Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tuttle (1973), Paperback, 227 pages
Description
Step into a story of life and love in Kyoto's 10th century royal court. Tale of Genji tells the story of Prince Genji, the passionate heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Handsome, romantic, and talented in the art of seduction, Prince Genji skillfully navigates the court and all its intrigues--always in search of love and often finding it. His story is the oldest and most famous tale of romance in the annals of Japanese literature and, as a representation of passion and romance, remains beyond compare. In this beautifully illustrated edition, Genji's story comes alive as readers experience: -His birth in the royal court to Kiritsubo, who comes to represent Genji's ideal of female beauty and grace. -His lifelong obsession with Fujitsubo, one of the emperor's lovers and mother to Genji's son Ryozen. -His romantic life with Murasaki, Fujitsubo's beautiful niece and Genji's favored lover. Taken with him at first she becomes wary of his motivations but she becomes the true love of Genji's life. Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote this story some 500 years before Shakespeare put pen to paper. It is acknowledged to be the world's very first novel, and English-speaking readers can now experience the story in manga style for the first time. Superbly illustrated and retold, this visual take on Japan's most important classic offers an intimate look at the social mores and intrigues in the Heian-era court of medieval Japan, and Prince Genji's representation as the ideal male courtie… (more)
Media reviews
Het verhaal van Genji is dé klassieke roman uit de Japanse literaire historie. Het boek werd in de elfde eeuw geschreven door Murasaki Shikibu, pseudoniem van een hofdame in de keizerlijke hoofdstad Heian-kyo (Kyoto). Het torent al duizend jaar als de berg Fuji uit boven het literaire landschap
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User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This is a work I've often seen named as the first novel, as well as a work that the introduction claims greatly influenced and embodies the Japanese culture--and this by a women writer. Not many undeniably great classics, especially this old, can claim female authorship, and this one was written
The story involves Prince Genji and his various amours in the first four parts and his descendants, especially his purported son Kaoru and his grandchild Niou, in the last two parts. (Kaoru's greatest quality, I kid you not, is his strong "entrancing personal fragrance.") Genji reminds me of a Japanese version of Don Juan. At times things are told so obliquely though, I wasn't always sure if he was involved with various women platonically or sexually, or even whether the various relationships are consensual or not. The women are often depicted as ambivalent and Genji's beauty and accomplishments seem not to simply excuse but erase his flaws in the minds of others. But then, no male character in the book acts all that differently--they're all relentlessly sexually aggressive. When Genji kidnaps Murasaki, a ten-year-old girl he's enamored with, I wasn't sure at first of the nature of his regard and the way he grooms her into a future wife, and initiates her into sex, is indeed creepy to my "modern sensibilities." Murasaki is the major female character in the book, and by and large is too passive for me to feel a connection with her.
But then, so is just about every female character in the book. The Buddhist Japan depicted in this novel is every bit as misogynistic as the Christian Europe of this era. According to the book, Buddhist doctrine holds women are inherently evil--or they wouldn't be incarnated as women. Nor are they allowed into "Amida's paradise" in the afterlife. Women, at least of the upper classes, can only converse with men not part of their immediate family through screens or curtains or through notes or intermediaries. So by and large in this book women are not directly active but acted upon and are constantly cringing away from male attentions, weeping about (but excusing) rape, and then often starving themselves to death, willing themselves to fade away, planning to throw themselves into the river or taking vows as a nun.
I don't know that I can recommend this as a great read or one that can really give you insight into modern Japanese culture. A reviewer pointed out that, like a modern English-speaker reading Beowulf, modern Japanese can't sit down and read Tale of Genji and comprehend it without a translation and notes. This doesn't fit Western (or maybe even Japanese) expectations of what is Japanese. No geishas, samurai, martial arts, kabuki, haiku, manga, sushi, tea ceremony--or ritual suicide. In fact, suicide isn't honorable at this time, it's a disgrace. This is such a lengthy tome--over a thousand door-stopper pages, with hundreds of characters; it's hard to keep track of who is who, especially since in the original they're not named, though the translation I read mercifully gives them monikers to make it easier to follow the narrative. It's often a tedious read, and it doesn't so much end as stop. Nevertheless, I was often struck at times by the psychological complexity and the beauty of descriptions, and it gives a detailed look at the court life of the period. This isn't at all a martial culture that is described, but one with a very elaborate aesthetic where courtiers burst into impromptu verse and notes are judged not just by content but color and quality of paper, how it's scented, style and quality of handwriting, how it's folded and what flower the paper is tied up with.
