The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu - Part 1: The Shining Prince

‘Both epic and intimate . . . a gorgeous evocation of a time and place that have long since disappeared. But it’s also an exploration of feelings and relations between men and women, as fresh and beguiling to readers today as when it was first written.’

Wall Street Journal

‘The only Western book that The Tale of Genji reminds me of is Marcel Proust’s A la Recherche du Temps Perdu … The theme of both novels is the splendour and decay of an aristocratic society, and in both, the nobility are mentioned less for their hunting and fishing than for their outstanding musical talent, brilliant conversation and infallible taste.’

Donald Keene

‘An astonishingly rich, absorbing drama that has stood, and will doubtless continue to stand, the severest tests of time and changing literary fashions.’

Kirkus Reviews

Composed in the early eleventh century, The Tale of Genji is often called the world’s first novel.  The author, Murasaki Shikibu, was a ranking noblewoman serving as one of many ladies-in-waiting at court in the city now known as Kyōto during the height of Japan’s Heian Period (794-1185).

Murasaki was unusual for women of her time in that she received an excellent literary education from her father, himself a poet and scholar, but even so, her achievement over the 54 chapters of the Tale is stupendous. Though the Tale is a work of fiction, the author was a tutor and companion to an Empress, which provided her with unique access to life in the Japanese imperial palace.  By sharply observing the lives of the aristocracy, she offers biting satire of their foibles and hypocrisies while affirming the aesthetic, moral and religious values of a society very different from our own.  Her sensitive insights into the psychology of her peers create an arresting portrait of the human condition as relevant today as it was when it was written a thousand years ago.

The eponymous hero is an Emperor’s son by a lower-ranking wife who dies soon after his birth. His father gives him a surname, ‘Genji’, or ‘member of Minamoto clan’, which makes him not a prince but a commoner – though a privileged one. Genji is thus destined to lose both his mother and his birthright to power, both of which he will search for throughout his life. As a youth of exceptional beauty, charm and creative gifts, this search will involve many adventures and some questionable encounters with women . . .

The role of an outsider in politics and the myriad forms of love experienced by our hero are just some of the riveting themes we will discuss during our voyage through this ancient yet relatable work.  We will explore what this thousand-year old text can teach us about human relationships and desires, dreams and aging, and memory and identity.

For this study we will use the acclaimed 2001 translation by Royall Tyler, published by Penguin in a handsome edition with illustrations, maps, character lists, a glossary and much more. We will also refer to Melissa McCormick’s beautiful volume The Tale of Genji: A Visual Companion (Princeton University Press, 2018), which reproduces many of the artworks inspired by the Tale and helps to illuminate this unfamiliar but radiantly beautiful world.

The Tale’s literary and cultural legacy has been enormous, with its influence in Japan often compared to that of Shakespeare on the English-speaking world. It has inspired everything from a  genre of artworks (Genji-e) and noh theatre dramas (Genji nō) to contemporary manga, anime, films and plays and has had a profound influence on modern Japanese authors including Natsume Sōseki, Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Enchi Fumiko, Mishima Yukio and Kawabata Yasunari.

Comprised of 54 chapters, the Tale is often divided into three parts, breaking at chapters 33 and 42. Chapters 1-33 tell of Genji’s exploits; 34-41 of his old age and death; and 42-54 the exploits of his grandson and supposed son. For this study we propose to read Chapters 1-33 in Part 1 and the remaining chapters in a Part 2 to be arranged later in 2027.

JOINING DETAILS:

• The Tale of Genji: Part 1 – eleven-meeting study led by Lewis Ward and Alexis Cambanis
• Tuesdays, 7.30-9.30 pm (UK time), 2 February – 9 March, no meeting on 16 March, 23 March – 20 April.
• £495 for 22 hours of study time with two facilitators, to include background information and resources.
• Required edition: The Tale of Genji, translated by Royall Tyler, Penguin Classics, ISBN: 9780142437148.