Natsume Sōseki really did adopt a calico cat, naming it "Wagahai."
Lu Shi was taken aback. He realized that the Japanese title of "I Am a Cat" was "吾輩は猫である" (Wagahai wa Neko de Aru). It turned out that Natsume's sudden inspiration to write a first-person novel from a cat's perspective stemmed from Lu Shi and Owen's discussion about the experiential acting method. The connection between novels and acting made perfect sense.
After adopting Wagahai, Natsume Sōseki became somewhat of a "peeping tom." Every day, he followed Wagahai around with a notebook, recording the cat's habits. In no time, he had filled twenty pages. However, when he tried to write the book, something always felt off. He would struggle for half a day to produce a few words, only to cross them out again.
And so it went:
Record, create, cross out.
Record, create, cross out.
Record, create, cross out.
Day after day passed until finally, it was the day of the premiere of "Yes, Prime Minister."
December 16th,
Sunday.
As Christmas approached, the streets and alleys were gradually immersed in festive cheer. Even the perpetual fog over London seemed to have lifted a bit. While packing, Lu Shi urged, "Natsume, we need to go."
He had just finished speaking when a scream rang out from the other side of the room:
"Meooowww—"
Lu Shi rushed over, "Wagahai?!"
"Not Wagahai, it's me."
He found Natsume Sōseki sitting on a small four-legged stool. In front of him was a red washbasin, with Wagahai cautiously peering into the water, occasionally letting out a soft "meow."
Lu Shi was speechless. "Brother, how many times have I told you not to bathe the cat?"
This was a lesson learned the hard way. Before crossing over, Lu Shi had experience taking care of cats and knew how difficult it was to bathe one. It felt like trying to subdue a 200-pound man, a struggle that could take hours without success.
Lu Shi beckoned, "Come here, Wagahai."
"Meow~"
Wagahai leapt from Natsume's face into Lu Shi's arms, leaving two scratch marks on Natsume's face. He wiped away the water and said in confusion, "I've been recording Wagahai's habits these past few days. It clearly likes water."
Lu Shi was puzzled, "Really?"
Natsume nodded earnestly, "Yes. Haven't you noticed? Wagahai likes to play with water, swatting at it with its paws."
Recalling, Lu Shi realized it was indeed true. He had to admit that for Natsume to write "I Am a Cat," he must have observed cats thoroughly. The detailed descriptions of the cat's actions in the book gave readers a vivid sense of Wagahai's presence.
Lu Shi suggested, "Maybe moving water is particularly interesting to Wagahai."
Natsume sighed, "Then why doesn't it like bathing? It's such a mystery."
Lu Shi waved his hand, "Stop thinking about that. Let's go."
He put Wagahai down, and the little cat circled his feet before darting under the bed. Lu Shi and Natsume left the house and got into a carriage.
Lu Shi remarked, "Actually, Wagahai is very smart. Most cats get their fur dirty easily, but this little guy is quite clean and even knows to use the litter box."
Natsume replied, "I don't want to bathe it because it's dirty."
Lu Shi was puzzled, "Then why?"
Natsume sheepishly smiled, "I just want to see what Wagahai looks like when it's bathed. I want to record it; it might be useful later. I even imagined a scene where Wagahai, greedy for a drink, licks from its owner's saucer and falls into a water tank."
Damn! That's exactly how the cat in "I Am a Cat" meets its end.
One moment, Kushami, Meitei, Tofu, and Dokusen are discussing Hanazawa's marriage and talking about women; the next, the cat drowns in a water tank.
It felt like a hasty ending, akin to a poorly finished web novel. There was a theory that during serialization, Sōseki faced heavy criticism. His critic, Suiten Tōdai, in "The Flame Record of Cat Writers," accused Sōseki of:
Either being ignorant of world literature, unaware that a century earlier there was already "The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr," a novel written from a cat's perspective, or being incredibly arrogant, knowing of its existence but not acknowledging it in his own work.
Though ostensibly literary criticism, it was essentially an accusation of plagiarism.
Writers disparage each other the world over, throughout history.
(Japan's tradition of public criticism was evidently well-established.)
But if "I Am a Cat" were written in England, perhaps such petty squabbles would be avoided, and Wagahai would not meet its end in a water tank, which would be for the best.
Lu Shi pondered, "Natsume, why do you want to use a cat as the protagonist?"
Natsume corrected him, "Well...not the protagonist exactly, but using a cat's first-person perspective. The reason, first of all, is that I was inspired by your and Sir Owen's discussion about immersive acting. I felt that this sense of immersion could be fascinating even when applied to animals."
Lu Shi asked, "And secondly?"
Natsume continued, "Secondly, Lu, have you heard of haikai?"
Lu Shi laughed, "Natsume, don't you think haikai is exclusive to Japan?"
Natsume looked a bit embarrassed. Haikai, also known as humorous poetry, is a genre that focuses on humorous or satirical content. These poems are straightforward and accessible, often divided into humorous poetry, doggerel, and some mixed-genre poems. Haikai originated in China and spread to Japan. Natsume, deeply knowledgeable in Chinese studies, admitted, "I know haikai existed in the Zhou Dynasty. But Lu, in your Qing Dynasty, wasn't haikai frowned upon?"
Indeed, the gentry despised haikai, but it remained popular among the common folk. However, in a feudal era, anything disapproved of by the authorities naturally declined, while Japan, as the inheritor of haikai, maintained its "orthodoxy."
Lu Shi sighed, "Never mind. I just wanted to say that I'm familiar with haikai."
Natsume continued, "I've read many English works and, thanks to you, encountered Mr. Shaw's plays and your 'Yes, Prime Minister.' I felt I could combine haikai literature with European satirical literature."
Lu Shi understood, "If that's your goal, the final work will certainly blend humor and sharp satire. In that case, choosing a cat's first-person perspective is indeed wise."
Although Lu Shi was familiar with "I Am a Cat" before crossing over, he couldn't have known Sōseki's thought process during its creation. Now, he understood completely, which was quite enlightening.
Natsume said, "I just didn't expect Wagahai to be so difficult. It won't even take a bath."
The conversation circled back. Lu Shi sighed, "Isn't there another way? The way you speak, someone might think you're a cat abuser."
Just then, the coachman knocked on the door.
Knock, knock—
Lu Shi pulled back the curtain, "What's the matter?"
The coachman hesitated, "Sorry, gentlemen, but we can't go any further."
He pointed towards the main road.
Outside, the entrance to the Lyceum Theatre was packed with a sea of people.