EA 170 Study Questions for Weeks 2-3 THESE ARE STUDY QUESTIONS. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE TURNED IN. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ARE ON SCHEDULE UNDER CLASS OUTLINES. Week 2a Kagerô Diary (Kagerô nikki) [click here] Background: Written around 974, the diary or memoir of a very beautiful daughter of a well-to-do provincial governor (although she says at the start she "can hardly be compared to others" she was generally considered one of the three greatest beauties of her generation). This woman, whose name we are never given (she is known to history only as "Michitsuna's mother") marries "up" as the second wife of a very high ranking (and politically upwardly mobile) Fujiwara aristocrat, Fujiwara Kaneie. Kaneie married his first wife, Tokihime only a few years before marrying the author. Although the author's son, Michitsuna, was always given recognition and support by Kaneie, his sons by Tokihime (particularly Michinaga, who became the patron of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of Tale of Genji) were generally given precedence. For more information, see the introduction to the translation and the wikipedia article on Kagero nikki. STUDY QUESTIONS: 1) How is the exchange of poetry used to develop the marriage? 2) From the readings why do you think men got married? Why did women get married? Why do you suppose that the author of Kagerô Diary might have agreed to marry Kaneie? 3) Using the categories of marriage residence from McCullough's article (virilocal, uxorilocal, neolocal and duolocal), how would you characterize the author and Kaneie's living arrangements? Would you consider this marriage? Why or why not? 4) How does the author's living situation seem to affect the author emotionally? Look for examples to support your argument. 5) Is the author able to express her feelings directly to Kaneie? What ways does she use to let him know how she feels? Do you think this is an effective way of dealing with the situation? 6) How does the author relate to Kaneie's first wife ("the place he has been familiar with for years" p. 75) ? What about the woman in the Machi Alley? Why do you think she might react differently to these two women? 7) Look at the two long poems on pages 89-97. This is one of the few places in the book where we get Kaneie's viewpoint. Do you think his response is reasonable? Why or why not? 8) How do you think Kaneie viewed his wife's writing about him? Why might he have supported it? 9) For Kagerô Diary and for Tale of Genji, keep a list of the qualities that seem to be considered masculine and feminine in the Heian period. Are any of these surprising to you?
Weeks 2b, 3a, 3b Bowring, trans. Murasaki Shikibu: Her Diary and Poetic Memoirs (click here) Royall Tyler, trans., The Tale of Genji (Introduction, Prologue, Chapters 1-17) OPTIONAL: Richard Bowring, Murasaki Shikibu: The Tale of Genji, "The Cultural Background" pp. 1-21 (click here) The text I've assigned is an abridged version of Tale of Genji (the original has 54 chapters, so it's much longer!). This is the most recent translation by one of the best contemporary translators (see resources for other translations of the text). Royall Tyler has left out several minor love affairs of Genji in order to concentrate on the "main" story. Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji is not an easy book to read without help (and from about the 12th century onward, people nearly always read it with a handbook -- a kind of Cliff or Monarch Notes to the text). Characters appear and disappear from the story without warning; in the original Japanese the characters have no personal names but are referred to by their court position, which changes from chapter to chapter; often two events are simply given one after another and one has to guess at cause and effect, etc. The poems are not that easy for us to understand, particularly in translation. Both Richard Bowring's essay (optional) and Royall Tyler's introduction provide background material that will help you understand the more subtle points of gender and politics in Tale of Genji. If you have not had any background in Japanese history and literature I strongly suggest that you do the optional reading by Bowring. Murasaki Shikibu's diary entry is an interesting "real life" counterpart to the discussion of women in Chapter 2 (The Broom Tree) of Genji. If you are reading a different translation: note that the chapters are the same numbering as in the longer, unabridged version of either Tyler or Seidensticker. Chapters that have been left out are skipped in the numbering (so, for example, we skip from chapter 2 to 4 in Tyler's abridged translation). I've also assigned excerpts from Murasaki Shikibu's "diary" that comment on good and bad qualities in women, and whether women should know Chinese or not. STUDY QUESTIONS: Bowring, trans. Murasaki Shikibu: Her Diary and Poetic Memoirs 1. What qualities does Murasaki Shikibu prefer in a woman? What qualities does she deplore? Is she unambivalent? 2. What is her attitude towards education in Chinese for women? Again, is she unambivalent? 3. As you read Tale of Genji compare Murasaki Shikibu's opinions in her diary to those of her characters. Tyler introduction to Tale of Genji 1. ( pp. 4-8, see also Bowring Murasaki Shikibu pp. 3-5) These sections discuss what little we know of the author Murasaki Shikibu's life. How does Shikibu's employment at the court, and the fact that her mentor Michinaga provided her with all the resources she needed to write Genji, reflect the marriage politics at the time? Optional Bowring introduction to Murasaki Shikibu: The Tale of Genji 1) (pp. 6-8) Intros the basic principles of Buddhism. 2) (pp. 9-12) How did the use of Chinese language by only men exclude women from power? How did it end up benefiting women? Why do you think the idea developed that learning Chinese was "unfeminine"? 