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

Synopsis

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.