Kappa

This book contains 6 short stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke.Kappa tells the story and experience of a kappa country which is contradictory to but similar to human society through the self narration of patient No. 23 in psychiatric hospital.In spite of a fictitious world, the irony and sharp criticism throughout the whole story point to reality, but more accurately and vividly depict the real and essential part of the Japanese society in the 1920s than many realistic works at that time.In the kappa country, all ideas are taunting people in the real world. They know human beings better than themselves.Once they have mastered their unique language, accepted their weird ideas and left the utopia, they immediately fall into a vexation of disgusting human.The protagonist of the story returns to the human world finally, but he is regarded as a madman as he has been unable to get used to human life.