The Enlightenment period of literature is about passionate subjects that are turned into a reasonable “enlightenment” so to speak. The story of “The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love,” I think, can be considered an enlightenment piece of literature or not an enlightenment piece of literature. In class we spoke of the different supporting and countering aspects of the above argument, but I think it can both counter and support the argument at the same time - I am not drawn to one more than the other. Some points to support that the piece is apart of the Enlightenment period include the fact that during the beginning of the story the Cooper seems to be very soft spoken, laid back and very much in love; towards the end of the story he is yelling at his love and threatening death… “He was desperately in love, so tortured by his fatal passion that he had only a day or two to live in this Fleeting World” (Saikaku 594). In the last part of the story Cooper is awakened to Chozamon and Osen in his bed… “Hold on! If I catch you, I’ll never let you go” (603)! Cooper is enlightened to the fact that bad things can happen in a marriage, even if during the beginning of the relationship there was so much passion. One of the reasons I tend to think that this is not an Enlightenment piece is because there is so much reality in the way the story is told. There is talk of affairs… “And, dwelling upon this idea, she aroused in herself a passion for Chozaemon which soon resulted in a secret exchange of promises between the two. They waited only for a suitable occasion to fulfill their desires” (602). There is also more of a respect for women and a feeling of knowing that women had an important place in society; men listened to women and thought more highly of their opinions.
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Saikaku’s piece is certainly a very ‘passion’ oriented writing, but does attempt to show both sides of the coin. In the beginning of the story, we’re shown how the Old Crone played on the Cooper’s passion for Osen, and eventually brought them together. The story seems to take a dramatic turn at this point, as if Saikaku wanted to shock the reader. Near the end up chapter four, Saikaku writes, “The newlyweds proved quite compatible and their luck was good” (600), but starting with the next paragraph, the entire story takes a dark turn, and Saikaku begins to rant against women to an extreme. It is as if Saikaku wanted to show how passion starts out wonderful, but can (or will), turn sour in the end. So in essence, I agree that the piece can be seen from either perspective, but I tend to think Saikaku was in favor of reason given how he altered his tone toward the end.
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