7. I Monogatari (2) I Monogatari Pre Genji, Il Genji Monogatari, Sviluppi Tardi Del Genere [Modalità Compatibilità]

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

7. I Monogatari (2) I Monogatari Pre Genji, Il Genji Monogatari, Sviluppi Tardi Del Genere [Modalità Compatibilità] SVILUPPI DEL MONOGATARI NEL DECIMO SECOLO Altri testi del decimo secolo pervenutici: Utsuho Monogatari , Ochikubo Monogatari , Sumiyoshi Monogatari. Fase di passaggio nello sviluppo del monogatari : • Progressione verso un maggiore realismo • Sviluppo di temi e caratteristiche che confluiranno nei monogatari più maturi, e in particolare nel Genji Monogatari UTSUHO MONOGATARI 宇津保物語 Seconda metà del decimo secolo , probabilmente composto in diverse fasi (progressione fantastico-realismo) Anche alcuni altri motivi oltre all’elemento fantastico (ad es., quello dei pretendenti) del Taketori Monogatari Raccordo fra tsukuri monogatari e monogatari successivi Disorganicità (con elementi di unitarietà, come il koto 琴) Anticipa il Genji Monogatari per • Lunghezza • Personaggi legati alla corte • Idealizzazione del protagonista Nakatada, ma non essere “alieno” • Quadro del monopolio dei Fujiwara (ispirazione: scelta dell’erede al trono nel 967), ma non propriamente fatti storici I MAMAKO MONO 継子もの Storie di matrigne e figliastre Classiche “funzioni” della fiaba (“motivo di Cenerentola”): • Morte della madre • Invidia della matrigna e complotti ai danni della figliastra • Fuga della figliastra tema dell’esilio del giovane nobile, qui espresso attraverso un periodo di sofferenza o allontanamento dal mondo, auto/imposto: “rito di passaggio” prima del reinserimento nella vita sociale • Aiutanti o mezzi magici • Vittoria sulla matrigna Felicità e matrimonio della protagonista Punizione della matrigna N.B.: tale motivo si intreccia con altri tipici del contesto politico e sociale del periodo Heian: • Lotte per il potere e predominio della famiglia Fujiwara • La vita delle donne dell’aristocrazia (norme sociali che regolavano il rapporto con gli uomini, il matrimonio, ecc .) Ricorrenza di una serie di topoi della letteratura Heian: sentimenti e stati d’animo rappresentati in poesia e attraverso immagini codificate (maniche bagnate di lacrime, rugiada…) TITOLI CHE CI SONO PERVENUTI : Ochikubo Monogatari 落窪物語 • Fine decimo secolo • Autore: probabilmente uomo (lessico cinese) Sumiyoshi Monogatari 住吉物語 • Giunto a noi solo in una versione più tarda di due secoli, ma collocato prima del Genji Monogatari da Makura no Sōshi e Mumyōzōshi • Numerose varianti del testo: solo la storia di base risulta codificata in tutte le versioni impossibile risalire ad autore e testo originario Forse, trasmesso in forma sia scritta che orale OCHIKUBO MONOGATARI 落窪物語 PERSONAGGI: Ochikubo (protagonista): • Origini nobili ed elevate capacità naturali: superiore bellezza, intelletto e abilità nella musica, nella calligrafia e nella composizione poetica • Umiltà, rassegnazione e passività Finale vittoria garantita da personaggi “agenti”: • La servitrice Akogi • L’amante di Akogi e servitore Tachihaki • l’innamorato di Ochikubo, Michiyori Ochikubo e Michiyori: figure idealizzate, dotate di saiwai 幸い, favore divino. MOTIVI E TEMATICHE PRINCIPALI: Idea di saiwai , passività di Ochikubo, retribuzione karmica: influenza del Buddhismo sui monogatari . Reclusione imposta dalla matrigna: “esilio del giovane nobile” Storia d’amore di Ochikubo e Michiyori : critica alla poligamia e alla “politica dei matrimoni” (che rende lo Ochikubo Monogatari un unicum nel suo genere) Lotta della matrigna (e del padre) di Ochikubo contro Ochikubo e Michiyori: richiamo implicito alle contemporanee lotte famigliari fra i Minamoto e i Fujiwara SUMIYOSHI MONOGATARI 住吉物語 Himegimi (protagonista): ricalca grossomodo Ochikubo (pur mancando l’elemento della reclusione) N.B.: particolare ruolo del koto Fuga a Sumiyoshi (luogo sacro e toponimo in poesia): “Esilio del