Ihara Saikaku life of a sensuous women PDF

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February 20, 2017 A Duplicitous Craft? Ihara Saikaku’s “Life of a sensuous woman” is a story of an old women and the recounting of her life in her youth; instead of gradually achieving the climax, the story went the other way around, escalating downwards. The women originally belong to a middle class family, but ended up working and serving others through descending ranks. However as the story proceed you notice that she leaps from one job to another. Once as a mistress, wife, teacher, and a messenger’s wife, she experiences similar situations in each one and these experiences providing the women with an insight to look at those situations with different perspectives. In “A Teachers of Calligraphy and Manners” a section of “Life of a Sensuous Women”, Saikaku portrays several conflicting themes, sincerity and insincerity or deceit and honesty, through the sensuous women and her experiences as a calligraphy teacher. Although we are able to point out several themes and conflicts throughout the story itself, as the sensuous women proceeds on with her unique and unexpected life experiences; however honesty and deceit is something that caught my attention. “Nothing shows a person’s feelings better than a letter. No matter how far away the person you’re thinking of is, you can communicate your thoughts with your brush. You may write at length, using phrase after polished phrase, but if your letter is filled with falsehoods, it will show and soon be forgotten. Truthful brush strokes go straight to the heart. As you read, you will feel as if you’re meeting the writer, who’s right there with you” (pg 603). In the quote above the sensuous women expresses her perspective of writing and expressing emotions through a form of writing towards a significant being; her concept of “communicating your thoughts with

your brush” is one of the few examples that support the theme of honesty and deceit. The sensuous woman mentions that someone’s form of writing determines whether those words last as beautiful memories or gradually fade away. She says “but if your letter is filled with falsehoods, it will show and soon be forgotten. Truthful brush strokes go straight to the heart”, which clearly emphasis the fact that honesty is the best the best policy; whereas deceit can ultimately fades away or cause unexpected damages. Further on we see that the sensuous woman continues to write letters for this young man, who gradually becomes very dear to her and eventually she is unable to continue writing for him. During one of those visits she says to him “What an incredibly coldhearted women she is. She’s torturing you and not showing the slightest sensitivity to your feelings. You’re just not getting anywhere with her. Why don’t you love me instead? We’d have to talk about it, of course, and we’d have to set looks aside. But I’m kindhearted, and with me you can realize your love without even writing. You’ve got a lot to gain with me right now” (604). This is another example of deceit and honesty, however with this particular example; I would say that we can see both aspects of the conflicting theme. The sensuous woman uses her flattering yet convincing words to approach the young man in order to have him to herself, or in other words win him over. She mentions that as she wrote more and more letters for him, she realizes that she has lost control; therefore she uses a deceiving yet honest way to approach him. “She’s torturing you and not showing the slightest sensitivity to your feelings. You’re just not getting anywhere with her. Why don’t you love me instead?” (604), says the sensuous woman to the young man, and we can clearly see her conspiracy. She deceives the man with her words and draws him closer to her. However she also says “But I’m kindhearted, and with me you can realize your love without

even writing. You’ve got a lot to gain with me right now.”(604); in we can which we see her expressing or revealing her feelings towards him with honesty and sincerity. Not only do we see the conflicting theme of honest and deceit through the sensuous woman, but also through the young man, whom she was writing for. As the sensuous woman expresses her feelings towards him, in response he says, “Please, let me frank. Even in relationship begin myself, money’s out of the question. I won’t be able to give you even one new sash. And after we’ve known each other a short time, if you start inquiring whether I know and dry goods dealers and ask me for two rolls of ordinary silk or a roll of crimson silk, I just won’t be able to promise you that. I’ve got to make that absolutely clear right from the beginning.” (604); he absolutely made himself clear to begin with; an ultimate and clear example of honesty and sincerity. In compare to the sensuous woman for an instant we can think that the young man is blunt and straight forward, with no scheming. He was making sure that he wasn’t keeping the sensuous woman delusional or under any false expectations. Whereas the sensuous women, expresses herself in order to achieve what she wants. As we were told that gradually she starts to desire him; she began to get very fond to him, it went from a professional/business relationship to an unexpected desire. Hence, she uses her “honesty”, expressing her feelings towards him as a form of deceive. Honesty and deceit isn’t the only conflicting theme in the Life of a sensuous woman, but it most certainly is one of the most important themes. It is perfectly portrayed through the sensuous woman and her experience as a calligraphy teacher; and of course her relationship with that young man. But moreover both beings equivalently play a significant role in explaining the concept of honesty and deceit....