great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Although Du Tenth in Feng Menglong’s, “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” and the narrator in Saikaku’s, Life of a Sensuous Woman are both prostitutes, they are very different women. The narrator from Life of a Sensuous Woman, seems emotionally disconnected and unable to fall in love. From her life reflection to the the two younger men, she had been involved with hundreds of men and has not developed a deeper connection with any of them. On the contrary, Du Tenth falls in love with a young master, Li Jia. “Nonetheless, the two grew ever more devoted to one another, and happily spent both day and night in each other’s company, just like a married couple. They swore by the seas and vowed by mountains that they would never have thoughts of another” (501). Through the story, we see this sensitive side to Du Tenth through the way she values love and money. Even from the start of the story when Li Jia was unable to spend as much money to frequent Du Tenth, we can conclude that she places a higher value on love, which is contradictory to a stereotypical prostitute. “But that Du Tenth had a real affection for Master Li, and the more she saw the hard financial straits he was in, the warmer she grew toward him” (501). The above quote exemplifies her ability to be sympathetic towards men and develop a deeper connection beyond just the exchange of money for sexual services. Essentially, Du Denth lost her life in the name of love that she felt for Li Jia. These are qualities that do not seem feasible for Saikaku’s narrator to develop.