giovane nobile”: Lieto fine e messaggio morale simile allo Ochikubo Monogatari senza però l’esaltazione della monogamia GENJI MONOGATARI 源氏物語 1008, Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部 PROBLEMATICHE FILOLOGICHE Versione definitiva del testo: Fujiwara no Teika,tardo dodicesimo secolo (codice cosiddetto Aobyōshi ): • 54 capitoli, che includono prosa e 795 waka (opera più lunga della storia della narrativa giapponese) Capitoli 1-41: avventure amorose di Hikaru Genji 光源氏 (Genji lo splendente) Capitoli 42 -54 : “eredi” di Genji, Kaoru Chūjō 薫中將 e Niou no miya 匂の宮 • Non è certo se questi fossero la divisione/ordine originari Problema del titolo: • compare come Genji no Monogatari nel Murasaki Shikibu Nikki • testi più tardi riportano anche le varianti Hikaru Genji , Murasaki no Monogatari , Murasaki Yukari no Monogatari . N.B.: Esistono varianti anche dei titoli dei singoli capitoli: quelli oggi ritenuti standard sono per lo più ricavati da elementi chiave del capitolo stesso, ma è probabile che inizialmente i capitoli fossero privi di titolo o indicati con un numero progressivo. STILE Uso e codifica del wabun (stile basato sull’utilizzo della lingua colloquiale dell’aristocrazia di Heian, trasformata in lingua letteraria e poetica), sistematizzando • La commistione fra lingua delle dame di corte e poesia • L’uso di citazioni poetiche in prosa (attraverso parafrasi o allusioni: pratica dello hikiuta 引歌) • I riferimenti letterari alla narrativa precedente e (limitatamente) alla prosa cinese • Vocabolario ristretto Tale processo di codifica della lingua letteraria influenzò tutta la produzione narrativa successiva. Forte presenza del narratore Uso di forme allusive come “cosa” o “persona”: l’autrice non include nomi o dettagli familiari e facilmente intuibili per il suo circolo di lettori (interno alla corte) IL MONDO DELLA CORTE HEIAN L’opera fornisce un quadro dell’etichetta della corte (e in particolare, degli usi che regolavano i rapporti fra uomo e donna) Il mondo rappresentato è circoscritto alla corte sia in senso geografico che sociale (oltre che linguistico): • Ambientazione: la capitale, soprattutto il palazzo del sovrano e quelli dei personaggi principali . Quando, raramente, la scena si trasferisce altrove, è in seguito a eventi infausti o negativi (es: Wakamurasaki , Suma , Uji ) • Il “mondo” (yo ) e la “gente” (hitobito ) a cui si fa riferimento nell’opera si identifica con l’aristocrazia di corte. Quando, raramente, Genji ha a che fare con personaggi esterni alla corte (ad es., nell’episodio in cui va a trovare la nutrice malata), trova gli elementi di vita quotidiana con cui ha a che fare sgradevoli LA FIGURA DI GENJI Legata a vari motivi della narrativa precedente: • Come Narihira, eroe costretto a vivere al di sotto del proprio rango: figlio dell’imperatore e di una concubina di basso rango, Kiritsubo 桐壺 e favorito dell’imperatore oggetto dell’odio della consorte imperiale Kokiden 弘徽殿 (gelosa e timorosa per la carriera del figlio Suzaku 朱雀) Kiritsubo muore quando Genji ha soli tre anni, vittima delle ritorsioni di Kokiden, e l’imperatore per proteggere Genji lo estrania dalla linea imperiale (assegnandogli il cognome Minamoto) • Come nello Utsuho Monogatari , superiori doti e bellezza e abilità • Esilio come esperienza, anche estetica, di maturazione, prima del conseguimento del dovuto rispetto e potere (vicenda di Oborozukiyo 朧月夜 e dell’esilio a Suma 須磨) PRINCIPALI FIGURE FEMMINILI E I MOTIVI AD ESSE CONNESSI Centralità delle figure femminili: di svariate personalità, ruotano attorno alla figura di Genji (non sempre corrispondendo ai suoi sentimenti, come nel caso di Asagao no Himegimi 朝顔の姫君). • Fujitsubo 藤壺: “complesso di Genji ” nei confronti della madre • Aoi 葵 e Rokujō 六条: tema della possessione (mono no ke 物の怪), in questo caso da parte di uno spirito vivente (ikiryō 生き霊) • Suetsumuhana 末 摘 花 (ideali di bellezza in periodo Heian) • Murasaki 