Perfumed Sleeves and Tangled Hair : Body, Woman, and Desire in Medieval Japanese Narratives

__Perfumed Sleeves and Tangled Hair__ explores the possibilities and limits of terms such as "body," "woman," "gender," and "agency"—categories that emerged within the context of western philosophical, religious, and feminist debates—to analyze texts that come out of altogether different temporal and cultural contexts. Through close textual readings of a wide range of classical and medieval narratives, from well-known works such as the __Tale of Genji__ to popular Buddhist tales, Rajyashree Pandey offers new ways of understanding such terms within the context of medieval Buddhist knowledge. Pandey suggests that "woman" in medieval Japanese narratives does not constitute a self-evident and distinct category, and that there is little in these works to indicate that the sexed body was the single most important and overarching site of difference between men and women. She argues that the body in classical and medieval texts is not understood as something constituted through flesh, blood, and bones, or as divorced from the mind, and that in the __Tale of Genji__ it becomes intelligible not as an anatomical entity but rather as something apprehended through robes and hair. Pandey provocatively claims that "woman" is a fluid and malleable category, one that often functions as a topos or figural site for staging debates not about real life women, but rather about delusion, attachment, and enlightenment, issues of the utmost importance to the Buddhist medieval world. Pandey's book challenges many of the assumptions that have become commonplace in academic writings on women and Buddhism in medieval Japan. She questions the validity of speaking of Buddhism's misogyny, women's oppression, passivity, or proto-feminism, and points to the anachronistic readings that result when fundamentally modern questions and concerns are transposed unreflexively onto medieval Japanese texts. Taking a broad, interdisciplinary approach, and engaging widely with literature, religious studies, and feminism, while paying close attention to medieval texts and genres, Pandey boldly throws down the gauntlet, challenging some of the sacred cows of contemporary scholarship on medieval Japanese women and Buddhism.

This book explores the possibilities and limits of terms such as "body," "woman," "gender," and "agency" - categories that emerged within the context of western philosophical, religious, and feminist debates—to analyze texts that come out of altogether different temporal and cultural contexts. Through close textual readings of a wide range of classical and medieval narratives, from well-known works such as the Tale of Genji to popular Buddhist tales, Rajyashree Pandey offers new ways of understanding such terms within the context of medieval Buddhist knowledge.

Pandey suggests that "woman" in medieval Japanese narratives does not constitute a self-evident and distinct category, and that there is little in these works to indicate that the sexed body was the single most important and overarching site of difference between men and women. She argues that the body in classical and medieval texts is not understood as something constituted through flesh, blood, and bones, or as divorced from the mind, and that in the Tale of Genji it becomes intelligible not as an anatomical entity but rather as something apprehended through robes and hair. Pandey provocatively claims that "woman" is a fluid and malleable category, one that often functions as a topos or figural site for staging debates not about real life women, but rather about delusion, attachment, and enlightenment, issues of the utmost importance to the Buddhist medieval world.

Pandey's book challenges many of the assumptions that have become commonplace in academic writings on women and Buddhism in medieval Japan. She questions the validity of speaking of Buddhism's misogyny, women's oppression, passivity, or proto-feminism, and points to the anachronistic readings that result when fundamentally modern questions and concerns are transposed unreflexively onto medieval Japanese texts. Taking a broad, interdisciplinary approach, and engaging widely with literature, religious studies, and feminism, while paying close attention to medieval texts and genres, Pandey boldly throws down the gauntlet, challenging some of the sacred cows of contemporary scholarship on medieval Japanese women and Buddhism.

Perfumed Sleeves and Tangled Hair explores the possibilities and limits of terms such as "body," "woman," "gender," and "agency"--Categories that emerged within the context of Western philosophical, religious, and feminist debates - to analyze texts that come out of altogether different temporal and cultural contexts. Through close textual readings of a wide range of classical and medieval narratives, from well-known works such as the Tale of Genji to popular Buddhist tales, Rajyashree Pandey offers new ways of understanding such terms within the context of medieval Buddhist knowledge. Pandey suggests that "woman" in medieval Japanese narratives does not constitute a self-evident and distinct category, and that there is little in these works to indicate that the sexed body was the single most important and overarching site of difference between men and women. She argues that the body in classical and medieval texts is not understood as soemthing constituted through flesh, blood, and bones, or as divorced from the mind, and that in the Tale of Genji it becomes intelligible not as an anatomical entity but rather as something apprehended through robes and hair. Pandey provocatively claims that "woman" is a fluid and malleable category, one that often functions as a topos or figural site for staging debates not about real-life women, but rather about delusion, attachment, and enlightenment, issues of the utmost importance to the Buddhist medieval world. Pandey's book challenges many of the assumptions that have become commonplace in academic writings on women and Buddhism in medieval Japan. She questions the validity of speaking of Buddhism's misogyny, women's oppression, passivity, or proto-feminism, and points to the anachronistic readings that result when fundamentally modern questions and concerns are transposed unreflexively onto medieval Japanese texts. Taking a broad, interdisciplinary approach, and engaging widely with literature, religious studies, and feminism, while paying close attention to medieval texts and genres, Pandey boldly throws down the gauntlet, challenging some of the sacred cows of contemporary scholarship on medieval Japanese women and Buddhism. -- from dust jacket Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 Chapter One. Rethinking Body, Woman, Sex, and Agency in Medieval Japanese Narratives 23 Chapter Two. The Erotics of the Body in the Tale of Genji 44 Chapter Three. The Erotics of Power in the Tale of Genji 68 Chapter Four. Woman, Love, Poetry, and Enlightenment: Izumi Shikibu as Topos 95 Chapter Five. “Meditating on the Impure Body”: The Generic Transformations of a Medieval Topos 132 Epilogue 160 Notes 170 Bibliography 200 Index 212 A 212 B 212 C 213 D 214 E 214 F 214 G 215 H 216 I 216 J 216 K 217 L 217 M 218 N 219 O 219 P 219 Q 220 R 220 S 220 T 221 U 221 V 222 W 222 Y 222 Z 222 This Study Explores The Possibilities And Limits Of Terms Such As 'body', 'woman', 'gender' And 'agency' - Categories That Emerged Within The Context Of Western Philosophical, Religious And Feminist Debates - To Analyse Texts That Came Out Of Altogether Different Temporal And Cultural Contexts. Through Close Textual Readings Of A Wide Range Of Classical And Medieval Japanese Narratives, From Well-known Works Such As The 'tale Of Genji' To Popular Buddhist Tales, Rajyashree Pandey Offers New Ways Of Understanding Such Terms Within The Context Of Medieval Buddhist Knowledge. Explores the possibilities and limits of terms such as "body", "woman", "gender", and "agency" to analyse texts that come out of altogether different temporal and cultural contexts. Through close textual readings of a wide range of classical and medieval narratives, Rajyashree Pandey offers new ways of understanding such terms within the context of medieval Buddhist knowledge.