhenheim’s Konrad and Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” essay to Brian Boyd (one of the top Nabokov scholars). He replied—super generous—and gave me contacts for members of the Nabokov Society of Japan. One of the professors shared some really fascinating insights (she’s familiar with Monster and 20th Century Boys!), and I got her permission to post them here. Absolute dream turn of events!

Lillico-N:

Thank you so much for sending me your fantastic essay “Rabbit Nabokov, Ruhenheim's Konrad, and Pushkin's ‘Eugene Onegin’” both in English and Japanese. As I am not an avid reader of Urasawa, I haven't read all of his works, nor have I watched the TV anime series of his major works. However, fortunately, I have read both Monster and 21st Century Boys, so I was able to enjoy your essay.

Many Nabokov scholars would agree with your discussion of Rabbit Nabokov. When I read Volume 9, I also associated the name Alexandr Nabokov with Pushkin and Nabokov, and remembered the latter's commentary on the poet's addiction to gambling. Urasawa seems to me a keen reader of Nabokov, but I have never seen/heard his comment on the writer.   

Your discussion of Konrad is far more original, so it may also leave room for pros and cons. Your focus on the lingonberry, which Nabokov explains as the correct term for brusnika in EO, is excellent. As you note, Konrad's dead face in the anime looks like Nabokov, at least in the photo you show. Konrad's reference to Roberto, who wanted to become an entomologist but could not become one, unlike Nabokov, would make another piece of circumstantial evidence linking Konrad to Nabokov. The facts that Nabokov would like to hunt butterflies by himself not to be bothered by anyone and that he usually made specimens out of the insects he had caught can be considered to highlight the difference between Roberto and Nabokov.

On the other hand, the following points illustrate the distance between Conrad and Nabokov: living Konrad doesn't look so much like Nabokov, probably Nabokov never made jam--he could only boil eggs ("Eggs a la nabokoque"), and Konrad is a name Nabokov would hate because it must remind him of Joseph Conrad, whom he was often compared with and whose English he thought was very poor. Nabokov said "I differ from Joseph conradically" in some places.

Perhaps reading or re-reading Bend Sinister and "Tyrants Destroyed" might lead to new discoveries about Nabokov's echoes in Urasawa's works. As you may know, both are set in a dystopian society ruled by a dictator.

Lingonberries rarely appear in Nabokov's works. As a small token of gratitude for your essay, I would like to introduce the dinner scene where the berries appear:

The roast hazel-hen (or rather its New World representative, locally called “mountain grouse”) was accompanied by preserved lingonberries (locally called “mountain cranberries”). An especially succulent morsel of one of those brown little fowls yielded a globule of birdshot between Demon’s red tongue and strong canine: “La fève de Diane,” he remarked, placing it carefully on the edge of his plate.  (Ada I.38)

It is a special dinner at Ardis attended only by four truly biological family members. Best wishes to your unique project,

I forgot to mention this in my previous mail: Actually, Nabokov conceived the idea for Pale Fire while working on Eugene Onegin. The structures of these two works are identical: Foreword, Poem, (long, detailed) Commentary, and Index. PF can be considered an amazing byproduct of EO or written by Nabokov-Pushkin.  

[irohsteaa]

I forgot to mention this in my previous mail: Actually, Nabokov conceived the idea for Pale Fire while working on Eugene Onegin. The structures of these two works are identical: Foreword, Poem, (long, detailed) Commentary, and Index. PF can be considered an amazing byproduct of EO or written by Nabokov-Pushkin.  <= This addition made me realize that Rabbit Nabokov isn’t just a literary puzzle, it's also thematically important. Friend hijacks Kenji's “Book of Prophecy,” repurposing it for destructive ends, almost like a warped Pale Fire-style commentary on someone else’s text.

