Tale of Genji (Tuttle Classics)

222 orrialde

English hizkuntza

2006(e)an argitaratua

ISBN:: 978-0-8048-3823-8

(berrikuspen 1)

The Tale of Genji (源氏物語, Genji monogatari, pronounced [ɡeɲdʑi monoɡaꜜtaɾi]) is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The original manuscript, created around the peak of the Heian period, no longer exists. It was made in "concertina" or orihon style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other. The work is a unique depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period. It is written in archaic language and a poetic yet confusing style that make it unreadable to the average Japanese person without dedicated study. It was not until the early 20th century that Genji was translated into modern Japanese by the poet Akiko Yosano. The first English translation was attempted in 1882 but was of poor quality and incomplete. The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, …

The Tale of Genji (源氏物語, Genji monogatari, pronounced [ɡeɲdʑi monoɡaꜜtaɾi]) is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The original manuscript, created around the peak of the Heian period, no longer exists. It was made in "concertina" or orihon style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other. The work is a unique depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period. It is written in archaic language and a poetic yet confusing style that make it unreadable to the average Japanese person without dedicated study. It was not until the early 20th century that Genji was translated into modern Japanese by the poet Akiko Yosano. The first English translation was attempted in 1882 but was of poor quality and incomplete. The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, or "Shining Genji", the son of an ancient Japanese emperor, known to readers as Emperor Kiritsubo, and a low-ranking concubine called Kiritsubo Consort. For political reasons, the emperor removes Genji from the line of succession, demoting him to a commoner by giving him the surname Minamoto, and he pursues a career as an imperial officer. The tale concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. It may be the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel, and the first novel still to be considered a classic.

14 edizio

nlowell@books.theunseen.city (e)k Murasaki Shikibu(r)en Tale of Genji (Tuttle Classics) liburuaren kritika egin du

Lost in Translation

4 izar

For a story that's 1000 years old, I found it remarkable - and somewhat depressing - that people haven't really changed all that much over the centuries.

The biggest hurdle I needed to cross was coming to grips with the cultural and literary symbols and metaphors that drive the story forward. The story contains as much poetry as much as narrative and figures prominently in the interactions between various characters. Characteristics like penmanship - this or that person has an elegant hand - and family relationships contribute context.

While it's touted as, perhaps, the world's first novel, it reads more like the world's first serial. Each chapter, an episode in an ongoing chronicle of the golden Genji, so beautiful and elegant he cannot be long for the earthly realm. In Murasaki Shibiku's eyes, he's something of a rogue among the ladies, collecting a harem of those who have attracted his …

For a story that's 1000 years old, I found it remarkable - and somewhat depressing - that people haven't really changed all that much over the centuries.

The biggest hurdle I needed to cross was coming to grips with the cultural and literary symbols and metaphors that drive the story forward. The story contains as much poetry as much as narrative and figures prominently in the interactions between various characters. Characteristics like penmanship - this or that person has an elegant hand - and family relationships contribute context.

While it's touted as, perhaps, the world's first novel, it reads more like the world's first serial. Each chapter, an episode in an ongoing chronicle of the golden Genji, so beautiful and elegant he cannot be long for the earthly realm. In Murasaki Shibiku's eyes, he's something of a rogue among the ladies, collecting a harem of those who have attracted his attention over his long lifetime.

Eventually the story evolves into a family saga, Genji's children and associate relations finding a place in the story. Most of them follow the same paths to success and/or ruin as Genji marked out for them.

For me, the book was a challenge. Trying to appreciate how much more elegant and beautiful the writing might have been in the original Japanese. Trying to understand the metaphors and symbols. I come away from it certain that much of its charm must be lost because I failed in those efforts.

One thing came through. The stories that Shibiku tells could have come from any modern soap opera. The triumphs and tragedies are all personal, all character driven based on the underlying culture and mores of the time - much as they would be in a modern tale of court intrigues and romances.

Just without today's Happily Ever After endings.

Recommended for anybody wanting to immerse themselves in the cultural history of Japan.

Transparency: I picked up a copy from ebooks@adelaide and just grabbed this cover/description from the Open Library.