Reading

I've gotten hold of 'Seven Japanese Tales' by Junichiro Tanizaki. The first story is the story of Shun-Kin. Reading it has made the play clearer. 

In the original short story, multiple narrators exist: 
1. The narrator, who is a man interested in the story of Shun-Kin 
2. Quotes from Sansuke's book on Shun-Kin's life
3. Quotes from a girl who helped Sansuke and Shun-Kin after both went blind 

In the play, 2 more voices (more commentators than narrators, really) were added: the actor who transforms into Sansuke, and the lady who is reading the play for a radio station. 

I've enjoyed the rest of the stories in the book too. It wasn't a surprise to find out that Tanizaki was a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, because his style is very similar. 1st person narrator who seems trustworthy at first, then gives the reader room to doubt. Storylines that veer into the fantastic. Heightened sensory descriptions. It's all very gothic. Terror, horror, beauty, sublime. (It's amazing how the mind can remember 'A' level Lit things)