When discussing the Tale of Genji in class, it seemed like a lot of people disliked it. I on the other hand found it more interesting and unique than a lot of other things we’ve been reading recently. Several people found it hard to follow, whereas I found it easier to follow than some previous readings. The fact that we’ve only been given such a small excerpt made me more curious about the rest of the book and want to know more about what happens. I also was completely unfamiliar with any Japanese literature or history, so that made it more intriguing as well.
For those who disliked the reading: were there any aspects about it that you did like or find interesting? Whether having to do with the story itself, use of poetry throughout, or what we learned about Lady Murasaki, for example the fact that she managed to learn to write with Chinese characters in a time when women were forbidden from doing so. Or even some of the art that we were shown in class. I personally found it to be really beautiful.
My second question for everyone is: why do you imagine that this particular chapter about the Evening Faces was the one chosen for our textbook? In what ways do you think the events or descriptions in this chapter might give us a good idea or understanding of the book as a whole?
Lastly, my final question is: since this takes place in a time where heroism was not about skills in battle or any of the other stereotypical “heroic” qualities that we’ve gotten used to, what qualities or actions make or don’t make Genji a hero in this tale, besides just being the son of an emperor? And what evidence points to those things being seen as heroic during this period?
First, I did enjoy the chapter, so I don't know that I can answer your question. My enjoyment of the piece had little to do with the plot; it was moderately interesting, but I really enjoyed the beauty of the language and the author's ability to describe intricate details without belaboring the subject. The characters are complicated, so it's fun to try to figure out why they are that way. As for the particular chapter selected, I don't know if we can answer that without reading more of the story. I am curious as to what we would find though. :)
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what kind of "heroism" this would be! Interesting take on this...Many of the heroes we have read about this semester are obsessed with, passionate about, and committed to something. Oftentimes this is a battle (Roland, Rostam, Don Quixote - sort of, Homer's heroes). But could heroes/protagonists be characterized by their obsession with something or someone? Characters like Eliduc and Lanval are each highly focused on a girl, and people like Margery Kempe and Christine de Pizan are very committed to a cause/religion. It may be too much of a stretch to claim that they are all heroes, but if they are in some way, I think this is one of their characteristics. Genji would fit this because he is (in this chapter) highly obsessed with one person and even asks multiple times why the lady had "taken such a complete possession of [him] and made [him] find her so precious" (1491). His actions back this up too, since he spends a lot of time being with her and thinking about her throughout the story.
I find your perspective on the question here to be very thought-provoking, Alice. Humans contest for greatness or just plain survival on many different kinds of battlefields: actual battlefields (Achilles, Hector, Roland, Cuchulain); spiritual battlefields (Dante, Rumi, Margery Kempe, Gilgamesh); psychological battlefields (Quixote); social/political battlefields (Christine de Pizan); marital battlefields (Dido & Aeneas, Penelope & Odysseus, Klytemnestra & Agamemnon, Margery & John Kempe); and yes, sexual battlefields (Genji & Evening Faces, Guinevere & Lanval, Alibech, Odysseus & every nymph he ever met). Interesting way of looking at our heroes!
DeleteReally great point about a protagonist's commitment to a cause or person being an indicator of heroic qualities! I think just being the main character has a lot to do with whether someone is viewed as a hero as well. Naturally an audience wants the main character to succeed, even at times when they are in the wrong. If this chapter of the book had been more about his jealous other woman and her thoughts and feelings, he wouldn't look quite as much like a hero in that case!
DeleteWhat an great blog post, Raquel! Excellent questions for discussion, too. ToG is on my "When I Retire" list, because the handful of chapters I have read (first 6 or 7 maybe, to get some context for the chapter we read in class) just blew me away with its intricacy and elegance of language and image and characterization. It was written a thousand years ago, but has the sophistication of Proust!
ReplyDeleteI will admit, although this wasn't my favorite reading, I still found "The Tale of Genji" very easy to follow and interesting, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI am a big enthusiast when it comes to Japanese culture, so the bits of Lady Murasaki's life were very interesting and fun to analyze. The one thing I really admired from Lady Murasaki was her determination to be able to write in Kanji, which was basically the borrowed Chinese characters. I remembered that it was only men that wrote in kanji and women were only to write in either hiragana or katakana. I thought it was very admirable that for a woman during her time was able to surpass her own brother in kanji.
When it comes to heroism in "The Tale of Genji," it was hard to figure out what made someone like Genji a hero. I always found the romance vibes from Genji similar to the courtly love stories written by Marie de France, except the fact that Genji was much whinier. All Genji was during the entire tale was girl-driven. I guess you can say that the aspect of being a hero during Genji's time was to have many wives, which, today, is very frowned upon.
Learning about Lady Murasaki and some aspects of earlier Japanese culture was something that I really enjoyed as well and that contributed to my finding this story even more interesting. Her skill in writing was definitely something to be admired!
Delete& It's true that this chapter was all about the girls and not much else! At least in this story they seemed to like him back for the most part. Perhaps this particular chapter was meant less to capture his heroism and more about the literary style and atmosphere/setting of the book as a whole.
I personally enjoyed Genji. It was not my favorite, but it was interesting and thought-provoking. To answer your first question, I believe that this chapter was chosen primarily because of how well-written it was. It was easy to read, and beautifully written. As for what makes Genji a hero, I'm not sure. He is practically a playboy who was born with everything that made him a hero. I honestly struggle with this, because it is very hard to pinpoint why Genji is a hero in this tale. The only explanation I have, is that Genji was a hero because he was unorthodox. He wasn't a huge, rough and tough man who always fought in battle, but a man who's life revolved around love. He was different, unusual, and was the son of an emperor; not the cardboard cutout of what a normal hero was at the time. Of course, I could be looking at this wrong, but it is the only thing I could come up with.
ReplyDeleteThe writing of this chapter could definitely have something to do with why it was chosen. The beautiful style and poetry as well as descriptions easily make an impression on those unfamiliar with the story. As I mentioned in another comment above, maybe other chapters that we didn't get to read capture his heroism much better than this one, and there could be a lot of better qualities about him that we don't realize with our limited view into his world.
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