Rooted in Taiwan, Connected with the World

Having embarked on my reading journey for the book three months ago, I am about halfway through The Tale of Genji , the world's first novel and the most notable classic work of Japanese literature. The novel was written around the peak of the Heian period by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. To date, it has been translated into more than 30 languages.   Having recently read chapters 18-33, which, alongside chapters 1-17 read earlier, compose the first section of this massive work of 54 chapters, I now find myself reflecting on it. Although I haven't finished reading The Tale of Genji, I want to celebrate this milestone by dedicating this blog post to it, and to pay tribute to Royall Tyler, whose English translation helps me read Japanese literature through English. Published in 2001, Tyler’s translation is renowned for its academic rigor and praised for being highly faithful to the original text and its poetic quality. It is noted for preserving the ...

I just finished reading Northanger Abbey , a novel by English author Jane Austen, completed in 1799 and published posthumously in 1817. The novel begins with a "biographical notice" of Jane Austen's life written by Henry Austen, one of Austen's older brothers. The notice gives some details of Austen's life and describes her character, painting a picture of an elegant, mature, and happy woman. This is the sixth Austen novel I have read, after Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice,   Mansfield Park, and  Emma ,  A coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic novels, Northanger Abbey tells the story of Catherine Morland, the naïve young protagonist, as she develops a better understanding of herself and the world around her. It covers a wide array of topics such as high society, Gothic fiction, the bildungsroman, the value of reading, and the importance of time. This novel is considered to be more juvenile than Austen's other works. Consistent with ...

Having studied 21 Shakespeare plays in just two years, I consider myself a serious Shakespeare fan, though I haven't visited his birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, yet. At my friend Jo's recommendation, I watched a film, read chapter summaries of a novel, and did some extended reading over the last couple of days. With that, several visions of the place have been intriguingly formed in my mind, as if I had visited Stratford-upon-Avon before. The film was Hamnet , a 2025 historical drama film opening with a written prologue stating that in Stratford, England, "Hamnet" and "Hamlet" were considered the same name. The film dramatises the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes Hathaway as they cope with the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. The film has received numerous accolades, with the latest being eight nominations at the 98th Academy Awards. Hamnet was directed by Chloé Zhao, who co-wrote the screenplay with Maggie O'Farrell, based o...