The Tale of Genji | The Tale of Murasaki Shikibu
In this essay, the author illustrates how The Tale of Genji was the birth of the modern novel.
1001-19
The modern novel was born at the imperial court of Japan.
Almost exactly 1,000 years ago, a young woman in a small town in Japan began to write the story of an imagined prince who had just about everything—brains, looks, charm, artistic talent and the love of well-born ladies. He was Genji, "the shining one", so dear to his father, the emperor, that the latter reduced his rank to that of a commoner, to spare him the malice at court.
Born in the first chapter of The Tale of Genji, the prince reinvents himself as the most powerful commoner in the...
[The entire page is 941 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
Tell a friend about The Tale of Genji at eNotes.
