Great Works Fall 2013

Keats poems seem to be so jam-packed with meaning in every word, that it is hard to chew a simple sentence. However, what seemed to predominate was a dominating theme of dreaminess and an awareness of mortality.

The first poem: “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” is a prime example of this theme. This poem in particular made me think of a one-nighter experience. In the beginning of the poem, the writer expresses a dilemma: he can’t capture on paper all that he thinks in his mind. The poem then describes the sky and the clouds which seem to symbolize his uncertainty of love. In line 7 he expresses a parallel desire as he had in line 2, wanting to capture the “uncapturable,” in this case the sky. The shadows seemed to symbolize something that is not really there and cannot be traced, perhaps like the past that cannot be grasped. Line 10 in particular gave me the impression that he was describing a passionate one-nighter that made him question his purpose and existence. Line 13, an unreflecting love, seems to describe something that the writer cannot grasp because he is not a part of…his lover. I understood the last line to convey that fame takes away love and so his conclusion was to either sink in suicide or to to sink in the rolling tides of life and just keep going through the motions without purpose.

In the poem “Bright Star,” I understood it as a story of his faithful “steadfast” lover who was consistent with him, however, he was the one that got hung in the “splendor” of the night, such as by going out and getting caught up in nightlife rather than in “steadfast” love. His lover is described with imagery of nature a lot, like in the Asian works we have read. It seems to describe a contrast between her purity and his impurity. Again, this poem ends with a descent to death.

The “Ode to Nightingale” sounded like a dream or like euthanasia. It was describing fleeting memories and desires like a dreamy or dreary calm that is the life before death. It seemed reminiscent of pastoral times, returning to nature, returning to earth. I also thought I was in a nursing home, especially in section III, a descent into dementia or a heart ache for life.

Throughout all of these poems I also saw a strong resemblance of describing love in the way Akinari did in “Bewitched,” a mesmerizing and enchanting way. For example, Line 12 in “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” describes this love like a fairy power. It sounded like she was enchanting and then disappears like shadows of the past. The poem with the closest resemblance to Manago and Toyo-0 from Bewitched is “La Belle Dame Sans Merci.” It seemed to be describing a love that was killing him softly. This is also the poem I least understood. How did the imagery of nature relate to the message of the poem? It all seemed too mystical to channel into reality.

Overall, these poems seemed to be written as life perceived under the influence. It could be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, depression, memories of the past, or simply love.

Before the story begins we are given a basic background of the author, Ueda Akinari, and some information about Japanese culture. We are also told that the reason this story is so thrilling is because of the melding of reality and illusion, however this “illusion” is referring to the monster known as Manago and her otherworldly quality. I don’t like this reasoning because in Shinto beliefs these monsters aren’t illusions but another part of reality; so I want to throw this idea out the window and, instead, question who is the one who is actually bewitched in this story.

It seems obvious, at first, that it is the mythical monster that is the one bewitching others, but what does the word bewitched mean or insinuate? To bewitch someone is to gain control over that person with magic. It’s true that Manago uses something akin to magic by transforming a run down manor into a beautiful an inviting mansion, but besides this one incident, she doesn’t use any magic to actually change Toyo-o’s feelings and views of her. In fact, what she does to win his favor is quite normal for a Japanese girl. She ingratiates herself to win the acceptance and favor of his family through her actions and words. The only other “magic” she uses is the transformation into a giant snake and the possession of Toyo-o’s human wife, Tomiko. She never once casts a spell or use her powers to directly influence Toyo-o. On the other hand Toyo-o is constantly hiring others to cast spells on her; the humans end up enacting more magic than Manago.

Another case could be made that her beauty is bewitching. It’s true that she is a “voluptuous” and beautiful woman, but the same can be said about Toyo-o; he is called a “handsome youth” – equally bewitching characteristics. Also, the last I checked, someone who is bewitched doesn’t usually run, let alone realize they are bewitched; yet Toyo-o is constantly running in fear and trying to kill Manago. That doesn’t make sense to me. If he were truly bewitched he’d be chasing after her the same way she is chasing after him. He’d want her all to himself, the same way she tries to keep him her’s. Rather than saying bewitched, I’d rather use the term cursed to describe Toyo-o’s situation, while it is Manago who has been bewitched by Toyo-o and has fallen madly in love with him.

In the end I couldn’t really call this a scary story. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Manago in the end. Toyo-o was the one to initiate the relationship between the two and is ready to love her, but the instant he finds out she’s not human he does a one-eighty. Manago on the other hand has always known that they were two different beings but is still willing to love him, and we know she means it from her overly attached actions and her constant wish to be his wife. She even says it near the very beginning of the story in Toyo-o’s dream (very frequently dreams are used as a means to communicate between spirit world and the human world in Japanese culture). Besides the very start and end of the story, Manago acts like a normal girl. I also don’t understand how a scary story just let’s the main character get away so cleanly; usually they die or are so traumatized their life is ruined.

