Between awareness and self-evaluation, an analysis has been created. This difference is beautiful between positivism and existentialism in the reading of love.

Positivism often approaches love from a rational and objective perspective. It might seek to define love in terms of measurable characteristics or behaviors. For example, it could look at the frequency of communication, the level of physical affection, or the sharing of common interests as indicators of love.

On the other hand, existentialism emphasizes the subjective experience of love. It focuses on the individual's unique perception and understanding of love. Existentialists believe that love is a deeply personal and subjective phenomenon that cannot be fully captured by objective analysis. Each person's experience of love is shaped by their own values, beliefs, and life experiences.

The difference between these two approaches lies in their emphasis on either the objective or the subjective aspects of love. While positivism tries to reduce love to its observable components, existentialism recognizes the complexity and individuality of the experience of love.

Based on Nin's diary, it is truly a beautiful piece of writing. However, it is also a sad thought that she had to undertake the initial printing all by herself. She toiled and labored, perhaps facing numerous difficulties and setbacks along the way. But her determination and passion for her work kept her going. It was only after a long struggle that her work was finally recognized and accepted. This journey of hers is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of believing in oneself. Her story serves as an inspiration to all those who are pursuing their dreams, reminding us that no matter how hard the path may be, we should never give up.

In this time (at the end of Ramadan), a whole year has passed since I got acquainted with the first work of Anais, "Delta of Venus", which is a wonderful, rich and diverse collection of erotic short stories. The truth is, I don't know where she gets all those details and descriptions about a single character.

The collection I read now, "Under a Glass Bell", unlike the previous one, in which Anais moved away from eroticism and turned towards quoting stories from her diaries or towards a delightful and creative description of extreme situations such as childbirth or serial writing.

The collection is generally beautiful, but there is something in it that didn't reach me.

Perhaps it deserves a second reading in the future...

For those who have read "Delta Venus" by Anais Nin, this collection of short stories is undoubtedly very different from the erotic "Nin" narrative. The stories here are a mixture of reality, seriality, and fantasy, and there are many accounts of events experienced by the author, as well as quotes from her diaries, which poses a challenge to the average reader who is not accustomed to reading the literature of "Nin" or the group of "Henry Miller" in general.

The diversity in the different story themes in terms of the narrative structure makes the entire collection of short stories a unique and harmonious melody that matches the different literary tastes of the reading public. However, the excessive seriality in some stories makes their plot and narrative hardly understandable. Also, although the translation is good, it fails to convey the spirit of some paragraphs in three or four stories. These stories: "The Moth" and "Ritual" and "The Muted" and "He Who Sees Everything" which are combined in the narrative structure between seriality and fantasy, will only find a translation of the spirit of the text and not the text itself, to clearly convey the meaning to the reader.

Overall, I find the short stories in this collection to be enjoyable, and the psychological and philosophical depth with which the author presents her ideas in talking about the characters in the stories invites reflection and arouses emotions and awareness. Also, the seriality with which the author describes the characters' visions or their self-visions in the stories has added a touch of magic to her narrative that the reader spends in the worlds of imagination and unreality that separate us a little from the hard material reality that we live and sometimes.

So weird. So cool. It was truly an extraordinary experience to read her stories. It felt as if I was looking at written descriptions that perfectly captured the way my mind often perceives the world. There were moments when it was uncannily similar, as if she had tapped into the very essence of my thoughts and translated them onto the page. Sometimes, it was like a mirror reflecting my own inner landscapes. However, other times were... different. There were instances when her stories took unexpected turns, leading me down paths I had never anticipated. It was both thrilling and a little disconcerting. But that's what made it so fascinating. Her writing had the power to both resonate deeply and surprise me, creating a unique and captivating reading experience.

The collection commences with extremely abstract stories that unfold at a sluggish pace, bearing a dreamlike quality. There is precious little to latch onto, and I confess that I was thoroughly bored to death by the initial offerings.

Fortunately, Nin makes a remarkable turnaround with "The Labyrinth," and from then on, the stories take on a much more concrete form, becoming far more relatable and human. This sudden shift serves as a powerful reminder of just how incredibly talented she truly was.

Her ability to transition from the nebulous and unengaging to the vivid and captivating is a testament to her literary prowess. It is as if she has flipped a switch, transforming the collection into a work that demands the reader's attention and leaves a lasting impression.

The contrast between the beginning and the subsequent stories is striking, and it is through this contrast that Nin's talent shines through even more brightly.

The content has a better form... There are many very, very beautiful sentences that just hang in the middle of the narration, without any structure to support them.

I have read that Anaïs Nin wrote it when she was very young and was too hasty in publishing it. But for me, it doesn't reach the level of her diaries. It lacks strength, concision, and sincerity.

Perhaps if she had taken more time to refine and organize her thoughts, this work could have been more impactful.

As it stands now, it feels a bit disjointed and unfinished.

However, it's important to remember that every writer has their成长过程, and this early work may have been a stepping stone for Anaïs Nin on her path to becoming the renowned author she is today.

Despite its flaws, there are still moments of beauty and insight that can be gleaned from this piece.

