Recently I have been trying to read more Japanese literature and I was thinking on taking up a novel by Souseki, maybe I am a cat. (For context, I passed the N2 exam last December.)
What makes me hesitate the most is whether I could actually understand the language used in Sousekis books. As far as I know Japanese has changed considerably in the last century, to the point where I am not sure if I potentially have the knowledge to even try. A little over one year ago I came across 雪国 (Snow country?) by Kawabata Yasunari but had to give up less than a page in because I was literally stopping to check every other grammar structure and outdated kanji. And I believe 雪国 was written a few decades after Souseki published his own work, which makes me think that the language used in Souseki’s novels is be even more distanced from modern Japanese.
On the other hand, I distinctly remember one of my professors at university saying that Souseki was surprisingly easy to read (she then mentioned I am a cat), but looking back, and with her being a native speaker herself, I don’t know if she meant it more in a ‘It was easy for me to read as a middle schooler in Japan’ than a ‘It would be easy for you to read as a Japanese student’ way.
I love reading. It is how I improved my English and now that I have more or less overcome the mighty kanji barrier (at least to the point where finding a random text in Japanese doesn’t make me want to cry anymore) I want to start reading Japanese literaute in the language it was conceived. I am already familiar with other authors and some of Souseki’s novels in my own language and being able to finally do so in Japanese would feel like a dream.
So, has anyone tried reading I am a cat? Is it attainable at this level or should I choose something else first? I don’t expect to be able to read it fluently, just to understand and hopefully enjoy the story. Thanks!
6 comments
I think it’s best, if you have a look for yourself, on [aozora] (https://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000148/files/789_14547.html) for example, skim through a couple of pages and make a judgement. Also reading aids, like rikaichan(?) might make reading easier and thus more enjoyable.
Of Souseki’s work, 10 Nights of Dreams might be more approachable. It’s a series of short stories, so it’s not as trying as maybe a full novel where one mistake might doom you to utter confusion.
Some older writers would have grown up during the Genbun-Itchi movement and before the education and language reforms of the 1940s onward, so even if they are contemporary, I believe the access to quality of education might be varied across the board.
Also the intended readership might be telling. A serial novel published in magazines may translate to an easier story. Snow Country, on the other hand was serialized, then rewritten as a novel, so Kawabata had the chance to transition it from pulp to Literature if that was his desire.
There’s this neat site called [Soseki Project](https://www.sosekiproject.org/iamacat/iamacat01.html) where you can easily look up the words while listening to the audio version, which I found immensely helpful. Alternatively you can search for an audiobook version on YouTube and read along on Aozora using a pop-up dictionary like Yomichan.
i read 坊ちゃん the year after my n2 exam
it was hard
go for it
Different editions have different kanji usage. There are some editions of I Am a Cat that are written for older-elementary-aged children – [this one, for example](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/%E5%A4%8F%E7%9B%AE-%E6%BC%B1%E7%9F%B3/dp/4062856212/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2JXNBND9ZLB1B&keywords=%E5%90%BE%E8%BC%A9%E3%81%AF%E7%8C%AB%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B&qid=1685739151&sprefix=%E5%90%BE%E8%BC%A9%E3%81%AF%E7%8C%AB%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-3) – that have a lot of furigana and some edited kanji usage. Read the sample on Amazon and see how that strikes you for difficulty.
Have you read anything by Dazai Osamu? In my opinion he’s probably the easiest of the famous early-Meiji(-ish) Japanese writers.
I read Ogawa Yoko and Murasaki and found them both good for your level.
I also read “no longer human” and found that very hard.