The Tale of Genji (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Lady Murasaki Shikibu
- First Published: 1004
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Romance
- Time of Work: The eleventh century
- Setting: Japan
- Principal Characters: Prince Haikaru Genji, Kiritsubo, The Emperor, Lady Kokiden, Princess Aoi, Yugao, Murasaki, Ukifune, Kaoru, Prince Niou
- Genres: Long fiction, Romance, medieval
- Subjects: Suffering, Politics, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Betrayal, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Asia or Asians, Adultery, Kings, queens, or royalty, Illegitimacy, Aristocracy or aristocrats, Orphans or orphanages, Japan or Japanese people, Middle Ages, Buddhism, Nobility, Princes or princesses, Royal courts or courtiers, Tenth century
- Locales: Kyoto, Japan
Form and Content
The Tale of Genji opens with a reference to a beloved “lady not of the first rank” loved by the sovereign and reflects the Chinese Po Chu’i’s “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” which provides the prototype for Japan’s “Paulownia Court” and initially gives the work political overtones. Murasaki Shikibu was learned and uses this evocative poem to preface her monogatari, or prose narrative, about royal succession as determined by blood ties and political power struggles.
In part 1 of the novel, Prince Genji’s nature is an...
[The entire page is 2731 words long]
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