紫 ALTRE FIGURE PRINCIPALI DELL ’OPERA Tō no Chūjō 頭の中將 e il brano Amayo no shinasadame 雨 夜 の 品 定 め : descrizione del modello di donna ideale Kaoru Chūjō 薫中將, Niou no miya 匂の宮 e Ukifune 浮舟 (la “terza figlia”) : il ciclo di Uji 宇 治, che chiude l’opera con il capitolo Yume no ukihashi 夢の浮橋 TEMATICA AMOROSA Estraneità di Genji dai gradi più alti della carriera politica: focus sulle relazioni amorose del protagonista Come per Narihira, per i vari personaggi l’amore non è tanto desiderio, quanto il rincorrere di un ideale estetico e di un piacere di tipo culturale Nel caso di Genji, • La ricerca di un ideale estetico nell’amore si intreccia con la ricerca della madre perduta. • Si violano, in nome dell’amore, l’ordine politico, sociale e morale (come nella vicenda di Fujitsubo) “Le storie d’amore banali e frivole mal si addicevano alla sua natura; pure vi era in lui una certa tendenza a farsi coinvolgere suo malgrado da ciò che poteva essere fonte di sofferenza e che lo portava talvolta ad agire in modo sconsiderato.” N.B.: Parallelo con il padre di Genji, e il suo legame con Kiritsubo: passione “irragionevole”, che trova un modello nell’amore dell’imperatore cinese Xuanzong (dinastia Tang, 712-756) per Yang Guifei, che secondo la tradizione avrebbe causato la guerra civile e la rovina dell’imperatore. Genji per lo più esce indenne dal sovvertimento dell’ordine stabilito grazie alle sue qualità superiori. LO SFONDO FILOSOFICO RAPPRESENTATO DAL BUDDHISMO Tematica amorosa tematica buddhista: amore potenzialmente pericoloso non solo perché rischia di turbare l’ordine gerarchico, ma perché rappresenta una forma di attaccamento al mondo. Il Buddhismo permea il testo (accompagnato dalla morale confuciana, anche se in forma molto diluita), in due forme : • In forma “terrena”, intrecciato alla quotidianità della vita dei personaggi, e in particolare nelle preghiere e nelle cerimonie magico-esorcizzanti nel “ritiro istituzionalizzato” dal mondo • In una dimensione
Recommended publications
  • BA Thesis an Overview of Stereotyped Portrayals of LGBT+ People In
    BA thesis in Japanese Language and Culture An Overview of Stereotyped Portrayals of LGBT+ People in Japanese Fiction and Literature Analysis of the historical evolution and commercialization of BL and yuri genres, and social practice of its consumer culture Bára B.S. Jóhannesdóttir Supervisor Kristín Ingvarsdóttir May 2021 FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURES Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Japanskt Mál og Menning An Overview of Stereotyped Portrayals of LGBT+ People in Japanese Fiction and Literature Analysis of the historical evolution and commercialization of BL and yuri genres, and social practice of its consumer culture Ritgerð til BA-prófs 10 ECTS Bára B.S. Jóhannesdóttir Kt.: 210496-2039 Leiðbeinandi: Kristín Ingvarsdóttir Maí 2021 1 Abstract This essay will explore the history of the portrayal of LGBT+ people in Japanese fiction, starting from The Tale of Genji, a novel from the early 11th century that is widely considered to be the first classic in history, and to the proper establishment of what is known as the BL (boys’ love) and yuri genres. BL, as the name suggests, is a genre that features the relationship between two male characters, usually in a romantic and/or sexual nature, while yuri is between two female characters. There will be a short examination of LGBT+ portrayal in historical literary works and art before moving onto a more detailed recounting of modern fiction and television. Some ancient literature will be reviewed, comparing real-life societal norms to their fictional counterparts. The focus will mainly be on the introduction of the BL genre, the historical evolution of it, the commercial start of it, the main components that make up the genre, and why it is as popular as it is, a well as an examination of the culture surrounding the fans of the genre.
