Translations and psychoanalytical interpretations of selected tales from Konjaku Monogatari-Shu

I have translated and analyzed eight selected episodes from Konjaku Monogatari- Shu (believed to have been compiled around 1120 A.D.). The common themes of these episodes are how sexuality and gender relations are explicitly and implicitly expressed. I have chosen psychoanalytical approaches (mainly Freudian) to look closely at these episodes through the Konjaku author(s)/compliler(s)'s perceptions in order to better understand the plight of women in the late Ffeian period. In the male/female relationships portrayed in the episodes, women are often depicted as obedient and submissive to their husbands and lovers. If a woman exhibited more assertive behaviour however, it was seen as a force working against a harmonious marriage. Thus, marriage as depicted in the episodes is presented as a miserable relationship in which women are trapped.Arts, Faculty ofAsian Studies, Department ofGraduat