Hi guys! I just finished reading The Strange Library and I found it very interesting. In one of my previous blog posts I posed a question to the class where I wondered whether you guys enjoyed the repeated motifs or found them tiresome. To any classmate who was beginning to find them tiresome, I'm sure The Strange Library was not the most enjoyable read for you! It was certainly chalk full of those classic Murakami motifs: the sheep man, descending into the darkness/unkown, multiple different worlds, a sense of unreality, beautiful disappearing/non-existent girl... I could go on! Lucky for me, I really enjoy these tropes and seeing them repeated throughout Murakami's work doesn't take away from my enjoyment. Rather, I think the reoccurrence of these images/scenarios/archetypes allows Murakami to write things that are interconnected and therefore layered with more meaning when viewed inside a network (rather than viewed as stand-alone creations).
This story (along with its similarities to other pieces) made me think of the magical realism discussion we had in class and specifically the idea of a soft magic system. The idea that Murakami's 'magic' can be classified as soft magic because it lacks clear cut rules/logic systems and is unpredictable is reinforced within this story. I also think the fact that the characteristic magical elements of Murakami are so characteristic almost reinforces the idea that there is a system of magic, although a very soft one at that. But its true! We know when we see sheep men, wells, and beautiful but strange women (to name but a few) that strange, inexplicable things will occur. That might be a very loose system of magic, but to me that aids in the argument that Murakami writes magical realism.
-Alana
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