3) (pp. 13-15 ) How does the 'rule' that men and women live apart affect the literary persona of women? The persona of men? 4) (pp. 15) Why is the exchange of poetry so important in this society? Why does handwriting become so important? What role did poetry play in the development of the marriage between Kaneie and Michitsuna's mother in The Gossamer Years? 5) (pp. 17-21) Why did Murasaki Shikibu set Tale of Genji a hundred years earlier? What elements did she introduce to give the story historical plausibility? GENERAL QUESTIONS FOR ALL OF GENJI: 1) The Broom Tree chapter's "Rainy Night Discussion" sets up the various kinds of women that Genji will be involved with. As he meets women in the following chapters try to fit them into the categories given here. What counts as "normative" (positively valued) femininity for these young men? (see also, discussion questions below) 2) Look for incidences of jealousy between women. Who is jealous and why? How does social status seem to play into this? You should pay particular attention to: a) the Kokiden/ Kiritsubo/ Fujitsubo problem b) the Rokujô/ Aoi conflict (Aoi or Aoi no Ue is Genji's main wife) 3) Look for ways that women show their anguish, jealousy etc. to men without saying anything directly. In particular you might pay attention to the ways women die (Kiritsubo, Yûgao, Aoi). When are women most vulnerable to illness and possession? How might illness be a way for women to express their feelings? 4) Look for examples of what masculinity means in Heian culture. How is Genji an ideal man according to Heian ideals? How is he less than ideal? How is that ideal masculinity different from what is normative today? Why do you think it is different? Tale of Genji (Chapters 1-2): The Prologue and the first two chapters basically set up the rest of the story. 1) Prologue. This is taken from a much later chapter, when Yugao's daughter, Tamakazura has come to live with Genji. The discussion between them on the merits of fiction is generally taken as the author's own thoughts on the subject. Within a Buddhist framework of understanding, fiction could be perceived as "lies" that distract one from the eight-fold path that leads to detachment and enlightenment. How does Genji argue for fiction? 2) Considering the marriage politics of the time, why is Kiritsubo at such a disadvantage to Kokiden (i.e. why can't the Emperor protect her)? Why does Kokiden hate Kiritsubo (and Genji) so much? 3) Why is Genji made a commoner and married off at 12? What are his living arrangements with the daughter of the Minister of the Left (Aoi)? Why do you think they might have trouble in their marriage? (Pay attention to later descriptions of their relationship as well.) 4) After the rainy night discussion in "The Broom Tree" we see the first of Genji's amorous escapades, with a young woman married to the much older Iyo Deputy, who is off in the provinces. While he is away, she is staying at the house of her stepson, the Governor of Kii, who is a retainer of the Minister of the Left. How does Genji get access to her? Tale of Genji (Chapters 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10) For week 3a we'll be concentrating on chapters 4, 9, 10, the chapters that focus on the spirit possession by the Rokujô Haven of Yûgao and Aoi. We'll consider chapters 5, 7, and 8 in the context of general issues of ideal femininity and how aesthetics were used to mask court politics. 1) Chap. 4: At the start of the chapter, we meet Koremitsu, Genji's foster brother and most intimate retainer. Koremitsu is the son of Genji's wetnurse, and so would have been raised with Genji. Genji has come to visit Koremitsu's mother, who is dying and has become a nun. Yûgao just happens to be staying next door. What category of woman, as discussed in "The Broom Tree" chapter, would Yûgao fit into? Note that Tô no Chûjô actually discusses Yûgao on pp. 34-36 (although she is not named), but she also corresponds to a specific "type." According to Ukon, why did Yûgao flee from Tô no Chûjô's protection? Yûgao appears to be killed by a "beautiful woman." What hints are there in this chapter that it is the Rokujô Haven who kills Yûgao? What reasons does she give for attacking her? What hints do we have that Genji's subsequent illness has a supernatural source? 2) Chap 5: Note the description of Akashi and the former governor's daughter -- she will appear again later on. Why is Genji attracted to the young Murasaki (i.e. who does she remind him of)? (Look at the genealogical chart to see the connection.) What is his plan for her? Why do you think Genji suddenly recovers from his illness after meeting Murasaki? Given the marriage politics of the day, why is Genji's abduction of Murasaki so unusual and "romantic"? 3) Chap 9: What incident precipitates Rokujô's attack on Aoi? How does Rokujô feel about the attack? What about Genji? This chapter is used as the basis for the Noh play Aoi no Ue, which we will read in a couple of weeks. 4) Chap 10: Why does Rokujô decide to accompany her daughter to Ise? This is Genji and Rokujo's last romantic meeting (they meet again on her deathbed) and it continues to showcase her ambivalence. This chapter is used as the basis for the Noh play Nonomiya, which we will read in a couple of weeks. In the second half of the chapter, we see how Fujitsubo tries to deal with her illicit relationship with Genji. Towards the end of the chapter, Genji has the opportunity to sleep with Oborozukiyo. Why does this affair turn out to be so dangerous to Genji? What has happened to make Genji politically vulnerable? Tale of Genji (Chapters 12, 13, 14, 17) 1) Does Genji appear to feel that his exile is justified? Why or why not? (Note that he says different things at different times.) What does Genji say right before the storm hits? Why might this have brought on the storm? 2) Why do you suppose Genji marries the Akashi Lady? How is she politically useful to him? 3) Why does Genji's exile come to an end? What specific political events allow him to return? What "supernatural" events are involved? 4) Who does Genji talk about right before Murasaki becomes ill? Why might Murasaki be vulnerable to possession at this time?
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