In a Grove [short story]
by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
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Description
"In a Grove" is an early modernist short story consisting of seven varying accounts of the murder of a samurai, Kanazawa no Takehiro, whose corpse has been found in a bamboo forest near Kyoto. Each section simultaneously clarifies and obfuscates what the reader knows about the murder, eventually creating a complex and contradictory vision of events that brings into question humanity's ability or willingness to perceive and transmit objective truth. It is the basis for Kurosawa's "Rashoumon."Tags
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Member Reviews
The story is formed in short reports like strobe lights illuminating a group of figurines which are moved significantly between flashes, so every view is an impression of a different story with a few common objects. I think it is a meditation on how little of the truth is recoverable and how much it varies from person to person.
Great short story, I have the sensation that the translation took some liberties here and there but I don't know.
I will watch the film that was inspired by this named Rashomon
I will watch the film that was inspired by this named Rashomon
As in modern physics, you can either experience or experiment
Interesting multiple-perspective piece.
Interesting multiple-perspective piece.
I think ------ I need to think on this one.
I read it in our Lit class
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Author Information
300+ Works 5,729 Members
Brilliant, sensitive, neurotic, Akutagawa Ryunosuke left over 100 stories before his suicide at age 35. Feudal fables are often the source for his tales, but Akutagawa also brought his knowledge of several world literatures to enrich his writing. His best-known story, "In a Grove" ("Yabu no naka"), has become a play and was made into the show more prizewinning movie Rashomon by Kurosawa Akira (see Vol. 3). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Work Relationships
Is contained in
Has the adaptation
Has as a reference guide/companion
Has as a student's study guide
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- In a Grove [short story]
- Original title
- 藪の中 (Yabu no naka) (Yabu no naka)
- Alternate titles
- In a Bamboo Grove
- Original publication date
- 1969 (orginal Japanese) (orginal Japanese); 1997 (english) (english)
- Important places
- Japan
- Related movies
- Rashomon (1950 | IMDb)
- Disambiguation notice
- This entry refers to the individual short story - please DO NOT COMBINE WITH ANY COLLECTIONS OF STORIES
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Mystery
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 78
- Popularity
- 407,683
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.98)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 1
- ASINs
- 6
