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A Woman's Weapon : Spirit Possession in The Tale of Genji / Doris G. Bargen.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, [1997]Copyright date: ©1997Description: 1 online resource (420 p.)Content type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780824861322
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 895.6/31 20
LOC classification:
  • PL788.4.G43 B37 1997eb
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources:
Contents:
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Emblems -- Introduction -- Enter mono no ke: Spirit Possession in Cultural Context -- Exit mono no ke: Spirit Possession in The Tale of Genji -- Appendix A: Genji Chronology -- Appendix B: Genealogical Charts -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary: In this subtle and highly original reading of Murasaki Shikibu's 11th-century classic The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari), Bargen explores the role of possessing spirits (mono no ke) from a female viewpoint. In several key episodes of the Genji, Heian noblewomen (or their mediums) tremble, speak in strange voices, and tear their hair and clothing while under the spell of mono no ke. For literary critics, Genji, the male protagonist, is central to determining the role of these spirits. From this male-centered perspective, female jealousy provides a convenient explanation for the emergence of mono no ke within the polygynous marital system of the Heian aristocracy. Yet this conventional view fails to take into account the work's female authorship and its largely female audience. Relying upon anthropological as well as literary evidence, Doris G. Bargen foregrounds the motives of the possessed character and locates mono no ke within the politics of Heian society, interpreting spirit possession as a female strategy adopted to counter male strategies of empowerment. Possessions become "performances" by women attempting to redress the balance of power; they subtly subvert the structure of domination and significantly alter the construction of gender.A Woman's Weapon will find an appreciative audience not only among Genji specialists but also among scholars in the fields of anthropology and gender studies who are curious about the complex phenomenon of spirit possession as reflected in the mirror of a major literary work.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9780824861322

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Emblems -- Introduction -- Enter mono no ke: Spirit Possession in Cultural Context -- Exit mono no ke: Spirit Possession in The Tale of Genji -- Appendix A: Genji Chronology -- Appendix B: Genealogical Charts -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

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http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

In this subtle and highly original reading of Murasaki Shikibu's 11th-century classic The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari), Bargen explores the role of possessing spirits (mono no ke) from a female viewpoint. In several key episodes of the Genji, Heian noblewomen (or their mediums) tremble, speak in strange voices, and tear their hair and clothing while under the spell of mono no ke. For literary critics, Genji, the male protagonist, is central to determining the role of these spirits. From this male-centered perspective, female jealousy provides a convenient explanation for the emergence of mono no ke within the polygynous marital system of the Heian aristocracy. Yet this conventional view fails to take into account the work's female authorship and its largely female audience. Relying upon anthropological as well as literary evidence, Doris G. Bargen foregrounds the motives of the possessed character and locates mono no ke within the politics of Heian society, interpreting spirit possession as a female strategy adopted to counter male strategies of empowerment. Possessions become "performances" by women attempting to redress the balance of power; they subtly subvert the structure of domination and significantly alter the construction of gender.A Woman's Weapon will find an appreciative audience not only among Genji specialists but also among scholars in the fields of anthropology and gender studies who are curious about the complex phenomenon of spirit possession as reflected in the mirror of a major literary work.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Jun 2022)