The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji is a Japanese novel about a self-centered, womanizing prince in the Heian period (794-1195). It was written in the eleventh century by Lady Murasaki, who was well acquainted with life in the imperial court. Although fictional, it understood to be an accurate representation of aristocratic life at the court in Kyoto around the year 1000.[1]
| The Tale of Genji | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | æºæ°ç©èª | ||||
| |||||
The main character, Genji, was a prodigy and a prince who used his beauty and charm to seduce women and kidnap girls. He married a ten-year-old girl named Murasaki.[2]
The character Murasaki is not to be confused with the author of the novel, who was not a child bride. Even though her life story is not the same as the author's, the character does represent the author in terms of personality and self-image. Some critics argue that Murasaki is tiresomely perfect, and that several of the novel's other female characters are more interesting.[3]
Through much of the novel's extended narrative, Murasaki is dominated by Genji. Her personality becomes an extension of his. In the face of Genji's continued infidelity, she grows increasingly disgusted and resentful. In the novel's climatic scene, Murasaki announces her discovery of self: "There I was, [she] thought, completely miserable, and he, simple pastime or not, was sharing his heart with another! Well, I am I!â.[3] The line "I am I" is an abbreviated form of, "You are you, I am I." (kimi wa kimi, ware wa ware), a line from a poem popular at the time.[4] Self affirmation of this kind is not interpreted favorably in Japanese culture. Murasaki is remembered, perhaps unfairly, as a jealous woman.
Murasaki dies in her early forties. Genji, then in his early fifties, survives her as a mere shell of his former self. It appears that after the reader sees him for the last time, he leaves the world, retires to a Buddhist temple, and dies within a year or two.[5]
Notes
- â [1]
- â Arnold, Mary, "Female Resistance to Male Authority, Part One
- â 3.0 3.1 Tyler, Royall, The Disaster of the Third Princess: Essays on the Tale of Genji, "Genji and Murasaki: Between Love and Pride", ANU
- â Tyler, Royall, The Disaster of the Third Princess: Essays on the Tale of Genji, "Jealousy and self-affirmation," ANU.
- â "The Tale of Genji"