    [Show full text]
  • Japanese Aesthetics and the Tale of Genji Liya Li Department of English SUNY/Rockland Community College [email protected] T
    Japanese Aesthetics and The Tale of Genji Liya Li Department of English SUNY/Rockland Community College [email protected] Table of Contents 1. Themes and Uses 2. Instructor’s Introduction 3. Student Readings 4. Discussion Questions 5. Sample Writing Assignments 6. Further Reading and Resources 1. Themes and Uses Using an excerpt from the chapter “The Sacred Tree,” this unit offers a guide to a close examination of Japanese aesthetics in The Tale of Genji (ca.1010). This two-session lesson plan can be used in World Literature courses or any course that teaches components of Zen Buddhism or Japanese aesthetics (e.g. Introduction to Buddhism, the History of Buddhism, Philosophy, Japanese History, Asian Literature, or World Religion). Specifically, the lesson plan aims at helping students develop a deeper appreciation for both the novel and important concepts of Japanese aesthetics. Over the centuries since its composition, Genji has been read through the lenses of some of the following terms, which are explored in this unit: • miyabi (“courtly elegance”; refers to the aristocracy’s privileging of a refined aesthetic sensibility and an indirectness of expression) • mono no aware (the “poignant beauty of things;” describes a cultivated sensitivity to the ineluctable transience of the world) • wabi-sabi (wabi can be translated as “rustic beauty” and sabi as “desolate beauty;” the qualities usually associated with wabi and sabi are austerity, imperfection, and a palpable sense of the passage of time. • yûgen (an emotion, a sentiment, or a mood so subtle and profoundly elegant that it is beyond what words can describe) For further explanation of these concepts, see the unit “Buddhism and Japanese Aesthetics” (forthcoming on the ExEAS website.) 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction This Exhibition Celebrates the Spectacular Artistic Tradition
    Introduction This exhibition celebrates the spectacular artistic tradition inspired by The Tale of Genji, a monument of world literature created in the early eleventh century, and traces the evolution and reception of its imagery through the following ten centuries. The author, the noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu, centered her narrative on the “radiant Genji” (hikaru Genji), the son of an emperor who is demoted to commoner status and is therefore disqualified from ever ascending the throne. With an insatiable desire to recover his lost standing, Genji seeks out countless amorous encounters with women who might help him revive his imperial lineage. Readers have long reveled in the amusing accounts of Genji’s romantic liaisons and in the dazzling descriptions of the courtly splendor of the Heian period (794–1185). The tale has been equally appreciated, however, as social and political commentary, aesthetic theory, Buddhist philosophy, a behavioral guide, and a source of insight into human nature. Offering much more than romance, The Tale of Genji proved meaningful not only for men and women of the aristocracy but also for Buddhist adherents and institutions, military leaders and their families, and merchants and townspeople. The galleries that follow present the full spectrum of Genji-related works of art created for diverse patrons by the most accomplished Japanese artists of the past millennium. The exhibition also sheds new light on the tale’s author and her female characters, and on the women readers, artists, calligraphers, and commentators who played a crucial role in ensuring the continued relevance of this classic text. The manuscripts, paintings, calligraphy, and decorative arts on display demonstrate sophisticated and surprising interpretations of the story that promise to enrich our understanding of Murasaki’s tale today.
    [Show full text]
  • Reading the Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa: an Introduction to the "Natsuhon"
    1040 Reading the Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa: An Introduction to the "Natsuhon" by Kenji Nakanishi Although the study of digests of the Genji Monogatari is a major field in Genji Monogatari research, digests from the early modern era have not been studied thoroughly. Kitamura Koshun (1648-97), legitimate son of Kitamura Kigin (1624-1705) who was the author of the Kogetsusho, supported his father's literary activities and had high expectations for the future; however, he predeceased his father, leaving a single work, the Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa. Writing the work took considerable time, but it was more unfortunate that it remained inaccessible to the public until it was published as a printed edition in 1834. Due to this fact, the Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa was appreciated by a limited audience through its manuscripts. It is an excellent digest which skillfully summarizes the gist of the Genji Monogatari without spoiling the atmosphere of the whole tale. It was in this light that I published a variorum edition in addition to several studies in my book Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa no Kenkyuu (A Study of the Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa). The present article, which is meant to supplement my previous research, considers the newly-appeared manuscript called the "Natsuhon" (the second of four books in the manuscript). The "Natsuhon" includes the section from the Eawase book to the Umegae book, and thus includes the "Tamakazura Jyujyo", which is considered to be single section within the Genji Monogatari. This article examines how the "Tamakazura Jyujyo" is covered in the Genji Monogatari Shinobugusa, and indicates the bibliographical features of the "Natsuhon".
