Write a 3-5 page (double-spaced) paper on ONE of the two topics given below. Provide a cover page; do not put your name on the paper itself.

Make sure that you give me plenty of concrete examples from the readings to support your points, and that you cite your sources with page numbers for both quotations and ideas (see under GENERAL POINTS for examples of citation form). If you're not sure what "citing your sources" means, click here.

NOTE: Some of these points have been covered in class or discussion; you will do better in the grading if you look for new supporting examples.

1. Using McCullough's article on "Marriage Institutions" and class lecture notes as a basis for your discussion, discuss marriage politics in Heian Japan with regard to at least two of Genji’s relationships: Aoi, Murasaki, the Akashi Lady. Some questions to consider: Why did men and women marry (why did Genji marry her)? Why did women inherit property (was there an economic factor in the marriage)? What political purposes could daughters serve (was there a political factor in the marriage)? What were some of the positive effects of Heian marriage institutions on this woman? What were some of the negative effects? Feel free to bring in the marriage described in The Gossamer Years as a "real world" comparison.

2. Using the descriptions of various kinds of women in The Tale of Genji's “Rainy Night Discussion” (in Chapter 2) and Murasaki Shikibu’s Diary as a basis for your discussion, pick at least two female characters from Tale of Genji (Yûgao, Aoi, Murasaki, Rokujô or the Akashi Lady) and discuss whether each lives up to the Heian ideal of femininity. First you'll need to come up with some basic description of the Heian ideal of femininity. Remember to consider viewpoint of the characters/author: who is framing the ideal? Men? Women? To what extent is it a normative social ideal shared by all? Then consider for each woman:: To what extent is she ideal? What are her faults? In your summary, at least, you will should compare/contrast the two characters.