Talk:Lafcadio Hearn
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This article claims to be drawn largely from the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica, but includes only two citations. These citations lead to 1) a dead link and 2) an archived link from an indeterminate source. I don't know the guidelines that cover the use of material from a source in the public domain, but I'm certain that you can't 1) copy wholesale or 2) use that material without individual citation. The article doesn't even have a "References" section beyond the aforementioned Encyclopedia Britannica. Someone who knows something about this needs to fix it, because as it stands it's at best almost entirely unsourced and at worst plagiarism.Rem0103:35, 28 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If he elected his name Lafcadio, how was he called before? --Error
It seems typical to ascribe a nationalities to people. In the case of Hearn, I think he is typically considered Irish (prior, of course, to his taking Japanese citizenship). --Malcohol 13:12, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Could be considered British too - father an Irish Protestant in the British Army.Starviking (talk)10:06, 3 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
'British' is a name for a citizen of the current UK, or the nationality of a resident of Britain. If anything, this son of an Irishman and a Greekwoman who was born in Greece had Irish and Greek 'nationality', and later Japanese citizenship.86.41.6.184 (talk)16:22, 4 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'd assume he was a US citizen through most of his adult life, certainly as a writer, in tone and audience, he would have been considered an American. Maybe that should be stated as well.— Precedingunsigned comment added by76.160.218.42 (talk)23:43, 10 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]
What happened to Mattie Foley, and Lafcadios's marriage with her? Did they divorce?
Or more likely, did it just sort of cease to be (annuled?) based on it being "illegal"?
And at what point? Were his moves to Martinique and New Orleans in any way related to having a black wife? Might she have been FROM either of those 2 places?
If this is all unknown, something to that effect should be mentioned. I was kind of shocked when I got to the "...married Setsue" part!
66.3.106.4 (talk)07:02, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent article. When I visited the Hearn Museum in Matsue in 1999 I noticed that they were playing a Loreena McKennitt CD in the background, presumably because she is Irish.Thomas14418:18, 27 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm starting a new heading to draw attention to this question already asked above. What happened to Lafcadio's first marriage to Mattie Foley? When he remarried had she died? Had they divorced? Was he a bigamist? Or was the first marriage anulled perhaps?--El benito16:22, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
At the time mixed-race marriages were illegal, so it was forcibly annuled by the US courts. Mattie re-maried, but did not lead a happy life and died in poverty.MightyAtom00:47, 3 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In Greek, he's known as Λευκάδιος (standard spelling of nominative case form); maybe that should be put into the article...AnonMoos02:04, 8 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think it would be acceptably to add Lean Hearn to the legacy section. She is an author who's real name escapes me, but her pen name is after Patric Hearn. Just a suggestion
Lian Hearn sources Lafcadio Hearn as both an inspiration and as one of her primary references for her novels set in a fictional Japan, so I think it is appropriate to add her.Tathunen (talk)20:59, 2 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure how many are awayre of the importance of this man in New Orleans history. I added a New Orleans subheading and an reference at the end that brings to light his contributions to Creole history, in specific creole cooking.Kcuello
20:40, 30 November 2007 (UTC)
Are there really more books written about him than any other resident of New Orleans than Armstrong? For example, Lee Harvey Oswald was from New Orleans and there sure have been a lot of books written about him. Walt Whitman was also a resident of New Orleans.
Why does he go by Lafcadio Hearn, excising his first name, Patrick? And why doesn’t the article even mention this fact? —Frungi (talk)08:03, 8 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
v. old question, but I'd expect the answer is that many Irish men named Patrick go by their middle names, to avoid being confused with all the other Patricks.— Precedingunsigned comment added byAantia (talk •contribs)00:01, 7 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Didn't I post a couple of queries here recently? About Hearn's blindness--which the article avoids--and about his true stature in Japan today? Did someone erase that or did I just forget to post? I hope someone can post an answer here. Andshame on you if you did erase anything posted here.75.21.115.123 (talk)14:40, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
"In the late 19th century, Japan was still largely unknown and exotic to Westerners. However, with the introduction of Japanese aesthetics, particularly at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, Japanese styles became fashionable in Western countries. Consequently, Hearn became known to the world by his writings concerning Japan. In later years, some critics would accuse Hearn of exoticizing Japan, but because he offered the West some of its first descriptions of pre-industrial and Meiji Era Japan, his work has historical value.[4]"