    [Show full text]
  • A COMPARISON of the MURASAKI SHIKIBU DIARY and the LETTER of ABUTSU Carolina Negri
    Rivista degli Studi Orientali 2017.qxp_Impaginato 26/02/18 08:37 Pagina 281 REFERENCE MANUALS FOR YOUNG LADIES-IN-WAITING: A COMPARISON OF THE MURASAKI SHIKIBU DIARY AND THE LETTER OF ABUTSU Carolina Negri The nature of the epistolary genre was revealed to me: a form of writing devoted to another person. Novels, poems, and so on, were texts into which others were free to enter, or not. Letters, on the other hand, did not exist without the other person, and their very mission, their signifcance, was the epiphany of the recipient. Amélie Nothomb, Une forme de vie The paper focuses on the comparison between two works written for women’s educa- tion in ancient Japan: The Murasaki Shikibu nikki (the Murasaki Shikibu Diary, early 11th century) and the Abutsu no fumi (the Letter of Abutsu, 1263). Like many literary docu- ments produced in the Heian (794-1185) and in the Kamakura (1185-1333) periods they describe the hard life in the service of aristocratic fgures and the difculty of managing relationships with other people. Both are intended to show women what positive ef- fects might arise from sharing certain examples of good conduct and at the same time, the inevitable negative consequences on those who rejected them. Keywords: Murasaki Shikibu nikki; Abutsu no fumi; ladies-in.waiting; letters; women’s education 1. “The epistolary part” of the Murasaki Shikibu Diary cholars are in agreement on the division of the contents of Murasaki Shikibu nikki (the Murasaki Shikibu Diary, early 11th century) into four dis- Stinct parts. The frst, in the style of a diary (or an ofcial record), presents events from autumn 1008 to the following New Year, focusing on the birth of the future heir to the throne, Prince Atsuhira (1008-1036).
    [Show full text]
  • Murasaki Shikibu: a Reign of One Thousand Years Christine Cousins
    Murasaki Shikibu: A Reign of One Thousand Years Christine Cousins Genji, the Shinning Prince, is a master of painting, music, calligraphy, and poetry, and as such would surely have recognized the mastery in Murasaki Shikibu's writing. The success of Murasaki's fictional Tale of Genji over the next thousand years, as demonstrated by the ten thousand books on the subject by the 1960s, cannot simply be the result of the peculiarity of a woman writer.1 Indeed, the evolution of literature during the Heian time period and its connections to Chinese influences contributed to a phenomenon in which woman were the predominant literary producers.2 A component of Genji's success can be attributed to Murasaki's innovative use of literary form through the previously unknown novel, but even one thousand years later, when the novel is not revolutionary, the work is still part of Japanese culture. Murasaki's execution in writing her work is another necessary component to Genji's success, since her skill in portraying the complex interconnections of the Heian period, as well as her plot and characters, underlie the tale’s merit. People have found value in this work for centuries, but Genji's legacy can be distinctly seen in the significance it has accrued in Murasaki's country during times of increasing modernization and Western influence. Translations of the tale into modern Japanese, including those by Yosano Akiko, preserve a national identity, particularly as it relates to literature and culture. Murasaki utilized the opportunities available to her as a woman in the Heian period to create a master work that would, over the course of a thousand years, influence the very form of culture in Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Writing Behind the Scenes: Visions of Gender and Age in Enchi Fumiko's World of Performing Arts
