The world famous “Genji Monogatari,” or “The Tale of Genji,” written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu, describes Heian court life in Japan and entails various romantic escapades performed by the main character Genji. Genji is born to the Emperor and a lower ranked lover, Kiritsubo. Even as a newborn child everyone thought Genji was incredibly beautiful and was eventually given the name “shining prince” because of his amazing appearance. Unfortunately, the name “Genji” refers to the fact that he is of royal blood, but he can never become the emperor. As the story progresses readers see that the name “Genji” doesn’t impede him when it comes to getting the ladies. So, why do women love Genji so much? He may be handsome, but he’ll never become the emperor. In this paper I will examine and analyze excerpts of “Genji Monogatari,” edited and translated by Royall Tyler, specifically those of Genji’s relationships, in order to hypothesize what makes Genji the “ideal man” for women in the Heian period. I will also examine the views of Heian court men on the subject of the “ideal woman.” Although Genji probably had the ability to obtain any woman and many women wanted him, he did have standards for a serious relationship so we will also discuss those standards.
Early on in the book and Genji’s life, he is married off to Aoi, the daughter of the Minister of the Left and his best friend’s sister, at the young age of 12. In the second chapter Genji is already 17 and here he discusses with other court men about what the “ideal woman” should be like. While the men discuss their past experiences with women and their personal insight, the Chief Equerry boldly says “The really fascinating girl is the one of whom no on has ever heard, the strangely appea...
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... house to meet with various women and had his pick of the litter. It could be because it was socially acceptable for men to have multiple women, yet it was awkward for women to have multiple men so men could be pickier. Men wanted an interesting girl who was very lady like and loyal enough not to complain about his other lovers. Women simply wanted a man who would court her, love her, and probably make love to her. Overall, based on “Genji Monogatari,” it seemed that the ability to court one another and some amount of loyalty was valued to both sexes when trying to have a serious relationship with the “ideal” partner.
Works Cited
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Murasaki, Shikibu. The Tale of Genji: Abridged. Ed. Royall Tyler. New York, NY: Penguin, 2006. Print.
The Art of Courtly Love was written by a monk at the end of the 11th century. The task was put on him to write a guide book so-to-speak for how the wealthy and powerful should go about falling in love, marriage, and things related to it. Obviously, a monk had no personal experience in these matters, so his writings must have been from observed experiences. These writings show how the members of the court truly were in these...
The epic poem Gilgamesh is the first heroic epic of world literature. The role of the primary mortal woman mentioned in it is only to benefit and please men, and with little or no consideration as to how she feels...
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The Tale of Heike." Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Ed. Haruo Shirane. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. 736-39. Print.
Through the course of Wolfram von Eschenbach's epic romance Parzival, it becomes abundantly clear that the main characters, Parzival and Gawan, must attain some level of maturity or growth before they will be able to persevere in their personal quests. While their paths to maturity involve a great deal of combat and contests of knightly skill, it is their encounters with noble women that truly redefine their characters.
Gaskin, Carol. and Hawkins, Vince. The Ways of the Samurai. New York: Byron Preiss Visual
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Matthew Gerber. “The Importance of Poetry in Japanese Heian-era Romantic Relationships”. 2007 May. 2011 June 3.
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Although the author of the Genji Monogatari, Murasaki Shikibu, was a woman, her perception of male and female ideals was also influenced by centuries of male dominated thought as conveyed through the vast amounts of Chinese culture which permeated the society she was a part of. Thus, one can read the Genji Monogatari as an example of gender ideals in Heian Japan as well its Chinese predecessor, the Tang dynasty.
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Behn, Aphra. “Oroonoko.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. AH Abrams. New York. WW Norton and Company, Inc 2000.