/lit/ - Literature

>>19186320
Tries to live? He lived them.

>>19186366
Authenticity is important you know. But I heard Mishima say the Japanese definition of authenticity is dependant on how you act in society (similar to many other Asian nations, like Korea which loves Damien for this reason) so I'm not sure if he was truly authentic in Japan or that was just his cope.

>>19186366
He never actually accomplished what he wanted to. He wrote that when he died, he wanted to die as a soldier and not an author or playwright. The problem is for Mishima, he confused soldiering with acting out his aesthetic drama. Until the day he died, he was an actor or a model desperate for a stage. What he saw in those soldiers on Feb. 26th, 1936 was in fact closer to runway models than soldiers. He who dabbles in words can create tragedy, but he cannot partake in it. That remains true even upon his death. I suppose in a sense that it’s a tragedy in itself, but far from the Greco-Japanese sort of tragedy he envisioned and certainly far from the soldierly ideal. He failed to apprehend things as they were from the viewpoint of a soldier. Instead, he impressed the ideals of an aesthete into the soldier and never strayed. Thus, he remained always an aesthete and never a soldier, sorry to say.

>>19186320
Based desu. One of the few writers who had an enjoyable and interesting life.

>>19186869
He committed suicide for a political cause, understanding himself rather as an activist, more than a metaphorical soldier. I don't believe that he would admit deep down that he was an aesthete.

>>19186708
>the Japanese definition of authenticity is dependant on how you act in society
Makes sense if you look at their rituals, like in the book of tea or even seppuku

>>19187102
Whether or not he would admit it or not irrelevant because his cause was political only in so far as it was aesthetic. He tells the reader bluntly in Sun and Steel that his objective is participation in tragedy. Thus, Mishima remained a tragedian and not a soldier until the day that he died and his writings on the Feb 26th incident reflect this in a way that’s almost an affront to actual soldierly traditions. In some ways, I admire Mishima but for me, the fact remains that he never escaped himself as author, as poet, or as aesthete. The soldier can elevate soldiering to the point of art and such a view is aligned with the historical traditions of Japan, yes. In traditional Japan, life and death themselves were a work of art. But Mishima didn’t elevate it soldiering to the work of art. He approached soldiering from the point of view of an aesthete as if really, the soldier was nothing more than an actor like a character in a Noh, or a character in one of his books. The origin is all wrong. That’s why I can’t accept that he died as a soldier like he desired.

>>19187437
What Mishima desired was not to be a soldier first and foremost. What he desired was to be a tragic object, which he just so happened to find in the soldierly and political act. My suggestion is that he never approached militant action from a point of view closer to that of an Achilles than a Homer. In fact, the most tragic element in the story is perhaps precisely the hubris of the tragedian himself.

>>19187437
>>19187470
Contrary to what you think, he did have sincere political intentions with his literature and actions. He did intend his death to be a message to the Emperor.

>>19186320
hahaha

>>19186320
No one on /lit gets that Mishima was a cult leader at the end of his life. Western cults are heavily influenced by Christianity and generally revolve around a messiah figure who claims to be a prophet or the second coming of Christ. Japanese cults take on a more militaristic character rooted in Shinto (they generally develop a militia and openly partake in politics). This is the reason he's taboo in Japan--it would be kind of like us openly celebrating Charles Manson's music career (albeit Mishima was actually accomplished and not a failure in his artistic pursuits as was Manson).

If you want to investigate Mishima's literary output in terms of biological criticism--understand he was a cult leader and read up on Japanese cults (it's a difficult subject to get ahold of but you can start off by taking note of the fact that Shinto revolves around the ideas of natural beauty, kami, and purification rituals...also take note that Japan itself is a religious object and cultural continuity is a big part of the religion).

>>19187810
biographical criticism* (sorry, autocorrect).

>>19186320
classic faggot

>>19186320
>>19186366
This

What more can a man ask for?

Life turned into art

>supposed to take this man as a symbol of masculinity and right wing honor
>kills himself in a faggy BDSM ritual after spending a lifetime in gay bars because he was worried about his looks fading, like a woman
>leaves behind a family
The inevitable result of hero worship is homosexuality and death. Nothing masculine about this, nothing right wing about this, nothing honorable about this. Dude was a theater kid.

>>19187810
To be honest what isn't a cult these days? Trannies, wingism, LGBTism, ultranationalism, consumerism, atheism, theism, isnt cultism just an inseparable part of mankind. even growing up we did this by following trends. i

>>19187810
Mate, Mishima was considered for the Nobel. It's not at all like celebrating Manson's music.

>>19187556
I never said his political desires weren’t sincere.

could be a lot worse
you can be a real fool

>>19187872
irl cults and internet cults have very different dynamics

>>19186320
You weren't raised by a crazy overprotective grandmother.