Madame White Snake: East Asian Femme Fatale of Old The Chinese legend of Madame White Snake, the snake demon that takes human form and becomes the wife of a man, has exerted a lasting influence over East Asian folktales and fiction for centuries. Two quintessential novellas, "The Lust of the White Serpant" from Ugetsu Monogatari by the Japanese author Ueda Akinari and "Eternal Prisoner under Thunder Peak Pagoda" a traditional Chinese story, are both relatively complex and demonstrate not only the evolution of the White Snake figure to become a more believable human, but also what aspects may have given her enduring appeal. While both these stories are ostensibly morality tales about the dangerous beauty of this femme fatale, the true source of pleasure from these narratives is the femme fatale's transgressive behavior, not her eventual punishment for it. Early tales of Madame White Snake appeared in China as early as the Song Dynasty, and initially her portrayal was fairly direct, as a villainous demon who drains the life force out of her human husband. But over time, characterizations of her became more complex, and the persona of Madame White Snake became more sympathetic, and perhaps even a model of the ideal Confucian wife, particularly in "Pagoda". Whalen Lai notes, "She was a loving wife, a caring mother, rescuer of her family from the first flood, and, at that point, a general benefactor of man. She took on the virtues of a traditional Chinese female, particularly forbearance". But if she were really an ideal wife, why could she not live happily with her human mate? Her dangerous sexuality is the key. Femme fatale might seem an unusual term to apply to a character from pre-modern Chinese and Japanese literature who may exemplify the virtues of an ideal Confucian wife, since it is primarily associated with film characters, particularly those of the film noir genre. But this term, which is relatively speaking, a neologism (The earliest uses were around the beginning of the 20th century

Question: "What are the stories "The Lust of the White Serpant" from Ugetsu Monogatari by the Japanese author Ueda Akinari and "Eternal Prisoner under Thunder Peak Pagoda" a traditional Chinese story, about?"

Response: "While both these stories are ostensibly morality tales about the dangerous beauty of this femme fatale, the true source of pleasure from these narratives is the femme fatale's transgressive behavior, not her eventual punishment for it"

A: yes

Josie started planning her new garden in the winter. She chose flowers and vegetables that could grow in her area. She looked through the seed magazines. She ordered the tastiest kind of each vegetable and the prettiest kind of each flower. She talked to a friend about her plans. It seemed like the snow would never melt. But Josie didn't have to wait for spring to get started. Six weeks before the last frost, Josie planted seeds indoors. The tiny seedlings pushed up through the soil and began to grow. Finally spring arrived. Each day, Josie moved the seedlings outside for a few hours so they could get used to the cooler temperatures. Josie worked in her garden, digging the soil. She added a special growing mix from the garden store to make the soil better. When everything was ready, she removed the seedlings from their trays and planted them in her garden. The warm sun and rich soil helped her vegetables and flowers grow.

Question: "When spring arrived, what was planted in the garden?"

Response: "Sun and dirt"

A: no

Callimaco is taken by the beauty of Lucrezia , but she is the loyal wife of Nicia , a rich and foolish lawyer . Callimaco hires the service of a shady ' fixer ' named Ligurio to aid in his quest to sleep with her . Lgurio informs Callimaco that Nicia and Lucrezia are anxious to have a child . With the fixer's help , . Callimaco masquerades as a doctor and convinces Nicia that the best way for Lucrezia to conceive a child is by her taking a potion made from the Mandrake Root . He lies and warns Nicia that the first man to sleep with Lucrezia after she has taken the potion will die within eight days . Together they devise a plan to kidnap a stranger to sleep with Lucrezia and draw out the poison . Callimaco then disguises himself and arranges to be the one who is kidnapped . Lucrezia is an honorable woman and does not at first agree to meet with the stranger . Nicia gets both Lucrezia's mother , a woman of ill repute , and her confessor Brother Timoteo , a priest of low morals , to aid in convincing Lucrezia of the necessity of the plan . After finally sleeping with Lucrezia , Callimaco confesses everything . Lucrezia gives thought to the duplicity of her husband , her mother , and her confessor , and decides that she now wants Callimaco as a lover forever . Callimaco gets what he had desired and everyone else continues to believe that each had outwitted the others .

Question: "Whose wife longs to have a child?"

Response: "The rich and foolish lawyer"

A:
yes