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
What question would one ask from this paragraph?

QUESTION: Around what time was the term Femme Fatale begun to be used?

Grim disappeared upstairs himself, and returned about ten minutes later in the uniform of a Shereefian officer--that is to say, of Emir Feisul's Syrian army. Nothing could be smarter, not anything better calculated to disguise a man. Disguise, as any actor or detective can tell you, is not so much a matter of make- up as suggestion. It is little mannerisms--unstudied habits that identify. The suggestion that you are some one else is the thing to strive for, not the concealment of who you really are. Grim's skin had been sun-tanned in the Arab campaign under Lawrence against the Turks. The Shereefian helmet is a compromise between the East and West, having a strip of cloth hanging down behind it as far as the shoulders and covering the ears on either side, to take the place of the Arab head-dress. The khaki uniform had just enough of Oriental touch about it to distinguish it from that of a British officer. No man inexperienced in disguise would dream of choosing it; for the simple reason that it would not seem to him disguise enough. Yet Grim now looked so exactly like somebody else that it was hard to believe he was the same man who had been in the room ten minutes before. His mimicry of the Syrian military walk--blended of pride and desire not to seem proud--was perfect.
What question would one ask from this paragraph?

QUESTION: Why did Grim disappear upstairs?

Rock layers extend laterally, or out to the sides. They may cover very large areas. This is especially true if they formed at the bottom of ancient seas. Seas are very large areas of water. Over time, sediment builds up on the seabed. They will be covered with the same types of material. As rocks form out of this sediment it will all be the same type. The rocks may be forced up above the water as Earths plates move. Rivers may eventually run across this area. The river will cut into the rock and erode it away. The layers of exposed rock on either side of the river will still match up. Look at the Grand Canyon in Figure 2.27. Its a good example of lateral continuity. You can clearly see the same rock layers on opposite sides of the canyon. The matching rock layers were deposited at the same time. They are the same age.
What question would one ask from this paragraph?

QUESTION: When rocks are forced up above the water as Earth plates move what may eventually happen?

"Femme" is an apt description of the depiction of Madame White Snake and all her incarnations. It refers to a woman who is dangerously attractive, and lures men to their downfall with her sexual attractiveness. In both incarnations of Madame White snake, the authors depict her as bewitchingly beautiful. Toyoo, her human lover in "Lust of the White Serpant" cannot shake the image of her beauty from his mind and dreams of her, and finds himself "disturbed and agitated" by her "ethereal beauty". In "Eternal Prisoner," Madame White Snake's bewitching beauty follows her lover Hsu into his dreams, and the next morning "he was so distracted that he could not concentrate on doing business." Both of these stories align negative connotations with her beauty, suggesting that her sexuality is the cause of their distraction. In addition to distracting sexuality, the irregular characterization of Madame White Snake might be another trait her character has in common with the archetypical noir femme fatale. In her essay analyzing the noir film from a feminist perspective, Christine Gledhill writes "Not only is the hero frequently not sure whether the woman is honest or a deceiver, but the heroine's characterisation is itself fractured so that it is not evident to the audience whether she fills the [femme fatale] stereotype or not".
What question would one ask from this paragraph?

QUESTION:
Who does Toyso dream about in "Lust of the White Serpent"?