Given its historical importance, I'm glad I tackled it. I took it at a pace averaging less than a hundred pages each day--slow for me. My rating tries to strike a balance between my recognition of its greatness as well as how much a slog I found most of it. It fits between the one star GoodReads "didn't like it" and the five star "it's amazing" because to be honest my reaction is both. I think this is one of those works, like The Bible or Confucius' Analects or The Koran you get more out of if you prepare yourself, and not something I should have tackled as a stand alone. Someone pointed me to an essay by Michael Dirda about his experience reading the book. Before reading it he loaded himself up with works on Japanese literature and history such as Ivan Morris' The World of the Shining Prince and Donald Keene's Japanese Literature. Others recommend Liza Dalby's Tale of Murasaki for an accessible fictional biography of Lady Murasaki and the Heian court. Maybe some day, if I'm masochistic enough, I'll give Genji another try after preparing myself better--but I doubt it.
(Oh, and as a Star Trek fan I couldn't help but be amused to see that Genji's moniker is "Hikuru." Sulu's first name is supposedly derived from it.)
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around the turn of the first millennium, when Europe was just emerging from the Dark Ages. The Tale of the Genji, the product of a sophisticated court, is thus close in age to Beowulf, and by and large, in its English translation in some ways more accessible. In other ways not. The translator himself, Waley, noted it's in many ways "alien to modern sensibilities" and at times I wasn't sure of what was happening, whether I was supposed to interpret Genji's character favorably and wondered what I missed in translation despite frequent footnotes. On the other hand, that very alien sensibility is a lot of the attraction. This is very much a very different world than ours.The story involves Prince Genji and his various amours in the first four parts and his descendants, especially his purported son Kaoru and his grandchild Niou, in the last two parts. (Kaoru's greatest quality, I kid you not, is his strong "entrancing personal fragrance.") Genji reminds me of a Japanese version of Don Juan. At times things are told so obliquely though, I wasn't always sure if he was involved with various women platonically or sexually, or even whether the various relationships are consensual or not. The women are often depicted as ambivalent and Genji's beauty and accomplishments seem not to simply excuse but erase his flaws in the minds of others. But then, no male character in the book acts all that differently--they're all relentlessly sexually aggressive. When Genji kidnaps Murasaki, a ten-year-old girl he's enamored with, I wasn't sure at first of the nature of his regard and the way he grooms her into a future wife, and initiates her into sex, is indeed creepy to my "modern sensibilities." Murasaki is the major female character in the book, and by and large is too passive for me to feel a connection with her.
But then, so is just about every female character in the book. The Buddhist Japan depicted in this novel is every bit as misogynistic as the Christian Europe of this era. According to the book, Buddhist doctrine holds women are inherently evil--or they wouldn't be incarnated as women. Nor are they allowed into "Amida's paradise" in the afterlife. Women, at least of the upper classes, can only converse with men not part of their immediate family through screens or curtains or through notes or intermediaries. So by and large in this book women are not directly active but acted upon and are constantly cringing away from male attentions, weeping about (but excusing) rape, and then often starving themselves to death, willing themselves to fade away, planning to throw themselves into the river or taking vows as a nun.
I don't know that I can recommend this as a great read or one that can really give you insight into modern Japanese culture. A reviewer pointed out that, like a modern English-speaker reading Beowulf, modern Japanese can't sit down and read Tale of Genji and comprehend it without a translation and notes. This doesn't fit Western (or maybe even Japanese) expectations of what is Japanese. No geishas, samurai, martial arts, kabuki, haiku, manga, sushi, tea ceremony--or ritual suicide. In fact, suicide isn't honorable at this time, it's a disgrace. This is such a lengthy tome--over a thousand door-stopper pages, with hundreds of characters; it's hard to keep track of who is who, especially since in the original they're not named, though the translation I read mercifully gives them monikers to make it easier to follow the narrative. It's often a tedious read, and it doesn't so much end as stop. Nevertheless, I was often struck at times by the psychological complexity and the beauty of descriptions, and it gives a detailed look at the court life of the period. This isn't at all a martial culture that is described, but one with a very elaborate aesthetic where courtiers burst into impromptu verse and notes are judged not just by content but color and quality of paper, how it's scented, style and quality of handwriting, how it's folded and what flower the paper is tied up with.