This is getting better and better. 😭😭😭😭

Recently, I sent my Rabbit Nabokov, Ruhenheim’s Konrad and Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” essay to Brian Boyd (one of the top Nabokov scholars). He replied—super generous—and gave me contacts for members of the Nabokov Society of Japan. One of the professors shared some really fascinating insights (she’s familiar with Monster and 20th Century Boys!), and I got her permission to post them here. Absolute dream turn of events!

Lillico-N:

Thank you so much for sending me your fantastic essay “Rabbit Nabokov, Ruhenheim's Konrad, and Pushkin's ‘Eugene Onegin’” both in English and Japanese. As I am not an avid reader of Urasawa, I haven't read all of his works, nor have I watched the TV anime series of his major works. However, fortunately, I have read both Monster and 21st Century Boys, so I was able to enjoy your essay.

Many Nabokov scholars would agree with your discussion of Rabbit Nabokov. When I read Volume 9, I also associated the name Alexandr Nabokov with Pushkin and Nabokov, and remembered the latter's commentary on the poet's addiction to gambling. Urasawa seems to me a keen reader of Nabokov, but I have never seen/heard his comment on the writer.   

Your discussion of Konrad is far more original, so it may also leave room for pros and cons. Your focus on the lingonberry, which Nabokov explains as the correct term for brusnika in EO, is excellent. As you note, Konrad's dead face in the anime looks like Nabokov, at least in the photo you show. Konrad's reference to Roberto, who wanted to become an entomologist but could not become one, unlike Nabokov, would make another piece of circumstantial evidence linking Konrad to Nabokov. The facts that Nabokov would like to hunt butterflies by himself not to be bothered by anyone and that he usually made specimens out of the insects he had caught can be considered to highlight the difference between Roberto and Nabokov.

On the other hand, the following points illustrate the distance between Conrad and Nabokov: living Konrad doesn't look so much like Nabokov, probably Nabokov never made jam--he could only boil eggs ("Eggs a la nabokoque"), and Konrad is a name Nabokov would hate because it must remind him of Joseph Conrad, whom he was often compared with and whose English he thought was very poor. Nabokov said "I differ from Joseph conradically" in some places.

Perhaps reading or re-reading Bend Sinister and "Tyrants Destroyed" might lead to new discoveries about Nabokov's echoes in Urasawa's works. As you may know, both are set in a dystopian society ruled by a dictator.

Lingonberries rarely appear in Nabokov's works. As a small token of gratitude for your essay, I would like to introduce the dinner scene where the berries appear:

The roast hazel-hen (or rather its New World representative, locally called “mountain grouse”) was accompanied by preserved lingonberries (locally called “mountain cranberries”). An especially succulent morsel of one of those brown little fowls yielded a globule of birdshot between Demon’s red tongue and strong canine: “La fève de Diane,” he remarked, placing it carefully on the edge of his plate.  (Ada I.38)

It is a special dinner at Ardis attended only by four truly biological family members. Best wishes to your unique project,

I forgot to mention this in my previous mail: Actually, Nabokov conceived the idea for Pale Fire while working on Eugene Onegin. The structures of these two works are identical: Foreword, Poem, (long, detailed) Commentary, and Index. PF can be considered an amazing byproduct of EO or written by Nabokov-Pushkin.  

[irohsteaa]

Recently, I sent my Rabbit Nabokov, Ruhenheim’s Konrad and Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” essay to Brian Boyd (one of the top Nabokov scholars). He replied—super generous—and gave me contacts for members of the Nabokov Society of Japan. One of the professors shared some really fascinating insights (she’s familiar with Monster and 20th Century Boys!), and I got her permission to post them here. Absolute dream turn of events!

Lillico-N:

Thank you so much for sending me your fantastic essay “Rabbit Nabokov, Ruhenheim's Konrad, and Pushkin's ‘Eugene Onegin’” both in English and Japanese. As I am not an avid reader of Urasawa, I haven't read all of his works, nor have I watched the TV anime series of his major works. However, fortunately, I have read both Monster and 21st Century Boys, so I was able to enjoy your essay.