It serves as a reminder that even the greatest writers start somewhere and that their early works may not always be their best.

Nin is penning her words from a mysterious, primeval realm, perhaps it's the interior of a mirror or even the womb.

Her writing is perilous, similar to a sinkhole that croons to you while gradually stripping away the aspects of reality.

Be ready to get lost. There are undoubtedly blatant orientalist tendencies and language. I can understand why Nin is adored by the demographic that led me to her (think of the pilgrims who flock to the crystal shops of Haight-Ashbury).

This is a risk inherent in all writing that draws so explicitly from mystic traditions. To her credit, although the stories contain numerous such references, they are captivating enough on their own to mesmerize the reader and draw them into her imagination.

It makes for a great read during the spooky season.

Like those secret enchantments of nature, stream of consciousness and lyrical language have the power to conjure up a dream, a delusion, an unreality that borders on madness. Anaïs Nin, an anachronism, seems not to belong to her time nor this time, but rather exists in a dream-time. Her words are like spells that transport the reader to a realm beyond the ordinary. “Wouldn’t you like to be an archangel, as I am?” she asks, inviting us into her fantastical world. And she is truly “the archeologist of her own soul,” delving deep into the recesses of her being to unearth the hidden treasures and mysteries that lie within. Through her writing, we are able to catch a glimpse of this inner landscape and perhaps discover something about ourselves in the process.

Under a Glass Bell commences like a dream and never truly awakens.

From the very beginning, it is evident that Nin is not an ordinary writer, and one has to become accustomed to the strange and indistinct world she creates.

The stories possess an otherworldly quality, yet also convey the sense of being on the fringes of society, the language and world of the outsider, the nonconformist, the homeless and displaced, the nomad, and the mystic.

"Houseboat", the first and longest story, sets the tone. Like many of these tales, Nin situates "Houseboat" in a mysterious and foggy Paris, floating down the Seine in the eponymous home.

It is beautiful at times and highly evocative. Details are both significant and, simultaneously, unimportant.

Think of the cartoon-like world of Amelie (for the beauty) and even a hint of Wes Anderson (for the absurdity).

While Anderson balances that absurd world with something captivating, the worlds of Anais Nin often become tiresome.

The narrative jumps too frequently and never grips you. The characters, like the houseboat resident in the first story, are lost, lonely, and sympathetic, but they often remain in the realm of unreality and fail to be memorable.

The circus dream feel persists in "The Mouse", one of the better stories in the collection. Here, Nin stays with the character and hooks you with her tragedy.

It tells of a serving girl (again in Paris, again by the river) and an accidental pregnancy followed by a dangerous abortion.

The combination of Nin's magical style with hard reality makes "The Mouse" a much more memorable story.

Similarly, "Under a Glass Bell" has characters that stick in your mind; a sister and two brothers seemingly frozen in time in a crystalline, fragile old manor house filled with a kind of stagnant beauty.

There's something of the decrepit, tumbledown romance of Gormenghast and the awful, mummified horror of Lovecraft.

It is a mysterious and sumptuous fairy tale, a sleeping Cinderella palace, that perfectly suits Nin's style in this collection.

Unfortunately, the elements don't always blend well, and the vagueness of the setting, the jarring narratives, and dreamlike characters turn most of the rest into confusing muddles.

Most of them are too short anyway to truly engage with, a difficult middle ground between poetry and vignette that ends up being something like a fading dream.

At the end, Nin gives us two stories with something to hold onto. "Hedja" is a fairy tale and romantic tragedy with the feel of Eastern mythology, but "Birth", the last story, is grounded in a cold, hard reality and is the first time one feels that Nin's own voice comes through at last.

It's powerfully emotional, a heart-wrenching and disturbing story about a stillborn child and the mother's wish to see her baby.

Nin manages all of this without sacrificing the stylistic approach of the rest of the collection, and the tragedy hits harder because of it.

Throughout the collection, there is no doubt that Nin can write beautifully, and her imagery is occasionally truly beautiful.

But it is when something of herself surfaces, when her characters become real and relatable, that they succeed in being something else, something more than a trippy dreamscape, and turn into something haunting and memorable.

My first experience with Anaïs Nin, and a return to reading the short story after a long absence.

This story I bought from a corner of the Time House in January at the 2014 book fair and opened it for browsing in October of the same year and didn't understand anything at that time. And exactly 4 years later, and after many readings, I became more capable than I was before.

In general, the collection is nice. There are things I liked and things I didn't respond to.

I made a recording for myself because I recorded a part of it with my voice on SoundCloud and this is the first time I record a text and put it for others. The specific part is from the story "Opinion Is Everything".

The rating is three stars for what I mentioned at the beginning.

The experience will make us not refrain from reading it again.

The story was utterly gorgeous. It was a literary masterpiece that captured my heart from the very first sentence. The author's use of language was simply breathtaking, and I adored every word of it. Each sentence was crafted with precision and care, painting a vivid picture in my mind.

The characters were well-developed and complex, and I found myself completely invested in their lives and struggles. The plot was engaging and full of twists and turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Overall, this was an outstanding piece of writing that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good story. It is a true gem that will stay with me for a long time to come.