Blog Post #5

Hi all, 

For this weeks blog post, I wanted to talk about elements of intertextuality in Murakami, and the notion that he may unconsciously base his stories on others that he has read. I have noticed in class that myself and many of you are constantly thinking of events that occur in Murakami novels and short stories that occur elsewhere in literature. A poignant example was today in class, with the comparison of the ending of Paul Auster's Ghosts and a very similar scene occurring in Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I am fairly sure that if he were asked about these scenes, Murakami would not explicitly mention being influenced by Auster's work. However, I am confident that the two scenes are related in some way. Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was published nearly a decade after Auster released Ghosts, and Murakami has mentioned he is a fan of Auster's works. Therefore, I would argue that Murakami was subconsciously influenced by the scene that occurs in Ghosts in which the protagonist beats up a mysterious counterpart and leaves him to die. 

I think that Murakami, like many of us, has been greatly swayed by the books he has read throughout his life. We saw this in A Wild Sheep Chase, with its inspiration being drawn from Chandler novels, and we have read many other examples of similar works from Carver to Edgar Allen Poe. This is not to say that Murakami is plagiarizing in anyway by creating stories that have been influenced by the books he has read, quite the opposite. I feel as if Murakami's stories greatly benefit, and perhaps build upon the ideas presented in these "classic" works of other authors. I also feel as if my readings of these authors will now be viewed through a Murakami-skewed perspective, which will change my understanding of the works as well. To make a long story short, I believe that intertextuality as a whole is much more complex than we try to make it out to be. Ultimately, I think that it is next to impossible to write in the absence of intertextuality. The very nature of human thought is to be influenced by that which we see and read, and these thoughts can express themselves explicitly or subconsciously in our speech and writing. I've also begun writing my final project short story, and while the assignment is quite literally to write in Murakami's style, I can't help but feel as if I am being influenced by all the works of Murakami I have read subconsciously, and the replication of his style does not feel forced, but almost natural. Maybe it is just me, but I feel that the same may have occurred for Murakami. Perhaps his stories are merely influenced by the most recent impactful book he has read? 

- Sam Soares