Many Nabokov scholars would agree with your discussion of Rabbit Nabokov. When I read Volume 9, I also associated the name Alexandr Nabokov with Pushkin and Nabokov, and remembered the latter's commentary on the poet's addiction to gambling. Urasawa seems to me a keen reader of Nabokov, but I have never seen/heard his comment on the writer.   

Your discussion of Konrad is far more original, so it may also leave room for pros and cons. Your focus on the lingonberry, which Nabokov explains as the correct term for brusnika in EO, is excellent. As you note, Konrad's dead face in the anime looks like Nabokov, at least in the photo you show. Konrad's reference to Roberto, who wanted to become an entomologist but could not become one, unlike Nabokov, would make another piece of circumstantial evidence linking Konrad to Nabokov. The facts that Nabokov would like to hunt butterflies by himself not to be bothered by anyone and that he usually made specimens out of the insects he had caught can be considered to highlight the difference between Roberto and Nabokov.

On the other hand, the following points illustrate the distance between Conrad and Nabokov: living Konrad doesn't look so much like Nabokov, probably Nabokov never made jam--he could only boil eggs ("Eggs a la nabokoque"), and Konrad is a name Nabokov would hate because it must remind him of Joseph Conrad, whom he was often compared with and whose English he thought was very poor. Nabokov said "I differ from Joseph conradically" in some places.

Perhaps reading or re-reading Bend Sinister and "Tyrants Destroyed" might lead to new discoveries about Nabokov's echoes in Urasawa's works. As you may know, both are set in a dystopian society ruled by a dictator.

Lingonberries rarely appear in Nabokov's works. As a small token of gratitude for your essay, I would like to introduce the dinner scene where the berries appear:

The roast hazel-hen (or rather its New World representative, locally called “mountain grouse”) was accompanied by preserved lingonberries (locally called “mountain cranberries”). An especially succulent morsel of one of those brown little fowls yielded a globule of birdshot between Demon’s red tongue and strong canine: “La fève de Diane,” he remarked, placing it carefully on the edge of his plate.  (Ada I.38)

It is a special dinner at Ardis attended only by four truly biological family members. Best wishes to your unique project,

I forgot to mention this in my previous mail: Actually, Nabokov conceived the idea for Pale Fire while working on Eugene Onegin. The structures of these two works are identical: Foreword, Poem, (long, detailed) Commentary, and Index. PF can be considered an amazing byproduct of EO or written by Nabokov-Pushkin.  

[irohsteaa]

I think my hate boner for the “he wouldn’t fucking say it” meme (and all versions of it) comes from how vague it is, and how it’s rarely about actually engaging with the source material, and more about whether something aligns with a specific fandom group’s reading.

It doesn’t spark curiosity about the text, it sparks social anxiety: does how I read or write this character match the dominant interpretation in this space? Because at the end of the day, it’s not the text that says it, it’s other people claiming to speak for the text.

That said, I get where the frustration starts. There are cases where someone genuinely engages with the material, gets attached to a certain reading, and feels annoyed when people flatten the character into a trope. But what bugs me is how often that genuine frustration gets turned into a meme that dismisses other readings too easily.

Also, while I get the impulse to react when characters are flattened into a one-dimensional archetype, it’s worth remembering our own readings are limited too. Even if you study the text closely, you’re still seeing it through your personal lens.

At its worst, “he wouldn’t fucking say it” ends up meaning, “he wouldn’t say it because it pushes him from [box A] into [box B], and we’ve decided Box B is bad.” It’s less about literary engagement and more about protecting comfort zones. And honestly, that’s not critique, it’s groupthink.

[irohsteaa]

I recently read the last volume of the perfect edition of 20th Century Boys and it echoes something that Another Monster does: it suggests an infinite loop. In Another Monster the infinite loop would be all the Johan copycats (if we talk about the surface level) and what Weber does while taking the source text (Monster) and building his own narrative around it (if we talk about the textual/meta level). In 20thCB, it's the suggestion of Kenji befriending Katsumata and therefore, maybe?, getting rid of Friend—it ultimately changes the story of 20thCB.

