I‘m making slow but continuous progress on this book. Another snow day means I hope to get through more than a chapter, but I‘ve given up on actually catching up to finish on schedule. That little bookmark at the bottom of the page is where I “should” be by the end of the day today.
I just finished #Genji46 and overall enjoyed this chapter. Do the sisters inherit their father‘s income after his death or what are they living on?
#Genji #1001books
saresmoore Oh, that‘s a good question! I was under the impression that Kaoru was providing for a lot of their trivial needs after their father‘s death. 6y
laurenduke300 Why is everyone reading this book right now? Is there some event I don‘t know about? 6y
Daisey @saresmoore That‘s really what I‘m wondering. Do they inherit something or is Karou supporting them? However, if that‘s the case, I can‘t see how they could hold him off at all from a marriage. Another of the cultural things that apparently I just don‘t have enough background about. 6y
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Daisey @laurenduke300 There is currently a readalong organized by @Lindy. 6y
Daisey @saresmoore A few pages later in #Genji47 the older sister does say “. . . by now I rely on him in all things.” 6y
batsy I'm not entirely sure; it does seem like they inherit the property but have no income? Which is why there always is that fear of how to manage without a father or husband; there has to be a man around to administer the estate and provide them with what's needed on a day to day basis and keep the household running. I guess once a single aristocratic woman is absorbed into the imperial economy as a kept woman, that's one less worry for her :/ 6y
Lindy @saresmoore @daisey It‘s my understanding that women of the Heian era had the right to inherit property and would maintain power and prestige after their father‘s or husband‘s death, but managing their affairs wasn‘t easy unless they continued to have supportive men around them. 6y
Lindy @batsy I‘m not sure about income, but you are right: women definitely inherited property. I think that the difficulty for a rich woman on her own has to do with the fact that she must remain in such seclusion. 6y
Daisey @batsy @Lindy That helps somewhat, but it also seems they really are dependent on Karou‘s good graces. 6y
saresmoore @Lindy @batsy Remaining in seclusion under constant threat of rape... I find it interesting how much more cavalier many of the companions/ladies-in-waiting/servants seem to be when it comes to affairs of the heart. It certainly seems that a powerful man‘s affections are a much more valuable currency than property or money. A woman of noble birth only has value according to her marriage. It‘s both depressing and fascinating. 6y
Lindy @saresmoore @batsy Yes, a woman‘s marriage is an important aspect of her worth/power, but women of high birth cannot marry into a class below them without losing much status, and therefore these women appear to be better off remaining single, provided there‘s male support for the upkeep of their property. 6y
batsy Nicely summed up, @Lindy and re: income, I keep forgetting that this would have been a feudal economy, and income as such doesn't work the same way in as it would have in Jane Austen's time, much less ours. 6y
Lindy @batsy @saresmoore @Daisey Regarding currency, in a footnote in Waley #Genji53 -A woman‘s robe may seem a strange offering to make to priests; but currency was very little used at this time, its place being taken by articles of common use, such as clothes, musical instruments, etc. 6y
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