EALL 271 2 6 17 - Tosa Nikki Reading Discussion Continued; Kagero Nikki Reading PDF

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Tosa Nikki Reading Discussion Continued; Kagero Nikki Reading...

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Monday, February 6, 2017

EALL 271 Announcements

- For Poem Analyses, tell professor what you think certain things mean/what you think is going on, there is no wrong interpretation

- There will be a pop quiz sometime next week (~10 mins): • Matching things (terms, poems, names): - Ex: Choka => Man’yoshu - Ex: Ise Monogatari => Ariwara no Narihira - Ex: Taketori Monogatari => Kaguya-hime • May want to look at the opening passages of all the readings, Kana-jo (critiques) and what Tsurayuki says, poetic devices of Man’yoshu and Kokinshu, imagery (ice, snow, confusion of seasons), compilers of Man’yoshu and Kokinshu, first poem from Man’yoshu.

Homework

- Find a map of where the characters in Tosa Nikki traveled, how they traveled, how they felt while traveling, and see if they were able to come back

• While doing this, think if it’s significant in how/where/why they traveled • (Won’t turn in; for your benefit. Can help your understanding of the reading) - Assigned Readings

Today— Tosa Nikki Reading Continued…

- Kikou: Traveling journal - Written by Ki no Tsurayuki in Kana and in a female’s voice • Unusual because usually was written by men in Chinese - Has the format of a Chinese diary: the date, then what’s happening that day 1

Monday, February 6, 2017

- Basically another handbook on how to write poetry in certain situations • Poetry that children use, poetry for loss, poetry for boat travel, etc. - What is it about? • Gives a lot of information about how it was like to set off on a journey in these times • Tells us what kind of parties they had: - At the party, everyone is able to party together (servants, master, etc.); no social class discrimination

- They recite Chinese poems and then write their own waka - Tsurayuki includes some poems, but then says there were others and implies that they weren’t well-constructed enough to talk about/write down (?)

• What do you think about the poems in Tosa? - Student: A lot of them were sad, about farewells - Student: Some were kind of funny • Why does Tsurayuki include such a variety of poems (almost random, there’s people we don’t even know included)

- He shows that these are drafts of poems, which normal people (not Imperial) would often write/sing, maybe write in their diaries

• Has many mistakes or unfinished parts • In contrast, Kokinshu is a compilation of final/completed poems that Imperials wrote

• Towards the end, there are many poems about missing someone or loss

Student Presentation: Kagero Nikki

- About a lady who’s not happy with her marriage: • The husband is mean to her, he has a mistress and has children from various people, he is not true to his vows, he is not a good husband

• She is angry because she is being mistreated and ignored by the husband, not just because he has a mistress/other children 2

Monday, February 6, 2017

• Also angry because she has a son and she is worried about his future • She as a person is not as important as the son (she has no name, but the son does)

• Her story gives a more realistic view as a lady in the Heian court: - Shows how she’s treated and how she reacts, how the maids gossip about her marriage

Kagero Nikki Reading

- About a tug of war relationship between husband and wife - She feels sad, lonely, and is heartbroken; upset about her relationship - Waves of feminism: • 1) Suffrage • 2) Women in workforce; labor rights; empowering women • 3) More equality between men and women - Which wave is Kagero Nikki? • More like second wave because she is realizing that she can’t do anything, but for some reason he can. She is writing this because she wants to be heard, she wants someone to react to her situation

- Not unusual for women to stop working after marriage • The may feel a void because they’re not working, they may still feel inferior to men because they only stay home and cater to the husband

- Men work long hours, while women stay at home (not all families) • In Japanese business, men have to stay as long as the boss stays, have to attend parties because the boss is there

• Doesn’t really spend time with his family, little social life - In contrast, women have a lot of time, go to expensive lunches with other people, go shopping

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Monday, February 6, 2017

• Normal for husband and wife to not bother each other = good thing in Japanese society

- Therefore, we should not be completely sympathetic about her situation in Kagero Nikki; it’s normal for husband and wife to not speak to each other much

• She is using her son and her situation to scheme (maybe for something related to inheritance), she wants to achieve something

• She says that she is happy that the other woman’s child died because there are less people to receive inheritance

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