I also like the way the hopeful ending is warped; sure, Kenji befriended Katsumata, but this doesn't mean there is no other Friend. The Lennon/McCartney thing is also funny because, well… Their Divorce TM was very ugly.

Sidenote: it fits nicely with the ending of Pale Fire (the ending before the index part, that is): But whatever happens, wherever the scene is laid, somebody, somewhere, will quietly set out—somebody has already set out, somebody still rather far away is buying a ticket, is boarding a bus, a ship, a plane, has landed, is walking toward a million photographers, and presently he will ring at my door—a bigger, more respectable, more competent Gradus.

Sidenote [2]: is this even Katsumata? When older Kenji is talking to him, he is still wearing his mask and his sleeves are long. But the boy who joins young Kenji later has short sleeves.

[irohsteaa]

Btw, that idea that privilege makes you morally evil and suffering makes you morally good is just repackaged versions of the Christian concepts of the evils of luxury and the holiness of martyrdom. Hope this helps!

[irohsteaa]

Johan/ Nina’s relationship I think btw, is more akin to a “overbearing father-(or mother, since Johan identifies with his mom) daughter that crosses pseudo romantic territory” dynamic than a proper sibling relationship.

I’d say the core of it is Johan’s extreme codependency and inability to see Nina (or himself) as a separate person, which dehumanizes both of them. Nina actually does fight to see herself as Nina, not just as Johan’s other half, which makes the dynamic even more warped. Johan ends up acting less like a sibling and more like an overbearing parent figure, someone who wants to absorb her rather than relate to her.

Thanks for reaching out! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

[irohsteaa]

oh oh oh i was waiting for it

So the thing with incest is that its too often thought about ONLY in porn/romance categories. Meanwhile, incest isnt about attraction (or doesnt have to be), its about the rotten stuff surrouding it; the family decay, trauma etc. Theres a reason its such a prominent trope in gothic fiction and theres a reason Monster references gothic fiction to such a degree.

I can't blame any incest shippers (the bait is there), though Im not a fan of taking Johans creepy letters to Nina too literally and in consequence turning Nina into an empty shell for Johan to throw flowers at.

Will you guys hate me if I stated

I think Johan and Nina's (canon) dynamic is absolutely incestuous, but not in the direction of incestuous sexual abuse/grooming to which the term "incest" is connotative of. Johan is an emotional incester, and Nina is the "muse" for him to project on.

I might make a post on this explaining in further detail

[irohsteaa]

New ask game:

Reblog if you want your followers to tell you what your trademark ™️ is. Like, what’s that thing that really identifies you.

[irohsteaa]

idea: capek annotating the nameless monster and getting everything wrong (its basically canon)

i hope someone is working on a nabokov pilled monster fanfic right now and will publish it soon on ao3 because i desperately need to read a nabokov pilled monster fanfic that isnt MINE

[irohsteaa]

dear fanfic writer from my dreams, let me be your charles kinbote

i hope someone is working on a nabokov pilled monster fanfic right now and will publish it soon on ao3 because i desperately need to read a nabokov pilled monster fanfic that isnt MINE

[irohsteaa]

i hope someone is working on a nabokov pilled monster fanfic right now and will publish it soon on ao3 because i desperately need to read a nabokov pilled monster fanfic that isnt MINE

[irohsteaa]

Im gonna be so real can yall actually talk about ways we can support trans women in the UK instead of giving all the attention to fucking JKR. I already know that Harry Poter sucks, I wanna know how to actually HELP people. Something something you have to love the oppressed more than you hate the oppressor

[irohsteaa]

one of my favorite things about Monster is that it allows me to jump from a bit softer and more wholesome (but also never fully wholesome, lets not sanitize this beautiful mess) scenarios like Johan's and Karl's relationship to thinking about how Johan would absolutely fuck this old man in the most questionable ways in the most questionable circumstances

I will leave it up to your imagination which old man/men specifically