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The Tale of Genji
(GO) Summertime in Japan: Genji
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Chapters 1-5
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Betty
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Jul 13, 2012 08:33PM
"Paulownia..." - before "Safflower
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I now appreciate the pre-reading because Chapter 1 has a lot of activity. Genji is born (his father is the Emperor) and enters early adolescence as a handsome, gifted youth. Having lost his mother, who roused other court ladies' jealousy, he is brought back by the Emperor to the court, discovers a look-alike mother in Fujitsubo, and marries Aoi. Initially reading Genji, the little footnotes were nice but distracting. Shikubu's tale sufficiently told the story even though a character's several names could be confusing. Also, this thick book should have a sewn-in ribbon. The blog summarizes chapters 1-4 in a nutshell.
In Chapter 2 "The Broom Tree", seventeen-year-old Genji and and his brother-in-law Tō no Chūjō are present when the Chief Equerry tells his experiences about women. His story grew from their considering the best qualities of middle-class women for a wife. Then, Genji sees and longs for Utsusemi. Penned letters and short poems are important devices in social communication.
Chapter 3, "Utsusemi", or "Shell of the Locust, or "The Cicada Shell" relates a night's escapade by Genji and Utsusemi's younger brother Kogimi. Their objective is a secret, nocturnal visit to married Utsusemi. Genji commits the unpardonable, peeping directly on Utsusemi and her friends, meanwhile being attracted to not only Utsusemi but to her Go partner. G says the famous line, ...to love is to suffer, and I doubt that I can survive the shame of it very long, although Utsusemi sorrowfully fled from him.
Chapter 4 Yūgao, or Evening Face, or The Twilight BeautySummertime. 17-year-old Genji. What stood out?
*The City Map, included, helped to place the Avenues, Palaces, etc. of the imperial city (Kyoto).
*The tanka poems of five lines and 5-7-5-7-7 syllables with which Genji and his amours discourse and correspond.
* The plot. Genji''s numerous romantic intrigues are resolved, for example, by the female character marrying or dying. That allows the introduction of Yūgao's daughter and Genji's future wife, 10-year-old Murasaki, to be introduced.
The text raises the question of Genji's perfection of beauty and rank or his "wickedness".
Chapter five "Wakamurasaki", or "Lavender", or "Young Murasaki"Spring of Genji's eighteenth year. Not feeling well, he visits a healer at a mountain temple and meets there ten-year-old Murasaki, who looks like her aunt and Genji's love Fujitsubo and whose father is the Emperor. Musical instruments are played, etc, but Murasaki's ailing grandmother and Nurse Shōnagon are taken back by Genji's seemingly impetuous declarations of lifelong attachment for the child. His numerous poetic requests written in tanka about his lifelong attachment and his taking her home to his elaborate house's West Wing meet poetic rejection because of M's age and of His Majesty's request for her. Genji's perseverance pays off at the last moment, removing M before His Majesty arrives at the remote dwelling.
I am far behind you all but what I find fascinating about these first chapters is being introduced to a very civilized, very sophisticated world in "the East", with mention of China, Korea and India ... and pondering how it existed virtually unknown to "the west."
Clifford, this slide show depicts Japan's borrowing and adapting Chinese culture http://www.csuohio.edu/class/history/... . There are several sites which give more depth. Picking out one is http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/g... . This Wiki addresses but incompletely your second comment.
The Meiji period (明治時代 Meiji-jidai?), known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912.[1] This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan during which Japanese society moved from being an isolated feudalism to its modern form. Fundamental changes affected its social structure, internal politics, economy, military, and foreign relations."The seventeenth century began a period of isolationism, "satoku", until the Meiji era began.
Asma wrote: "Chapter 4 Yūgao, or Evening Face, or The Twilight BeautySummertime. 17-year-old Genji. What stood out?
*The City Map, included, helped to place the Avenues, Palaces, etc. of the imperial city (..."
I am actually reading the Seidensticker translation and I am curious about the completely unimportant to the story but still intriguing line put into the mouth of an old Buddhist: "Praise to the Messiah to come."
I don't know much about Buddhism but is there some belief therein of a divine being yet to manifest Itself? Or is this particular sentence just an unfortunate westernism?
Clifford, There is a messianic concept in Buddhism and in many religions, according to Wikipedia (Messianism). I hope that leads further in the right direction for information.
I think that A Woman's Weapon: Spirit Possession in the Tale of Genji about Yūgeo, Aoi, Murasaki, The Third Princess, and Ukifune sounds interesting for insight into those characters.
Thank you. I am aware that eastern religions also have their equivalents of monks,nuns and even rosaries -- but still, it was jarring to read in the chapter all of the above, as well as vespers and bishops. Just felt like a translator's liberties making Japan sound like Rome.