Given its historical importance, I'm glad I tackled it. I took it at a pace averaging less than a hundred pages each day--slow for me. My rating tries to strike a balance between my recognition of its greatness as well as how much a slog I found most of it. It fits between the one star GoodReads "didn't like it" and the five star "it's amazing" because to be honest my reaction is both. I think this is one of those works, like The Bible or Confucius' Analects or The Koran you get more out of if you prepare yourself, and not something I should have tackled as a stand alone. Someone pointed me to an essay by Michael Dirda about his experience reading the book. Before reading it he loaded himself up with works on Japanese literature and history such as Ivan Morris' The World of the Shining Prince and Donald Keene's Japanese Literature. Others recommend Liza Dalby's Tale of Murasaki for an accessible fictional biography of Lady Murasaki and the Heian court. Maybe some day, if I'm masochistic enough, I'll give Genji another try after preparing myself better--but I doubt it.
(Oh, and as a Star Trek fan I couldn't help but be amused to see that Genji's moniker is "Hikuru." Sulu's first name is supposedly derived from it.)
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LibraryThing member elevbess
The Tale of Genji, what can you say? It might be considered the world's first psychological novel, but some consider it deadly boring, some consider it a soap opera set in Heian Japan, others can never get past Genji's so-called "Oedipus Complex." I find a wonderful, relaxing escape to a long ago
If you are only going to read one translation of the Genji, make sure it's the Royall Tyler one. This is a beautiful, beautiful translation. Seidensticker can be rather dry, and Waley can have some rather jarring anachronism, but this one just flows so smoothly and is true to the somewhat intuitive style of the original Japanese.
This is also a book that you shouldn't read in a hurry. Take the time to savor it. Maybe even just a chapter here, a chapter there. Curl up with a cup of tea and just drift for a while.
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society. Dig beneath the surface of Genji's numerous romantic escapades and you'll find that he really is a well drawn character, with as many flaws and merits. His journey is worth following.If you are only going to read one translation of the Genji, make sure it's the Royall Tyler one. This is a beautiful, beautiful translation. Seidensticker can be rather dry, and Waley can have some rather jarring anachronism, but this one just flows so smoothly and is true to the somewhat intuitive style of the original Japanese.
This is also a book that you shouldn't read in a hurry. Take the time to savor it. Maybe even just a chapter here, a chapter there. Curl up with a cup of tea and just drift for a while.
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LibraryThing member JessicaMarie
The Tale of Genji is a rare glimpse into eleventh century Japan. Murasaki Shikibu does a magnificent job describing the life at the imperial court. The story follows the life of Genji who is the son of the emperor, but his mother is of very low rank so he is unable to become an heir. Even though
The good looks that the people at court thought would lead to Genji having a short life, proved to be wrong and ended up turning Genji into s true ladies man. Most of the story is consumed by Genji's affairs, which can be a bit tiresome and confusing. Genji chose some rather unexpected characters to become his lovers including a little girl that he brings to the palace to shape into the perfect wife. One good thing about all of Genji's affairs is it gives the reader the chance to read many different Waka, which are two lined poems that would be exchanged between lovers.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Japanese history, since it is written by someone who lived during the Heian period. This book is also good for anyone who truly enjoys classics because it is considered one of the WORLD's first novels. However if you don't mind lengthy books, I would recommend reading the unabridged version which has 54 chapters compared to the 12 available in this version. One plus to the abridged version is it is full of woodblock printings inspired by the novel.
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Genji cannot become an heir to the thrown he is the jewel of the imperial court, being talented in everything that was valued at the time including: poetry, dance, koto playing, and a keen eye for ascetics. Some could say that Genji is the equivalent of the European Renaissance man.The good looks that the people at court thought would lead to Genji having a short life, proved to be wrong and ended up turning Genji into s true ladies man. Most of the story is consumed by Genji's affairs, which can be a bit tiresome and confusing. Genji chose some rather unexpected characters to become his lovers including a little girl that he brings to the palace to shape into the perfect wife. One good thing about all of Genji's affairs is it gives the reader the chance to read many different Waka, which are two lined poems that would be exchanged between lovers.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Japanese history, since it is written by someone who lived during the Heian period. This book is also good for anyone who truly enjoys classics because it is considered one of the WORLD's first novels. However if you don't mind lengthy books, I would recommend reading the unabridged version which has 54 chapters compared to the 12 available in this version. One plus to the abridged version is it is full of woodblock printings inspired by the novel.
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LibraryThing member banshea
The story is wonderful, at once grounded in an idealized Heian Japan and universal. The trappings are peculiar to the setting, of course, but the motivations, emotions, and responses of the characters are perfectly intelligible to the modern reader. In other words, it's everything you'd expect from
That's the good news. The bad news is that it's long and complex, which makes it a difficult read. Murasaki Shikibu didn't use any names for her characters when she wrote it. Instead she referred to characters rather obliquely by things like title or place of residence, which often change over the course of the story.
I've found that it's a book you cannot put down and come back to later and be able to pick up right where you left off. It's too complex for that. Rather, you have to be able to dedicate yourself to reading the book from start to finish, which is difficult to do given its length.
