Scan barcode
A review by steveatwaywords
Following the Brush: An American Encounter with Classical Japanese Culture by John C. Elder
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
A fast and welcoming read of an American family in Japan now decades ago. But this is the summary judgment of it, as well.
Elder's prose is easy and self-effacing as he stumbles through some of the newness of cultural surprises. But we know very little about why he is there, why they engage in the activities they do, etc., and since each brief chapter feels a stand-alone essay on one aspect of the culture (calligraphy, Go, Noh theater, schooling), we sense little in the way of Elder or his family's thinking hard about their adapting. The children seem to do best after some difficult settling in, but since they are all staying for only a year, each open door to culture seems more a visit than an enduring revealing.
To be sure, I am contrasting Elder's book to other writers of the same era on Japan, Alex Kerr and Alan Booth, for instance. Following the Brush is an easy step into Japan. especially for readers who may know little about it. But since Elder spends most of his time in the traditional spheres of Japanese art and pastimes, we learn little about the larger workings of the country, of the lives of its people, or the long thinking such an experience might demand of us.
Elder's prose is easy and self-effacing as he stumbles through some of the newness of cultural surprises. But we know very little about why he is there, why they engage in the activities they do, etc., and since each brief chapter feels a stand-alone essay on one aspect of the culture (calligraphy, Go, Noh theater, schooling), we sense little in the way of Elder or his family's thinking hard about their adapting. The children seem to do best after some difficult settling in, but since they are all staying for only a year, each open door to culture seems more a visit than an enduring revealing.
To be sure, I am contrasting Elder's book to other writers of the same era on Japan, Alex Kerr and Alan Booth, for instance. Following the Brush is an easy step into Japan. especially for readers who may know little about it. But since Elder spends most of his time in the traditional spheres of Japanese art and pastimes, we learn little about the larger workings of the country, of the lives of its people, or the long thinking such an experience might demand of us.