A Woman's Weapon: Spirit Possession in the Tale of Genji.

By Doris G. Bargen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 1997. xx, 370 pp. (Figures, plates.) US$50.00, cloth, ISBN 0-8248-1801-6; US$24.95, paper, ISBN 0-82481858-X.

This book is an absorbing, highly readable discussion of the phenomena of mono no ke, spirit possession, as it appears in Murasaki Shikibu's classic monogatari. The author, Doris G. Bargen, a teacher of Japanese literature and culture at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, has drawn on a wide range of disciplines in the development of her argument, particularly from within the fields of women's studies and anthropology. The book develops a general theory of the significance of mono no ke and then applies this theory to five specific instances of spirit possession that feature in The Tale of Genji. These are the cases Yugao, Aoi, Murasaki, the Third Princess and Ukifune.

The discussion is informed by a strong feminist consciousness. This is apparent, for instance, in the author's observations concerning the impact of the patriarchal, polygynous social structures of the time on the socialization of women, who, from a very young age, had no option but "to comply with the prevailing code of behaviour to remain silent even when they felt preyed upon...to disguise their grievances, to suppress their angry impulses, and to repress the thought of angry rebellion" (p. 3). Like Haruo Shirane, Bargen adopts the position that Murasaki Shikibu used mono no ke as a dramatic means of "expressing women's repressed or unconscious emotions' (p. 6). She develops this position by borrowing Joan M. Lewis's concept of "oblique aggressive strategy" to describe the indirect manner in which Heian women protested against male dominance.

However, the most original, and probably most contentious, contribution to Genji scholarship made by Bargen resides in her open challenge to the "Genji-centric" view adopted by scholars in the mainstream mono no ke critical tradition. In mounting this challenge, she seeks to generally present a "radical reassessment of the traditional approach" (p. 26), and, in particular, to debunk the charge of demon possessor levelled against Rokujo. In order to achieve these aims she shifts the focus from the mono no ke, and the accompanying interpretations filtered through the gaze of the Shining Prince, to the possessed women themselves. As Bargen explains, her departure from the traditional critical approach allows her to suggest that "the possessed woman is not a passive victim but an active agent who uses - subconsciously, surreptitiously, subversively - the charisma of others in the guise of the mono no ke to empower herself" (p. 27). In other words, she proposes a different dynamic between possessed and possessor, "a dynamic that is no longer defined as an antagonism (the male viewpoint) but as an alliance (the female viewpoint)" (p. 27). In doing so she explores "the complexities associated with the psychological state of virtually voiceless women for whom spirit possession was a last desperate effort to be heard" (p. 27).

The alternative narrative possibilities created by Bargen's contestation of the Genji-centric perspective add a profoundly satisfying dimension to the already vast critical tradition associated with the famous classic. In addition, her desire to exculpate Rokujo is to be applauded, particularly given Murasaki's tantalizing account of Rokujo's alarm regarding the allegations of spirit possessor made against her. Nevertheless, it is likely that her interpretation will provoke debate. Certainly, there appear to be some less than satisfactory aspects to the alliances putatively formed in each of the five cases presented.

In the case of Yugao, Bargen concludes that it is not possible to identify the possessor. Like Genji and Yugao, this mono no ke is "incognito" (p. 76). With respect to Aoi and Rokujo, if there is an alliance, it is one into which Aoi enters seemingly only to appropriate Rokujo's sensuousness and, thereby, to conclusively trounce her rival. In the case of Murasaki, who only knows Rokujo through accounts related by Genji, it would appear to be testing limits somewhat to argue that she (Murasaki) "recognises her (Rokujo's) female genius, which is why she chooses the proud Rokujo as the possessing spirit in her oblique aggressive strategy" (p. 139). Concerning the Third Princess, Bargen observes that, given the princess's "self-satisfied character and her apparent indifference to female rivals, especially Murasaki, it is logical that she feels no need to form a surreptitious female bond" (p. 176). Instead, there is speculation that the possessing spirit is none other than Kashiwagi. Ukifune's possession is interpreted as an alliance with her father in an attempt to repel the illicit advances of Sozu. However, there would appear to be more pathos than empowerment in Ukifune's aligning herself with the father who had treated her so badly. Nevertheless, regardless of whether or not readers fully accept Bargen's interpretation, the ground has been laid for interesting and productive future debate.

The book is well footnoted with an informative bibliography of works in English and Japanese, with some German titles. There are a number of chronological appendices and a rather intriguing diagrammatic representation of Genji genealogies.

BARBARA HARTLEY Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia