Ahha! Here we have it: the jealous, eager to please, pliable woman is more desirable than the talented, sensuous, aggressive woman with multiple callers. Her unfaithfulness is named as her largest fault, but the man who states this was seeing the jealous woman at the same time as her! The scholarly woman who has not absorbed feminine traits is named as the worst of all, and the woman who is quicker than her partner as a witch.
One wonders if this is Shikabu's opinion or what she has gleaned from court life. "Yes, it is an uncertain world, especially for women. They are like bits of driftwood." I hear the echo of the frustrations of early feminists.
I'm not usually about feminist criticism, but this book about a man written by a woman in an old patriarchal society which right now is focusing on affairs between men and women practically invites it.
Other observations about the book: its descriptions of scenery are extremely beautiful, and it is interesting to hear one of the characters talk about "none of this Japanese nonsense" in reference to writing. Apparently the transition to a native language was still underway at the time this was written.
Oh, and the women on Painted Babies should have their children taken away. No lie.
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