Comments on: “Does this spark joy?” Aesthetics, Gender, and Ideals in Marie Kondo’s ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up’

By: Prof. Claire Eager

Prof. Claire Eager — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:44:52 +0000

Thanks, Kayla! It would be fascinating to think more about the covers in relation to each other and their local contexts. Congratulations again!

By: Mark Graham

Mark Graham — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:59:41 +0000

Hi Kayla — This is such interesting work. Thank you for doing it, and for sharing it here!

By: Kayla Stevens

Kayla Stevens — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:36:53 +0000

@Prof. Claire Eager: Thank you so much for your comments and for coming to my talk! To answer your first question, I didn't do a formal analysis of the book as an object besides informally reflecting on its physical qualities. I did, however, analyze the bolded phrases throughout the book into three themes (I found the quotes either describe the KonMari Method, its impact, or the broader philosophy behind it). I would say your Global? Book? History? class definitely shaped my approach to understanding the book as an object, though! Secondly, I did not find a lot of information about the publishing process for the book, though I did find it very interesting to compare the original Japanese book cover with the U.S. cover! See here: https://www.sunmark.co.jp/detail.php?csid=3120-1

By: Kayla Stevens

Kayla Stevens — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:27:00 +0000

Thank you so much!

By: Prof. Claire Eager

Prof. Claire Eager — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:01:41 +0000

Such a fantastic project and presentation, Kayla! With the benefit of hearing the in-person one, I do have a couple of additional questions about the book object itself (of course). Did you do your own analysis of it prior to hearing what your interlocutors said about its qualisigns? And you mentioned learning something about the marketing decisions for the US audience—did you research the publishing decisions/process at all, for example the cover design? Thank you and congratulations again!

By: Prof Cowing

Prof Cowing — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:57:25 +0000

Congratulations, Kayla! What a great project.