Sorry for the length of this response, and if it’s hard to understand. There’s a lot I wanted to say but I just can’t seem to articulate it all very clearly.

Also really quickly:
She is a white snake. White snakes are symbols of luck and longevity in Japan so it’s a bit strange for a white snake to be viewed as something so ominous and unwanted.

The age of the Enlightenment changed the face of Europe, if not the world. It was time where all social conventions were challenged, people questioned the constraints of their society, and most notably thinkers began to emphasize reason.

Prior to this age, reason was not used in forming explanations of the universe, or mans place in it. The church and rulers of the time understood that without reason, whatever ridiculous claims they made can always be believed. However, during the Enlightenment people began to realize that the only way to make sense of the universe was through rational conclusions.

With that being the premise of the Enlightenment, I was a bit stunned by Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Man”. This philosophical poem, I thought, was desperately trying to blend two separate ways of thinking.  In this work, Pope was trying to present a rational argument about man’s place in the universe, however he did so by alluding to pre-Enlightenment ideas of religion and the great chain of being.

Section IV (page 347-348), Pope describes mans pride as his greatest failure, in the attempt to aspire to higher rank in the great chain of being he claims man “wishes to invert the laws of Order”. This seems to be a direct reaction to the rejections of religion and old order during the Enlightenment. However, Pope’s execution of this attack is clever- because he attacks reason with reason.  Which is clearly seen in section VIII (page350), where Pope uses obvious examples of the visible world to prove his point of a hierarchy unseen.

Furthermore, in the end of epistle 1, Pope makes is very clear that the only way to ensure man’s safety is to stay true to God’s order.  While reading this essay, I was unclear weather or not Pope was just rejecting Enlightenment ideas, or was he trying to find a compromise between the Enlightenment and pre-existing ideas.

The whole essay was Pope making the argument that man cannot understand a system, in which he is a part of. However, his argument was very rational- so was he trying to tell everyone to slow down in the quest of knowledge and answers. His use of rationality made his essay more convincing to readers, who otherwise might have just rejected the essay in full. Yes, men were making great strides during this time, but Pope’s point might be that some things are best left not understood, giving more clarity to a then unclear world.

Well, long post. Here goes.

The first thing that struck me about Ihara Saikaku’s short tale of a sensuous woman’s confession would be the shift in narration after the first page and a half. The story begins not from the nameless sensuous woman’s perspective but, oddly, from an insubstantial, anonymous person following the two men who have walked the same path but hold different views on the way of life. The reason, however, is unclear—at least to me. I take it that it is Saikaku’s way of inviting the readers to become impartial listeners to the sensuous woman’s tale—not one who believes the pursue of boundless sexual pleasure is the way of life nor one who seeks isolation for the peace of the mind and body; as if we are the curious follower who happens to hear her confession. Then, it is also up to us whether to forgive, reprimand, or simply disregard her recollection.

As readers, we can view Saikaku’s story as mere entertainment, as it was considered during his time. But I, and perhaps Saikaku would agree as well, perceive this piece as a small glimpse of life and society in 17^th century Japan. Since in the past, much of how the wealthy Samurais, lords, and especially the commoners lived is obscured. Just as one of the two men has requested, we readers should bear this in mind as we read, “won’t you please tell us the story of your life in the words people use now? Please do it in a way that will help us understand more about life and the world today” (594).

Take the structure of the sensuous woman’s reminiscence for example, each short episode of her life follows a similar rise and fall structure, though her position fell considerably. She would first enters a new setting, find someone who she could make love with to satisfy her “insatiable sexual desires” (592), then a shortcoming that prevents her from staying or pushes her to leave. In truth, it is not particularly interesting. However, the people she encounters, the world that they live in, and the unspoken rules they abide to are, in my opinion, more fascinating.* Undoubtedly, we are shown the ugliness of the high ranks (daimyo, monks, samurais, etc). It makes wonder what they thought of Saikaku’s portrayal of them and how they had responded, if they did at all.

Next, I’ll talk a bit about gender then. In the patriarchal society of this tale, to be male is almost like winning a lottery at birth. They hold more power and freedom in all areas (to the women of the same or similar class). The interest, of course, is how women are treated and acted in such a society. The first line, “A beautiful woman, many ages have agreed, is an ax that cuts down a man’s life” (593), speaks to us the common societal views, that women is harmful to man. However, this line suggests that the opposite is also true after reading through the story, that men induce equal or perhaps even greater harm to women.