Casual readers will probably prefer an abridged version of this classic. Liza Dalby's Tale of Murasaki is also an excellent and accessible introduction to this work.
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a work that has the distinction of being the world's oldest novel.That's the good news. The bad news is that it's long and complex, which makes it a difficult read. Murasaki Shikibu didn't use any names for her characters when she wrote it. Instead she referred to characters rather obliquely by things like title or place of residence, which often change over the course of the story.
I've found that it's a book you cannot put down and come back to later and be able to pick up right where you left off. It's too complex for that. Rather, you have to be able to dedicate yourself to reading the book from start to finish, which is difficult to do given its length.
Casual readers will probably prefer an abridged version of this classic. Liza Dalby's Tale of Murasaki is also an excellent and accessible introduction to this work.
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LibraryThing member PhoenixTerran
When I began looking for an English edition of Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji to read, I had only two major requirements. First, I wanted a complete and unabridged translation, and second, I wanted a translation that was true to the original. The most comprehensive edition that I was able to
The Tale of Genji is an epic, inter-generational story filled with court intrigue, passion, desire and longing, with just a touch of the supernatural. It's almost like reading a Heian period soap opera. The eponymous Genji is the son of the Emperor's favorite Intimate. An exceptional man in both appearance and character, much of The Tale of Genji follows his life and romantic exploits. And because of his good looks, he is able to get away with much more than he really should. The last third of the novel turns to the lives of his heirs and descendants and their own romantic follies. While there is certainly an overarching narrative to The Tale of Genji, the novel frequently feels like a collection of very closely interconnected short stories. There is also a fair amount of humor in the tale. It's as if the reader is privy to the best court gossip and scandals.
One of the things that I love about Tyler's translation of The Tale of Genji is that it is so much more than just a translation. In addition to the copious and very helpful footnotes, Tyler provides an abundance of other useful information about the work and its context in the form of an extensive introduction, maps and diagrams, a chronology, general glossary, explanations of the importance of clothing and color, descriptions of offices and titles, a summary of the numerous poetic allusions, a list of characters, and suggestions for further reading. Each chapter begins with an explanation of its title, its relationships to other chapters, and indicates which characters are involved and the current title by which they are known. Also included are delightful line illustrations by Minoru Sugai depicting scenes and objects from The Tale of Genji, originally commissioned by Shogakukan Publishing. The only thing missing that I would have liked to have seen would be a family and relationship chart since things can get pretty complicated.
Granted, I haven't read any others to be able to compare, but I am very glad that I chose Tyler's translation of The Tale of Genji. Because Tyler remains so faithful to the original Japanese it's not always an easy read due to the amount of detail that must be gleaned from context rather than being explicitly stated and the complicated sentence structures. But Tyler offers plenty of guidance for the reader who wants it and I found his translation to be both elegant, accessible, and informative. Even excluding the additional material provided by Tyler, The Tale of Genji is a lengthy novel. Instead of ploughing through the book like I might have, I chose to take my time with the novel, reading a few chapters every few weeks and extending my enjoyment over a long period. Reading The Tale of Genji was a wonderfully immersive experience into Heian period Japan. For me, it was completely worth the time and effort required to really appreciate the tale.
Experiments in Manga
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find, and the one I ended up reading, was Royall Tyler's translation. Penguin first released Tyler's translation of The Tale of Genji in 2001 as a two-volume hardcover box set and then later in 2003 in a massive single-volume paperback edition (which is the version I own and read.) I wanted to read The Tale of Genji for several reasons. It is a major work of Japanese literature that continues to be highly influential. It was also written during the Heian period in the eleventh century, making it one of the first novels to have been written. But one of the primary reasons I wanted to read The Tale of Genji was to understand all of the references made to it that I keep coming across.The Tale of Genji is an epic, inter-generational story filled with court intrigue, passion, desire and longing, with just a touch of the supernatural. It's almost like reading a Heian period soap opera. The eponymous Genji is the son of the Emperor's favorite Intimate. An exceptional man in both appearance and character, much of The Tale of Genji follows his life and romantic exploits. And because of his good looks, he is able to get away with much more than he really should. The last third of the novel turns to the lives of his heirs and descendants and their own romantic follies. While there is certainly an overarching narrative to The Tale of Genji, the novel frequently feels like a collection of very closely interconnected short stories. There is also a fair amount of humor in the tale. It's as if the reader is privy to the best court gossip and scandals.
One of the things that I love about Tyler's translation of The Tale of Genji is that it is so much more than just a translation. In addition to the copious and very helpful footnotes, Tyler provides an abundance of other useful information about the work and its context in the form of an extensive introduction, maps and diagrams, a chronology, general glossary, explanations of the importance of clothing and color, descriptions of offices and titles, a summary of the numerous poetic allusions, a list of characters, and suggestions for further reading. Each chapter begins with an explanation of its title, its relationships to other chapters, and indicates which characters are involved and the current title by which they are known. Also included are delightful line illustrations by Minoru Sugai depicting scenes and objects from The Tale of Genji, originally commissioned by Shogakukan Publishing. The only thing missing that I would have liked to have seen would be a family and relationship chart since things can get pretty complicated.
Granted, I haven't read any others to be able to compare, but I am very glad that I chose Tyler's translation of The Tale of Genji. Because Tyler remains so faithful to the original Japanese it's not always an easy read due to the amount of detail that must be gleaned from context rather than being explicitly stated and the complicated sentence structures. But Tyler offers plenty of guidance for the reader who wants it and I found his translation to be both elegant, accessible, and informative. Even excluding the additional material provided by Tyler, The Tale of Genji is a lengthy novel. Instead of ploughing through the book like I might have, I chose to take my time with the novel, reading a few chapters every few weeks and extending my enjoyment over a long period. Reading The Tale of Genji was a wonderfully immersive experience into Heian period Japan. For me, it was completely worth the time and effort required to really appreciate the tale.
Experiments in Manga
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LibraryThing member xieouyang
This is a phenomenal novel. Difficult to read, yes; but definitely a worthwhile effort.
If offers a panorama of characters surrounding the lives and loves of Genji and Murasaki. It opens a window into life of ancient Japan, a time when admiration for beauty prevailed.
If offers a panorama of characters surrounding the lives and loves of Genji and Murasaki. It opens a window into life of ancient Japan, a time when admiration for beauty prevailed.
LibraryThing member antiquary
While I gather from scholarly comments that this version has its flaws, omitting a some material and inaccurately translating other parts, it is still the version that introduced
Genji to the English-speaking world and had a tremendous cultural impact. It was also the first version I read (since at
Genji to the English-speaking world and had a tremendous cultural impact. It was also the first version I read (since at
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the time otrher versions were not around), and contributyed to my lifelong interest in Heian Japanese culture. Show Less
LibraryThing member CharlesSwann
This is an English version of the famous literary work, 'The Tale of Genji' by Murasaki Shikibu. It is really hard to read this book in original language, that is to say, in Japanese. I can even say that almost all Japanese cannot read this in original ancient Japanese without any caption and
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translation, especially in modern days. Only schalors in Japanese literature can read the original text. However, when it is translated in English, it is read really easily without any difficulty compared with in Japanese. But, that means many important elements are lost when it is traslated in another language, and you can't say ' I read all the Tale of Genji.' if you don't read the book in original text. Although it is true, but, this English version of the book, at least holds some kind of 'smell' the original has, so, you can enjoy the world of Genji. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Stopped. Page 400 of 1120. Might resume later.
My God, I can't take it anymore. Shining Genji this, pretty Genji that. Everything is always pretty and everybody always cries because things are so beautiful. Genji has affairs with women at the rate of one per chapter, Genji has affairs with a woman
Of course, there is the whole matter of my being raised in a completely different time and place, and thus missing out on a huge background of cultural context. Perhaps all this could be explained. So this isn't the end of my affair with Genji yet.
I'm not quite sure, in my uninformed opinion, that Genji can still be considered a novel. There is a definite prose style, multiple recurring characters. and even some form of psychological insight. There is also extensive usage and quotation of poetry. There also isn't much of an overarching plot, just several small narrative arcs which span a few chapters at most.
Blech. I might reread one of Vollmann's novels about whores to get the taste out of my mouth.
My God, I can't take it anymore. Shining Genji this, pretty Genji that. Everything is always pretty and everybody always cries because things are so beautiful. Genji has affairs with women at the rate of one per chapter, Genji has affairs with a woman
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who looks like his mom, Genji adopts a little girl which he raises to be his wife, and builds a nice house to move them all in. His children are all fantastically beautiful. Everything is peach fuzz. Courtship -> the affair -> then the noble ladies pine for Genji. This happens multiple times. Of course, there is the whole matter of my being raised in a completely different time and place, and thus missing out on a huge background of cultural context. Perhaps all this could be explained. So this isn't the end of my affair with Genji yet.
I'm not quite sure, in my uninformed opinion, that Genji can still be considered a novel. There is a definite prose style, multiple recurring characters. and even some form of psychological insight. There is also extensive usage and quotation of poetry. There also isn't much of an overarching plot, just several small narrative arcs which span a few chapters at most.
Blech. I might reread one of Vollmann's novels about whores to get the taste out of my mouth.
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LibraryThing member JessicaMarie
The Tale of Genji is a rare glimpse into eleventh century Japan. Murasaki Shikibu does a magnificent job describing the life at the imperial court. The story follows the life of Genji who is the son of the emperor, but his mother is of very low rank so he is unable to become an heir. Even though
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Genji cannot become an heir to the thrown he is the jewel of the imperial court, being talented in everything that was valued at the time including: poetry, dance, koto playing, and a keen eye for ascetics. Some could say that Genji is the equivalent of the European Renaissance man.The good looks that the people at court thought would lead to Genji having a short life, proved to be wrong and ended up turning Genji into s true ladies man. Most of the story is consumed by Genji's affairs, which can be a bit tiresome and confusing. Genji chose some rather unexpected characters to become his lovers including a little girl that he brings to the palace to shape into the perfect wife. One good thing about all of Genji's affairs is it gives the reader the chance to read many different Waka, which are two lined poems that would be exchanged between lovers.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Japanese history, since it is written by someone who lived during the Heian period. This book is also good for anyone who truly enjoys classics because it is considered one of the WORLD's first novels. However if you don't mind lengthy books, I would recommend reading the unabridged version which has 54 chapters compared to the 12 available in this version. One plus to the abridged version is it is full of woodblock printings inspired by the novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member stillatim
Utterly meaningless star rating alert: what else could you give it?
Now, granted, I suspect a lot of readers are just like me, in that we'll go hunting for really good things about this book, even if, on the surface, it perhaps does less for us than most 1400 page medieval tales. And I'm not afraid
The problem is that we today are not accustomed to reading books like this. Genji is more like a successful '90s television series: it's pretty good, it's best taken one hour per week, there turns out to be very little variation but who cares because you're only reading it for an hour a week, and then the show-runners, who never had any real idea of how to end their now twenty year old 'artwork' just kind of stop making it. That's just like a lot of books that we now read as old novels: they weren't meant to be read cover to cover in a short period of time, they were meant to be dipped into, lived with, were meant to sink into the reader rather than be swallowed like a nice cherry. I admit, I've been formed by the modern novel, and I like to eat. Besides, if I spent years reading a book, I'd never get to write a goodreads review, and then my life would have no meaning.
All of that said, Murasaki was clearly a woman of genius. That she can keep someone even moderately interested, despite the book's lack of variation, (what we now think of as) shallow characterisation, and formlessness is a testament to that. The real flaw of the book, from this modern reader's perspective, is none of these things, but the final third. Here, we have a story following the generation following Genji's. It's a fine story, about two young men and three young women, lots of love, conflict, and so on. But it suffers in comparison to the story of Genji himself for two reasons. First, the Genji part is very narrowly focused on Genji himself, which means that for all the proliferation of characters and incident, we have a firm base. The later chapters lack this strong focus, and it's not clear to me that Murasaki (if she actually wrote those chapters; apparently there's some debate) had as much control there as she did earlier. Second, the second part is very similar to the first. It's a bit as if Proust had put Swann in Love at the end of his novel: all the themes and dilemmas are there for you to see, but instead of being a little introductory taste, it's more like being served another main course after your main course.
All that said, a scholar will be able to tell me why I'm wrong about these flaws, show me how important they are to Murasaki's art and so on.
A scholar will not be able to convince me, though, that you should read Washburn's translation. Leaving aside the very odd decision not to have a list of characters (which becomes incredibly irritating in the later chapter, when everyone's being referred to by family associations), the prose is workmanlike at best. Nothing is ever unclear, which is nice, but there are so many sentences of the "There was one thing that Mr. Spot didn't like to do, and that is write calligraphy" type (where any competent writer or editor would have condense them down to "Mr. Spot didn't like to write calligraphy") that I sometimes wondered if anyone had proofread the thing at all. They obviously did, since there are only a couple of typos. But there's no way you could read this book and know that Murasaki is meant to be a master stylist. I don't know if the Penguin translation is any better, but I have to assume it is, and recommend that to people instead of this one.
Now, granted, I suspect a lot of readers are just like me, in that we'll go hunting for really good things about this book, even if, on the surface, it perhaps does less for us than most 1400 page medieval tales. And I'm not afraid
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to admit that the overwhelming impression I have now is that this is astonishingly long, and astonishingly old, and despite those two things is easily readable as what we today call a novel. The problem is that we today are not accustomed to reading books like this. Genji is more like a successful '90s television series: it's pretty good, it's best taken one hour per week, there turns out to be very little variation but who cares because you're only reading it for an hour a week, and then the show-runners, who never had any real idea of how to end their now twenty year old 'artwork' just kind of stop making it. That's just like a lot of books that we now read as old novels: they weren't meant to be read cover to cover in a short period of time, they were meant to be dipped into, lived with, were meant to sink into the reader rather than be swallowed like a nice cherry. I admit, I've been formed by the modern novel, and I like to eat. Besides, if I spent years reading a book, I'd never get to write a goodreads review, and then my life would have no meaning.
All of that said, Murasaki was clearly a woman of genius. That she can keep someone even moderately interested, despite the book's lack of variation, (what we now think of as) shallow characterisation, and formlessness is a testament to that. The real flaw of the book, from this modern reader's perspective, is none of these things, but the final third. Here, we have a story following the generation following Genji's. It's a fine story, about two young men and three young women, lots of love, conflict, and so on. But it suffers in comparison to the story of Genji himself for two reasons. First, the Genji part is very narrowly focused on Genji himself, which means that for all the proliferation of characters and incident, we have a firm base. The later chapters lack this strong focus, and it's not clear to me that Murasaki (if she actually wrote those chapters; apparently there's some debate) had as much control there as she did earlier. Second, the second part is very similar to the first. It's a bit as if Proust had put Swann in Love at the end of his novel: all the themes and dilemmas are there for you to see, but instead of being a little introductory taste, it's more like being served another main course after your main course.
All that said, a scholar will be able to tell me why I'm wrong about these flaws, show me how important they are to Murasaki's art and so on.
A scholar will not be able to convince me, though, that you should read Washburn's translation. Leaving aside the very odd decision not to have a list of characters (which becomes incredibly irritating in the later chapter, when everyone's being referred to by family associations), the prose is workmanlike at best. Nothing is ever unclear, which is nice, but there are so many sentences of the "There was one thing that Mr. Spot didn't like to do, and that is write calligraphy" type (where any competent writer or editor would have condense them down to "Mr. Spot didn't like to write calligraphy") that I sometimes wondered if anyone had proofread the thing at all. They obviously did, since there are only a couple of typos. But there's no way you could read this book and know that Murasaki is meant to be a master stylist. I don't know if the Penguin translation is any better, but I have to assume it is, and recommend that to people instead of this one.
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LibraryThing member mbmackay
I had previously read an abridged translation of the Tale of Genji and enjoyed it so much that when I heard there was a newer and complete translation, I wanted to read it. It has been a challenge. While 300 pages of 11th century Japanese court life is fresh and exotic, 1200 pages of it is a little
I am also cheating by writing this review after completing just the first volume of the two volume work - 570 out of 1200 pages. I will go on to read the remaining text, but I badly needed a break.
The Japanese language seems ideally suited to indirect speech, and the Tale of Genji makes it clear how much content was delivered by allusion rather than clear expression. Royall Tyler has tried to convey some of this in his translation. To make it comprehensible for the average English reader he adds information at the start of each chapter, and provides extensive notes to the text. Without this assistance it would be just about impossible to know who is who. The characters are referred to by titles, which change regularly as they proceed through life, or by a reference to something that happened in their story - a colour, a flower, a plant, a place and so on. I found myself frequently lost, even with Tyler's assistance.
But while the full length book is not as easy a read as the simplified text, the effort is worth it. You get a wonderful impression of the sophistication of life in the Japanese court 1000 years ago. The manners, the art, the architecture, the landscaping, love and courting - are all so far in advance of anything happening in Europe at the time that it gives a western reader cause to pause.
Of course, part of the appeal is the strangeness of the social mores of the time - courtship and conquest can occur without the beau ever clearly seeing the face of his paramour!?
The Tale of Genji is often referred to as the first novel. While it is different in concept from modern novels, it is certainly recognizable as a "real" novel. I don't know enough about Japanese literature at the time, but it is certainly a remarkable effort. The writer, Murasaki Shikabu, was a court lady of the 11th century, and her book seems to have become popular almost immediately.
Read (and still reading) Aug 2017
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overpowering.I am also cheating by writing this review after completing just the first volume of the two volume work - 570 out of 1200 pages. I will go on to read the remaining text, but I badly needed a break.
The Japanese language seems ideally suited to indirect speech, and the Tale of Genji makes it clear how much content was delivered by allusion rather than clear expression. Royall Tyler has tried to convey some of this in his translation. To make it comprehensible for the average English reader he adds information at the start of each chapter, and provides extensive notes to the text. Without this assistance it would be just about impossible to know who is who. The characters are referred to by titles, which change regularly as they proceed through life, or by a reference to something that happened in their story - a colour, a flower, a plant, a place and so on. I found myself frequently lost, even with Tyler's assistance.
