September 2020 – Glitch Press

A Literary Predecessor to Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite

Hordes of critics weighed in on the themes and aesthetic strengths of Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite when it won a 2020 Oscar for Best Picture, and one also for writing and directing. One interesting aspect of the film though was under-discussed. That was how it continues a long East Asian tradition of literary work that explore frauds, illusions, and things not being as they appear, or feign, to be. Don’t believe us? Check out this hilarious, surreal, and disturbing flash nonfiction …

Crowd Mind by u/ZenithiaX

So I work at a local restaurant, and last night I experienced possibly the strangest, most unexplainable thing of my entire life. It was a very busy Saturday night, with hundreds of people coming in to eat. Obviously, it gets pretty loud in the restaurant. Customers talking, workers yelling back and forth, the clanging of dishes and appliances, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary right? Well, that’s where the strangeness comes into the picture. As the night went on, there …

Twice Goodbye by Ji Yun, The Emperor’s Librarian (1724-1805)

Lady Zhao, the wife of my second son, Ruchuan, was a sensitive and enchanting young woman—one of those people who make you glad to be near them. My wife, Mistress Ma, continually boasted to others about Lady Zhao’s character and literary talent, as well as her needlework. She said that Lady Zhao talked with such charm that one could happily listen to her for a whole day. This was all true. We could not have hoped for a better daughter-in-law. …