thing” (Peter, 99). Often people assume that with time comes change, and with change comes improvement. However, simply by looking at two books from two entirely different time periods and from two entirely different nations, one can see that similar customs and opinions are held in each. The Gossamer Years, a book from Japan’s middle Heian period, and The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, from the years 1119 to 1132 in France, were written in completely different societies with what seemed to be different customs and beliefs, yet the two stories have many similarities, such as the relationships between men and women and the importance of the child in the lives of the adults.

When it came to the relationships between the men and women in both of these books, there were many similarities. The first similarity that I found was that of how the actual relationship began. In The Gossamer Years, the Prince became interested in the young author without knowing her at all. He began writing her poetry and going to visit her regularly (Seidensticker, 34). She showed little interest and felt his behavior was inappropri

One of the main similarities between the two couples was that the man in the relationship abandoned the woman. In the case of Heloise and Abelard, Abelard left her in a convent, claiming it was the safest place for her at the time (Radice, 76). He then went on to become a monk, all the while not writing her for over eight years. While Heloise successfully became an abbess, she felt neglected and lonely without word of her husband. Similarly, Fujiwara Kaneie repeatedly abandoned the author through out the story of their marriage. In fact, he left her for two nights after two months of marriage (Seidensticker, 35). Both men felt that there was nothing wrong with their behavior. Kaneie innocently asked her if he had done something wrong when accused of abandonment (Seidensticker, 45). Abelard responded to Heloise’s letter with a confused reply, telling her he would respond to her request for specific answers to her questions (Radice, 119).

Many assume that time equals change; however, proof that this statement is false is shown extensively through out both The Gossamer Years and The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. While these two books were written at completely different time periods and in different societies, there were many similarities between the attitudes and opinions of the characters in each, examples are shown in the relationships between the men and women and the role the child played in their lives. As mentioned before, Alphonse Karr once said, “The more the change the more it is the same thing” (Peter, 99). Through plenty of change, and with time on their side, these societies have done little but stay the same, even if the two were never directly introduced.

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These couples also used writing as their main way of communication. The young woman and the Prince wrote poetry to one another, mainly using figures of speech, metaphors and similes to express emotions that they were feeling (Seidensticker, 33). Heloise and Abelard, however, only used letter writing as their means of communication after

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Approximate Word count = 1432
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)