![]() ![]() Controversial themes, including rape, have been condemned by contemporary readings. In a post- #metoo world, it is perhaps difficult to see Genji’s actions as anything but deplorable however, by Heian standards Genji is lauded as a venerable hero. Genji kidnaps and grooms a ten-year-old child bride, before fathering a secret love-child with his stepmother, all the while insistently pursuing a plethora of women in various extramarital affairs. Potential readers should be forewarned, however, that many of Genji’s amorous conquests are likely to raise an eyebrow with contemporary audiences. Rising to the rank of Honorary Retired Emperor (despite never actually reigning), the story of Genji’s success is a multigenerational saga filled with passion, deceit, jealousy, great rivalries and also great intimacies.Ī scene from The Tale of Genji painted in the 11th century. Throughout the tale, however, he is revealed as an enigmatic but ultimately flawed hero. The titular “Shining” Genji is devastatingly handsome, with smooth-as-silk charisma, and a litany of musical, literary and academic skills that “to recount all his virtues would, I fear, give rise to a suspicion that I distort the truth” ( Chapter 1). The Tale of Genji weaves a vivid depiction of aristocratic life in Heian Japan, which centres on the amorous exploits and political gameplay of the nobility. Why you should read China's vast, 18th century novel, Dream of the Red Chamber Despite Chinese being a masculine genre of writing, he nourished his daughter’s keen interest and special talent for it, as well as the more traditionally Japanese feminine writing styles of waka, essays, diary and letters ( kana). Her father, Fujiwara no Tametoki, was a scholar of Chinese classic literature. Thus Murasaki Shikibu was likely gifted this moniker by her readers “Murasaki” after the story’s heroine, and “Shikibu” referring to her father’s ministerial position within the court. ![]() Due to such customs her actual name is unknown. Courtiers were often referred to only by rank, and women were usually known only in relation to their husbands, sons or fathers. The author served Empress Shōshi in the Imperial court of Heian (794-1185), situated in modern-day Kyoto. This blending of forms defies simple categorisation under any one genre, though the striking interior life of its characters has led many to term it a psychological novel with prose that feels distinctively modern.Ĭaptivating readers across the English-speaking world from the early 20th century onwards, she has often been compared to canonical artists such as Marcel Proust or Jane Austen for her ability to convey the splendour in the ordinary to her audience.Ī 17th-century portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji. Murasaki Shikibu transformed her experiences of courtier life into an intricate narrative fusing fiction, history and poetry. Many consider it to be the world’s first novel, predating most European texts by several hundred years. Completed in the early 11th century, Murasaki Shikibu’s elegant and enchanting prose spans 54 chapters, features some 400 characters and contains almost 800 separate poems. In our series, Guide to the classics, experts explain key works of literature.Ĭelebrating its millennial anniversary in 2008, The Tale of Genji ( Genji Monogatari) is a masterpiece of Japanese literature. ![]()
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