Week 8 Instructions
Sei Shonagon & Christine of Pisan
Sei Shonagon starts on page 1215, Volume B; Pisan, on page 893, Volume B
Choose one of the following for your reading response:
- Although these works, and their authors, are very different, they share gender. Epic, in particular, focuses heavily on masculine perspectives and behaviors. Can you define what, in these works by women of different cultures, defines perspectives and experiences that are particularly feminine?
- Find one or two passages in the work(s) that seem to crystallize the overall meaning or value of the work for you; or, that seem especially interesting for the imagery, wisdom, rhetorical power, or other memorable quality. Quote and defend your choice in a few sentences.
- Browse one or more critical works in the library databases. Quote one passage from the critical work, and in a few sentences tell us why it is helpful in appreciating the primary work.
REMEMBER to write upto 1 page, not including any quotations you use from the primary works or from secondary, critical sources. Also, REMEMBER not to plagiarize, and CITE any sources you happen to use.