Friday by Michel Tournier

Friday by Michel Tournier, translated by Norman Denny

Friday is a lighter but also more philosophical and reflective retelling of Robinson Crusoe. Shipwrecked off the South America, Crusoe undergoes a journey of self-discovery as he seeks to build a sense of order and domesticity on his island kingdom. Instead of ending there as the original tale does, Tournier pushes his Crusoe to explore human identity beyond the trappings of civilization.

In Friday, taming the island and developing a one-man civilization becomes a way of deferring the lure of reverting to primal instincts in a trope already familiar through the tortured symbolism of Africa in Conrad's Heart Of Darkness. Crusoe eventually transcends that stage to find his meaning in expending himself in creating more order and abundance on his island kingdom.

But this does not last. The largest twist in this story is that Crusoe fails to civilize the South American Indian Friday, whom he saved entirely by chance. He only manages to teach Friday enough English (or French?) for them to interact. Friday's spontaneity and capriciousness tear through Crusoe's attempts to order the island, and enlighten him on a life liberated from order, capable of endless invention, free from a sense of time and responsibility--a kind of utopian liberation as man's highest state of awareness.

Through these progressive episodes of life on his island, Crusoe traces in broad strokes the construction of the individual in the varied forms it has taken since the Renaissance. Despite certain sections of philosophical meanderings in which the authorial voice seemed to take over Crusoe's, it makes a compelling read.

Bratja and Review: FullMetal Alchemist

Here is an interesting combination to consider as an example of globalization and cross-border cultural flow. This song comes from FullMetal Alchemist, a Japanese anime. The story's world is based on an alternate universe in which the world developed along the lines of medieval alchemy, and so the characters have Germanic names (Edward and Alphonse Elric). This song, written specially for the series, is in Russian. I also found an AMV made by a French person for the song.

On the anime: The clip won't make much sense unless you've watched the series, but the basic premise is that these two brothers attempted to resurrect their mother through alchemy, which is forbidden. As a result, the younger brother loses his body and his soul is attached to a suit of armour, while the older brother loses his arm and leg. They then attempt to find the Philosopher's Stone to return their bodies to normal (what alchemical story would be complete without it?)

Sounds pretty bizzare, but that's Japanese anime/manga for you. It's creative, setting up alternate realities which often deal with existential or social issues (or just idealized or romanticized notions of justice, chivalry, etc). Anime or manga of this genre also balances slapstick humour with serious themes, often with sudden switches between both modes with a total absence of liminal space. I'd say that's probably the part I love best about anime--its reflexivity and playfulness despite the tragic themes it might deal with. Ok so I'm just a postmodern mass media/ pop culture junkie. You'll even see this technique in some of the comic scripts I've written. I'd like to say I got it from Chekov or Beckett or something, but really I got it from anime. *sees Distinction Between High And Low Art throw itself out the window.*

I followed the series to its end and found the story arc in the anime very compelling. Its strength lies in its brevity and the consistent character development: the heroes learn about life, death and sacrifice along the way. So do the villains. The subplots are tied up neatly and each ending carries a thematic concern related to the overall story. There isn't much subtlety in the dialogue , and the theme of guilt, revenge and forgiveness is treated about as deeply as you'd expect for a cartoon for teenagers, but it is the coherence and arcing of the plot, the fine interweaving of subplots that impressed me. The series also has moral core centring on self-sacrifice and forgiveness. (Aside: it's interesting to note how many top-rated Japanese anime are centred on themes of redemption, sacrifice, a search for forgiveness and some sort of end to restlessness. Think Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin which is an anime much more deeply rooted in Japan's social history.)

Finally, plus points for the music which is not as repetitive throughout the three seasons that it ran, as it is with some other longer-running anime.