Assignments for Session 6

Duong Hong Anh – 1605670 – ENG 2205 IVAB

China’s “middle period”

1. What were the main doctrines/religions in China’s “middle period” (after the Han empire)?

How were they developed? Which one was the most flourished?

- Following Ts'ao's death in A.D. 220, the Han empire and Confucianism both came to an end. Taoist
sects developed and built magnificent temples throughout the south, focusing on medical, alchemical,
and magical skills. Buddhism, which had been making tiny gains for centuries, became a major force
when growing numbers of missionaries from India and Central Asia arrived in China and began the
enormous process of translating the primary Buddhist scriptures into Chinese.

- Buddhism was the most flourished religion in China

2. What is the most flourished literary genre in the T’ang dynasty?

Japan’s “middle period” and Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji

- Poetry was the most flourishing literary genre during the Tang dynasty since poetic production was
part of the chin-shih examination, which qualified a candidate for a government employment. It became
an essential aspect of social life, a primary medium of social exchange. A great poetry can deal with
major philosophical topics as well as meeting an old friend. Poetry was regarded as a means of recording
both individual individuality and historical events.

1. In chapter 4 (“Evening Faces”) of Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji, when Genji wants to

know about the name of the anonymous woman during their talk in the night, what name does

she want him to call her? Why do they keep their identity secret to each other? What happens

with her during that night after meeting and sleeping with him in the remote house?

- The name was Evening Faces (“The white flowers far off yonder are known as “evening faces”)

- Because Genji was afraid that revealing his identity to her would result in punishment from the
Emperor, and when she understood who Genji was, she thought that by keeping his name hidden, he
was insulting her; they also belonged to quite different ranks.

- That night, after meeting and sleeping with him in the distant house, he awakens to discover that the
lights have gone out, and he feels like some evil being. He orders the guard to look for a light. The Lady
of the Evening Faces is bathed in sweat and violently trembling. She is no longer alive.

2. How is the identity of that anonymous woman ultimately revealed? By whom? Summarize

her identity in a couple of sentences (no longer than 50 words)

Writing
Genji asks the maid Ukon, who was T no Chj's girlfriend and Genji's brother-in-law. She ran to the home
of the "evening faces" after being terrified by his family. Yugao, his daughter, was born through her. She
decides to keep the name for the sake of her family's safety. She appears to be both beautiful and
fragile. To no Chujo's wife. Genji loved her, but they decided to hide his name and visit this girl in
disguise, where they had a great affair. She died young, leaving behind a little daughter.

Collect 4-5 journal articles on either Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji or a poet of the T’ang

dynasty, and then:

1/ Put them in APA format-based order.

2/ Write a literature review of about 250 words based on reading those articles (either the case

of Murasaki Shikibu’s or the T’ang dynasty poet)

The relationship between men and women, and the relative role that each sex is intended to perform in
Heian court culture, is particularly significant in a work that is mainly preoccupied with Genji's multiple
sexual quests. The Tale of Genji, in particular, depicts how women are disadvantaged and
disempowered by the laws and customs of the world in which they live, while also implying that by
either subverting those customs or carefully cultivating the affections of powerful men, women can gain
some control over their own lives. Throughout the most of the novel's first half, women are depicted to
be at the mercy of the whims and wishes of the men around them. This is especially true when it comes
to sex and sexual relationships—specifically, the manner in which men and women should interact with
one another. Women in Genji are required to remain hidden from men other than their fathers and
husbands. They accomplish this by living behind screens or curtains and communicating with males
primarily through written poetry handed back and forth by messengers.

Bibliography
Genji, W. i. (2014). Beyond The Tale of Genji: Murasaki Shikibu as Icon and Exemplum in Seventeenth-
and Eighteenth-Century Popular Japanese Texts for Women. Early Modern Women: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, 9.

Phelps, M. (2018). Gender and Spiritual Possession in The Tale of Genji.

Tyler, R. (2002). Marriage, Rank and Rape in The Tale of Genji. Intersections: Gender, History and Culture
in the Asian Context.