Hypotextuality and the Sheep Man

     While reading and discussing A Wild Sheep Chase in class we often spoke to the words as being Murakami's writing. What is so easily forgotten, and done so purposefully, is that these words are the work of two writers; one being Murakami and the other being Alfred Birnbaum who translated the novel for us. There are many moments in this novel where it is so easy to forget the influence that Birnbaum may have on what we are reading and how it is laid out, where we do not question that these are the words of Murakami himself. In this sense, the words of Murakami are so easily seen through the writing of Birnbaum. 

    Although we discussed areas where the translator's fingerprint is visible in the text, such as the title and the name "rat" replacing the Japanese original of "mouse", as well as moments that do not change that lead an English speaking reader down unfamiliar rabbit holes such as the black and white goats eating each other's letters. But there is one example that makes me wonder whose touch was most directly involved in the English translation: the speech pattern of the Sheep Man.

    In Daniel Chandler's article Semiotics for Beginners, he defined the term hypotextuality as "the relation between a text and a preceding 'hypotext' - a text or genre on which it is based but which it transforms, modifies, elaborates or extends (including parody, spoof, sequel, translation)." with the extra emphasis being on the translation side of things during my thought process. In the translation, Birnbaum removes the spacing from between practically every word spoken by the Sheep Man, including the spacing that would follow punctuation. This has a very interesting effect on how I perceived the Sheep Man. Dialogue along with cadence are so conducive to emotional portrayal in speech, and this lack of spacing removes these key aspects from the Sheep Man. On page 320, Birnbaum writes "Youwereplayingguitar," said the Sheep Man with Interest. "Welikemusictoo.Can'tplayanyinstrumentsthough." Not only is this a little off-putting to read (and to type), but it also removes a lot of the comfort and familiarity that can be found in words since they become so conjoined. It feels almost dystopic in a way, forcing the reader to live in the world of the Sheep Man.

    I highlight this writing style because with my knowledge of the Japanese language I am quite unsure how an effect similar to this could be created, so I am unsure who to give credit to, but it is a decision that I admire and enjoyed reading very much. Either way, I think it is important to thank both writers and keep both in mind when reading the words of the sheep man. Because ItmademespendmoretimewonderingaboutthesheepmanthanIthinkIwouldhaveotherwise. 

Bergen