A Journal from Japan: A Daily Record of Life as Seen by a Scientist

Stopes, Marie Carmichael, 1880-1958Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.3
Word count
440K words
Chapters
45

Tags

English Originals Documentary Literature Scientific ObservationDaily ReflectionsSojourn DiaryDocumentary NarrativeExotic CultureJapanese CharmCross-Cultural ViewFemale Perspective

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Journal from Japan: A Daily Record of Life as Seen by a Scientist by StopesAuthor: Stopes, Marie Carmichael, 1880-1958,Language: English, Class: DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia, Release Date: Dec 20, 2013

Editor's review

This book is a diary-form record written by Marie Carmichael Stopes during her stay in Japan as a scientist; the English original is published by Project Gutenberg. Its highlight lies in the combination of a “scientist's eye” with “daily record”: it offers observations of nature, environment, and the details of life, while preserving personal experiences and impressions, making it feel closer to the lived experience of foreigners in Japan at the time than a formal treatise. For readers, its value lies not in providing a complete history of Japan, but in presenting a perspective shaped by professional training for viewing another culture; it is suitable as supplementary reading at the intersection of modern Japanese studies, travel writing, and the history of science. While reading, pay attention to what the author observes and overlooks, and how the diary form shapes the narrative.

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Reading tips

  1. Read the diary chronologically, and mark the itinerary and events on a map or timeline to build a sense of space.
  2. Keep a notebook with columns for three types of content: “natural observations,” “daily life,” and “personal evaluations.”
  3. After finishing, select several observation points and compare them with other contemporaneous records of travel in Japan to compare differences in perspective.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45

FAQ

Is this book a scientific research work? According to the materials, it is a diary-form record written by the author during her stay in Japan as a scientist, focusing on daily life observations and experiences rather than a systematic scientific treatise. Readers should not expect a complete experimental report or theoretical argument; it is better read as nonfiction writing with a professional perspective.
What language foundation is needed to read this book? The materials indicate that the book is in English and is the original diary text, with no information about a Chinese translation. Readers with good English reading ability can read it directly; those with a more basic level of English can work through it paragraph by paragraph with a dictionary, or first read introductory materials to understand the background before entering the main text.
Are the observations of Japan in the book reliable? The diary records the author's personal observations and feelings, with limitations tied to a specific identity, era, and perspective. It can serve as material for understanding how foreigners viewed Japan at the time, but it should not be treated as an objective and comprehensive social survey. While reading, note the author's assumptions and selectivity, and cross-checking with other historical sources is more prudent.

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About the author

Stopes, Marie Carmichael, 1880-1958 Author

Marie Carmichael Stopes (1880–1958) was a British writer whose work ranged across several fields. Five of her books are held here, and their subjects vary widely: Married Love and Radiant Motherhood address marriage and sexual relations for a general readership; A Journal from Japan records her daily observations in Japan; The Study of Plant Life is a botanical work; and Conquest is a play in three acts. These titles show her writing both as a scientific observer of nature and foreign life and as a public voice on practical questions of marriage and parenthood. Her style is clear and direct, with an emphasis on readability and practical use. Public information is limited, so details of her life and the specific influence of her works cannot be described in depth here, but the titles above already indicate the breadth of her writing.