But while the full length book is not as easy a read as the simplified text, the effort is worth it. You get a wonderful impression of the sophistication of life in the Japanese court 1000 years ago. The manners, the art, the architecture, the landscaping, love and courting - are all so far in advance of anything happening in Europe at the time that it gives a western reader cause to pause.
Of course, part of the appeal is the strangeness of the social mores of the time - courtship and conquest can occur without the beau ever clearly seeing the face of his paramour!?
The Tale of Genji is often referred to as the first novel. While it is different in concept from modern novels, it is certainly recognizable as a "real" novel. I don't know enough about Japanese literature at the time, but it is certainly a remarkable effort. The writer, Murasaki Shikabu, was a court lady of the 11th century, and her book seems to have become popular almost immediately.
Read (and still reading) Aug 2017
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LibraryThing member Audacity88
There's a lot of beauty in Genji's world, but his character is in the end too shallow to make his story worthwhile.
LibraryThing member Shinsengumi
The book many consider the world's first novel, Genji Monogatari (aka The Tale of Genji), through beautiful prose, provides the reader insight into the ebbs and flows of court life in Heian Era Japan.
LibraryThing member bookczuk
My university copy of this book. We have another on our home library shelf. When I was studying Asian History, this was a must read. I don't remember much, except that this is often referred to as the world's first novel -- lots of pillow talk, and descriptions of sleeves as well.
It's considered a
It's considered a
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classic both from Eastern and Western standpoints. Show Less
LibraryThing member VikkiLaw
Once I figured out how to hold this book with one hand and a nursing newborn in the other, I tore through this book.
LibraryThing member crazyjerseygirl
Widely known as the first novel in all history, this book tells the life and loves of 'the shining Gengi" a noble man growing up in Heian Japan. The story is moving at some points, oddly erotic at others. Well worth the time and effort.
LibraryThing member missizicks
It took a while to read, but it was worth the effort! An interesting insight into the Imperial court and society in Heian era Japan. I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed being a woman in that time and place!
LibraryThing member mbmackay
An 11th C. Japanese saga of love & life in the Imperial family. Arguably the world's first novel. Fabulous.
Read Samoa June 2003
Read Samoa June 2003
LibraryThing member RoC
What a great book! Admittedly it took me two goes to read it, but the first time i tried I was commuting to work by walking several miles and it is a great big brick of a novel. Now i drive everywhere thats much less of a problem.
It also took me quite a while to get into - the elliptical way of
It also took me quite a while to get into - the elliptical way of
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referring to people and events was quite confusing at first, as are the very japanese sensibilities. However, well worth persavereing with. I'd almost like to learn japanese so I coudl go and read it in the original, but somehow I can't see that happening. I'd also like to read other translations, though by all accounts the [[Waley]] version has less to do with the original text than you would suppose from a translation. I'll have to keep an eye out for other versions. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarjah
One of the first books ever written and by a woman! That's why I picked it up, but it is really hard to read the translation. The language is very flowery, prosaic and hard to slog through. It's made even harder because very few people are named by their actual names in the story so it's hard to
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tell who's who. There is a story between the covers somewhere about a prince and his amorous adventures. if you are interested in Japan and its history and culture it is worth a read Show Less
LibraryThing member knightlight777
Considered the first novel written in ancient Japan. I took this on as it is cited as a classic in literature. It was of monumental length and somewhat difficult for me to follow and associate the multitude of characters that emerged.
The story itself basically covers the romantic intrigues of Genji
The story itself basically covers the romantic intrigues of Genji
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and his son over a long period in the court of feudal Japan. I did not find it all that engaging through much of the narrative but as an insight to society and its customs it was certainly educational. I am glad I stuck with it and finished but it is not a tome I would wish to revisit anytime soon. Show Less
LibraryThing member tronella
This was pretty hard to follow at first, probably because most characters are referred to by their titles or the titles of their relatives (and these change over time) and because the first few chapters are so episodic, but gets easier to follow in the later sections, particularly the final part
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about Niou, Kaouru and Uji. It was interesting to read about this culture/time period that I don't know much about, but I hated all the main characters too much to be able to say that I enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member antiquary
A very pretty version of the first four (of 6 parts) of the Waley translation of Genji.
LibraryThing member antiquary
The one translation I have not, as yet, been able to get through. I have read Waley and Seidensticker with pleasure, but bogged down in Tyler early on.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
Japanese
Original publication date
Physical description
227 p.; 7.1 inches
ISBN
0804810451 / 9780804810456