During Saikaku’s time, society was changing quickly. However, many of the girls and women, we are told, took on traditional roles such as to marry into a good household for her parents’ sake (598). Life as a woman is typically miserable for those who are poor; if forced, there is nothing she could do other than sell herself for a small price (I assume two small gold pieces is not a lot back then). The situation gets worse when it comes to the monks. Those who are forced or hired must live in a secret underground room and not allow outsiders to find out; when aged, they are forsaken as if they were tools. According to the sensuous woman’s observations, it seems like it is not typical for commoners (women) to play kickball but it is for those who live in the daimyo’s domain (609). Nevertheless, it only serves as weak entertainment to the ladies who hardly meet any males. To offset the stress and feelings build-up, jealousy meetings are held. I’m not sure when the story is set in, though the meetings are “commonly held in the 7^th century” (610). All in all, what I mention above is but one face of Saikaku’s views. I believe it is his way of showing us how women have acted, however, through our narrator, the sensuous woman, we see a more daring and intellectual side to women—or perhaps it is how Saikaku believes some women act presently or will do so in the near future as society is changing.

Note: On page 597 is the description of the daimyo’s ideal wife (could probably be said about women in general).

Of course, I cannot finish the discussion on Saikaku’s tale without mentioning the countless references to nature and the descriptions linking nature and human together—particularly, girls and flowers. I’ll just list some for now: “invisible blossoms of the mind” (593), “soul leaves,” “I was still a flower in bud” (595), “pure water of my mind turned completely the color of sensuous love” (595-6), “All women were fresh as budding cherry blossoms, ready to burst into full bloom if wet by the slightest rain” (596), “The lotus flower in my heart” (611). I will add that “bride” in Japanese is hanayome (花嫁) or flower daughter (in law), since getting married is mentioned a few times in the story. As far as I know, the appreciation of nature’s beauty is considered elegant, stylistic, and poetic in the Japanese language. I certainly think the metaphor in the last two sentences conclude the tale nicely, in the sensuous woman’s atonement from “With this single body of mine I’d slept with more than ten thousand men” (610) to “The lotus flower in my heart opened for you, and before it closed it told everything, from beginning to end. I’ve certainly worked in some dirty professions, but is my heart not pure?” (611).

*At first, we see the difference of punishment between a pretty servant girl (of 13) and a low rank samurai. The former is secretly fired but spared while the latter is killed. Next is of the high class, a daimyo and the roles of people around him—from the daimyo’s need of a male heir, the worried attitude of his samurai retainers, and the process in which a mistress is selected (not to be mention a woman’s worries about the procedure and cost just to present oneself as a candidate). The monks are presented as sex fiends who could care less about a person’s life and pretended to be gracious, enlightened men only for appearance (similar to Tartuffe in that perspective, but more cold and ominous). Then we see the environment of a female teacher, which included the art of letter writing where feelings can be clearly and mutually communicated. Finally, we see the forms and ugliness of women’s jealousy from the daimyo’s wife and the women around her.

I found that this was an interesting play: not only because of its form (a translated play which maintained the decasyllables, and rhymes), but also the ways Molière uses to criticize. Indeed, the comic dramatist used a form of irony in this play. For instance, Dorine is more reasonable than Orgon (who is so blind about the situation, and unwilling to question himself), and Cléante is more virtuous than Tartuffe (this latter is supposed to be a virtuous and pious man, but is a hypocrite instead). An example of Orgon’s lack of reason is when he makes a generalization about holy men p.188, l.34, or pp.150-151,where Dorine is being sarcastic and more reasonable than Orgon. Also, I liked Dorine’s sarcasm, like for instance when she uses “Poor man” p.190, l.18. By using this switch of traits of characters, Molière leads the reader to the moral of the story, which is that one should not judge a book by its cover, and instead of following foolishly, one should think critically, which is one of the pivotal values of the Enlightenment.

By making Tartuffe a hypocrite, Molière is able to criticize the Church. This left me thinking: how was Molière able to show Tartuffe without being censored? It turned out that the king was supporting him. This left me dubitative, for at the time, the Church was very powerful, and the king was said to be God’s representative on Earth. So by criticizing the Church, Molière is indirectly criticizing the monarchy. However, I believe that Louis XIV liked the play because it was flattering (calling the king the “Prince of reason”). This way of flattering reminded me of Jean de la Fontaine’s fables (where the king was always the mightiest of animals), as well as Patrice Leconte’s film, Ridicule (where courtiers flatter, but cheat as soon as people have their back turned, just like Tartuffe, whose name means “to cheat”)

Another issue that I thought of was a political one. In fact, Tartuffe’s hypocrisy reminds me of the hypocrisy and demagogy of some politicians who use religion as a political tool, so they can achieve their personal goals, and attain positions of power.

In fine, through the use of an improbable set of character traits, Molière is able to criticize the Church, and the king in an indirect way. This kind of criticism can be compared to direct criticism (like the one seen during the arab spring for instance), and one can ponder which one is more beneficial.

You can see the first essay assignment posted on the assignments page of this blog. Please take a look. I will address any questions you have in class this week.