The Tale of Genji

Excerpt from The Tale of Genji

Murasaki Shikibu

A thousand years ago, a Japanese woman began writing a story that was not quite
fiction, not quite non-fiction, telling the story of the world of the Japanese
imperial court but creating its own world, too—the world of Genji.
The Tale of Genji is the story of the royal and noble classes of ancient Japan; the
small yet intriguing world they lived in, where protocol is everything, and
everyone’s loves, thoughts, and actions are dictated by social standing and social
consciousness. Yet we can relate to the characters, people who are so very
different from us, whose society is so strange to our understanding, because their
humanity comes through.
The story of Genji is full of adventure, poetry, and ritual. He is the son of the
Emperor by one of his lower-ranking wives; as such, Genji cannot be made the
heir-apparent because that would require him to take the place of the son of a
much higher-ranking royal wife. Widely known to be a son of the emperor, and
endowed with exceptional abilities and beauty, Genji is a mixture of the royal and
the non-royal.
Many of the events in Genji’s life seem to be driven by women. What can we
make of Genji’s many exploits in ladies’ bedrooms? Genji the literary character
can do things that a real nobleman could not. Throughout the novel, Genji himself
remains the perfect gentleman, taking liberties with women that are pardonable
only because of his status and his personal beauty, manners, and integrity. His
flings are always carried off beautifully, and even respectfully—he never loves
and leaves anyone.
The following excerpt is from a chapter very early in the tale when Prince Genji is
about seventeen years old and just beginning to embark on his various adventures
and liaisons with different women. He encounters a young woman, Yûgao, whom
he chances upon while visiting his old nurse who took care of him as a child.
The “Yûgao” chapter reveals how courtship took place and what role poetry plays
in that process. It also hints at class issues, as we view Yûgao’s embarrassment at! 2!
having Genji hear the sounds of her commoner neighbors conducting their daily
routine. The chapter also gives us some idea of the position in which women
appeared to be placed in the period and how they dealt with jealousy issues in a
world where men are free to have many liaisons with different women.

Points to Consider:

1. How are Genji and Yûgao portrayed? Are both equally assertive? Is one more
passive in the relationship? Why or why not?
2. How does Yûgao die? Is the text explicit?
3. Who is the strange figure who comes in the night to disturb the two lovers
sleep? Why does she come?
4. How does Genji react to Yûgao’s death?

Last Updated on May 15, 2023

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