When I went back to Niigata last week, I found the final draft of my graduation thesis which I wrote 40 years ago. The graduation thesis itself I submitted to my teacher was not returned to me. Therefore, I was very happy to find it. I think my English ability reached a climax in that year.
I think I will copy my graduation thesis here, remembering my old good days. The title of my graduation thesis was
LEAR'S WORLD IN KING LEAR
PREFACE
I have come to find that William Shakespeare's plays are very interesting to read---though I do not know how interesting they are when they are put on the stage, because I have never had any chance to appreciate them on the stage.
When I was a sophomore of N University, I attended a class of King Lear, for I knew its story and to read it in the original had long been one of my dear dreams. In that class we students were allowed to be in full activity. Every week one or two students were appointed to prepare for the next class.
Those students tried to make thoroughgoing preparations, reading many books concerning Shakespeare, or consulting some dictionaries which they usually did not use. In that class, being helped by a teacher, they gave us a lecture on some part of King Lear.
That was my first time to read Shakespeare. To tell the truth, I felt how tiresome it was to read Shakespeare at that time. It was because I did not read it carefully. I should have hungrily read every word of it. Reflecting upon those days, I feel very sorry not to have tried my hardest to read Shakespeare.
The next year, I took a class of Hamlet. It was Hamlet that let my eyes bend on Shakespeare's other plays. When I finished reading Hamlet, I felt like reading other works and I made up my mind to read all of his works. Since then I have been reading Shakespeare's works but so far I have read only one third of them. Of course I did read King Lear again. This time it impressed me so much that I decided to read it more deeply for my graduation thesis.
Considering of my poor ability of English, I cannot help admitting that Shakespeare is too difficult for me to understand. It may be altogether irrelevant that I should say something on his works. But I will try what I can do in my own way.
( to be continued)
I think I will copy my graduation thesis here, remembering my old good days. The title of my graduation thesis was
LEAR'S WORLD IN KING LEAR
PREFACE
I have come to find that William Shakespeare's plays are very interesting to read---though I do not know how interesting they are when they are put on the stage, because I have never had any chance to appreciate them on the stage.
When I was a sophomore of N University, I attended a class of King Lear, for I knew its story and to read it in the original had long been one of my dear dreams. In that class we students were allowed to be in full activity. Every week one or two students were appointed to prepare for the next class.
Those students tried to make thoroughgoing preparations, reading many books concerning Shakespeare, or consulting some dictionaries which they usually did not use. In that class, being helped by a teacher, they gave us a lecture on some part of King Lear.
That was my first time to read Shakespeare. To tell the truth, I felt how tiresome it was to read Shakespeare at that time. It was because I did not read it carefully. I should have hungrily read every word of it. Reflecting upon those days, I feel very sorry not to have tried my hardest to read Shakespeare.
The next year, I took a class of Hamlet. It was Hamlet that let my eyes bend on Shakespeare's other plays. When I finished reading Hamlet, I felt like reading other works and I made up my mind to read all of his works. Since then I have been reading Shakespeare's works but so far I have read only one third of them. Of course I did read King Lear again. This time it impressed me so much that I decided to read it more deeply for my graduation thesis.
Considering of my poor ability of English, I cannot help admitting that Shakespeare is too difficult for me to understand. It may be altogether irrelevant that I should say something on his works. But I will try what I can do in my own way.
( to be continued)