This statement feels very wrong. Westerners? Which ones? Japanese styles? This is an extensive generalization. Japonisme and sterotypical Japanese aesthetics had been popular long before, since at least the 1870s, particularly in France. Perhaps there was a resurgance? Perhaps in the U.S.? There must be room to make this more specific. These types of generalizing statements about "us" consuming "them" from both the U.S. and Japanese sources are part of the narrative that enforces the exoticizing. If you are a scholar who knows more about this can you help make this more specific? The statement about offering the first descriptions of pre-industrial and Meiji Japan particularly seems wrong with the history of the Dutch at Dejima. U of Iowa's library catalog lists no less than 15 accounts of Japan just from the 1850-1860. Even Mark Twain wrote an account of travels to Japan before Hearn. I don't know the details enough to make an accurate change, but I know this needs clarification.— Precedingunsigned comment added by2620:0:E50:1016:D42D:B876:26A9:88B7 (talk)14:54, 27 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The external link for Project Gutenberg does not find recent issues. "The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 1", etc, is missing.Gc9580 (talk)13:40, 28 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42313/42313-h/42313-h.htm46.24.26.231 (talk)`— Precedingundated comment added06:03, 2 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]
It appears some "Japanese" stories he "collected" lack of knowing Japanese culture and details, it looks like he did not know Japanese and could not read. Like The white butterfly story show extremely silly mistakes like age or dates on tombstones or having betrothed. Has anyone seen any analysis for that?Rambalac (talk)15:56, 20 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The claim that he could not read or write Japanese is incorrect. Many of his original manuscripts penned in his hand are on display at the recently renovated, Koizumi Hakuma Memorial Museum in Matsue city, Shimane Prefecture. I am a distant relative of Lefcadio through his mother and also grew up in Japan. I can also attest to his linguistic proficiency. I don't quite understand what you mean by the mistakes in the ages and dates, but if you clarified your question I might be able to help.Dr.khatmando (talk)04:31, 20 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not a wikipedia editor and don't know how to do this, but he translated Flaubert and his translations continue to be reprinted in modern editions, the Modern Library called his "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" distinguished, this should probably be mentioned— Precedingunsigned comment added by2601:151:4680:67A:28F7:853E:7202:A9CA (talk)17:52, 2 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]
How does the statement '... he seems to have been called "Patrick Lefcadio Kassimati Charles Hearn" in English' square with the accompanying sourced note 'According to one of his biographers, a family Bible records 'Patricio Lafcadio Tessima Carlos Hearn, August 1850.' Kennard, Nina H. (1912). Lafcadio Hearn. New York: D. Appleton and Co.'? These are two different names, so the initial statement- viz. that a middle name was 'Kassimati' rather than 'Tessima'- appears to be unsupported by the Kennard source. Is 'Tessima' another form of 'Kassimati'? If so, this ought to be indicated.— Precedingunsigned comment added by92.2.125.55 (talk)22:42, 3 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]
https://www.gutenberg.org › filesThe Project Gutenberg eBook of Concerning Lafcadio Hearn, by George M. Gould, M.D.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36783/36783-h/36783-h.htm
46.24.26.231 (talk) 21:08, 31 January 2022 (UTC)— Precedingunsigned comment added by46.24.26.231 (talk)20:59, 31 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
In the late 19th century, Japan was still largely unknown and exotic to Westerners. However, with the introduction of Japanese aesthetics, particularly at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, Japanese styles became fashionable in Western countries.
That timeline seems quite late. As our article onJaponisme explains, this began as early as 1858, inspired the artworld in the 1860s, came to the attention of the public in 1872, finally going visibly global by 1900. In other words, Japanese aesthetics became widely known and mainstream sometime before 1900.Viriditas (talk)21:31, 17 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Under the heading "Later life in Japan" the final paragraph almost entirely consists of a quote from a book on Hearn, but its use of quotation marks is in error, and the voice is not identified. To wit:
While in Japan, he encountered the art of ju-jutsu which made a deep impression upon him:"Hearn, who encountered judo in Japan at the end of the nineteenth century, contemplated its concepts with the awed tones of an explorer staring about him in an extraordinary and undiscovered land."What Western brain could have elaborated this strange teaching, never to oppose force by force, but only direct and utilize the power of attack; to overthrow the enemy solely through his own strength, to vanquish him solely by his own efforts? Surely none! The Western mind appears to work in straight lines; the Oriental, in wonderful curves and circles." When he was teaching at the Fifth High Middle School, the headmaster was founder of Judo Kano Jigoro himself.
The quotation mark following "...undiscovered land" is by itself and it is unclear as to whether it is introducing a new quote or was simply mistakenly inserted. Because the source cited is a book and not accessible on-line, there is no way for me to tell where the punctuation should be, nor if the speaker is the author of the book or a third party quoted within it. Can anyone help clear this up? Thanks!
Bricology (talk)19:24, 2 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I can't quite put my finger on it just now, but the third paragraph in the subsection§ Museums (under the "Legacy" heading) doesn't quite sound encyclopedic to me. Perhaps a littlepromotional, with unnecessary detail? Most of it also lacks adequate inline citations.
Does anyone have thoughts on this?
—§§LegFun §§talk §§22:07, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