    Scuola Dottorale di Ateneo Graduate School Dottorato di ricerca in Lingue e Civiltà dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea Ciclo XXIV Anno di discussione 2013 Writing Behind the Scenes: Visions of Gender and Age in Enchi Fumiko’s World of Performing Arts SETTORE SCIENTIFICO DISCIPLINARE DI AFFERENZA: L-OR/22 Tesi di Dottorato di Daniela Moro, matricola 955663 Coordinatore del Dottorato Tutore del Dottorando Prof. Attilio Andreini Prof. Bonaventura Ruperti For my nephew, a new life soon to be born into the world Acknowledgements I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who have, in one way or another, helped me to bring this dissertation to completion. At the outset, I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Bonaventura Ruperti and Prof. Luisa Bienati for their continuous support. A special “Thank You” to Prof. Gaye Rowley for her help, dedication and precious advice, and to my previous advisor Prof. Kanai Keiko, who welcomed me to her seminary after the end of my Master’s course at Waseda University. I also would like to thank Prof. Kobayashi and all the members of Waseda University Gender Studies Institute, who inspired me with many discussions. I would like to thank all my Ph.D. colleagues from Ca’ Foscari University for their psychological support, together with their suggestions and stimulating discussions. In particular, Caterina Mazza, for her irreplaceable suggestions, support with my lack of practical skills and for giving me ongoing motivation, and Dr. Pierantonio Zanotti for his advice and help. I also would like to thank all my colleagues from Waseda University, with a special thanks to Hannah Tamura, Victoria Young and Ji Yeon Shim for their stimulating discussions and precious encouragement.
    [Show full text]
  • Rape in the Tale of Genji
    SWEAT, TEARS AND NIGHTMARES: TEXTUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN HEIAN AND KAMAKURA MONOGATARI by OTILIA CLARA MILUTIN B.A., The University of Bucharest, 2003 M.A., The University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2015 ©Otilia Clara Milutin 2015 Abstract Readers and scholars of monogatari—court tales written between the ninth and the early twelfth century (during the Heian and Kamakura periods)—have generally agreed that much of their focus is on amorous encounters. They have, however, rarely addressed the question of whether these encounters are mutually desirable or, on the contrary, uninvited and therefore aggressive. For fear of anachronism, the topic of sexual violence has not been commonly pursued in the analyses of monogatari. I argue that not only can the phenomenon of sexual violence be clearly defined in the context of the monogatari genre, by drawing on contemporary feminist theories and philosophical debates, but also that it is easily identifiable within the text of these tales, by virtue of the coherent and cohesive patterns used to represent it. In my analysis of seven monogatari—Taketori, Utsuho, Ochikubo, Genji, Yoru no Nezame, Torikaebaya and Ariake no wakare—I follow the development of the textual representations of sexual violence and analyze them in relation to the role of these tales in supporting or subverting existing gender hierarchies. Finally, I examine the connection between representations of sexual violence and the monogatari genre itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Ordinary Women: Murasaki Shikibu
    ActivityORDINARY WOMEN: Sheet MURASAKI SHIKIBU SUMMARY STOPPING POINTS/VIDEO BREAKDOWN “In 10th century Japan, literary prodigy 0:25 Introduction to Murasaki Murasaki Shikibu wrote the first modern 0:45 A cloistered world novel at a time when women’s names 1:00 Literate background were rarely even written down.” 1:30 Tale of Genji “The Tale of Genji is often considered the 1:55 Multifaceted female characters first modern novel because Murasaki 2:30 Issues of fame offered readers not just a chronicle of 2:50 History of women writing events, but deep psychological insight into the characters and their inner lives. Her story made history because it was more than just a story: It was a complex literary portrait of what it means to be human.” DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & THEMES 1. Murasaki Shikibu was born to an aristocratic Japanese family around 970, when aristocratic women were kept hidden from society and “shielded from public view”. Although this practice is not commonplace today, how might we compare contemporary times and phenomena to that of Shikibu’s experience in an “intensely cloistered world”? For example, comparing the still-present and highly problematic societal expectation that women stay at home and give up careers in order to raise a family. 2. Consider her father’s response to Shikibu’s literary talents: “Just my luck. What a pity she was not born a man.” Why would he have reacted this way? How else can we identify a favouring of sons in contemporary cultures throughout the world? 3. Although about a male character, Shikibu’s novel offers valuable insight into what it was like to be a woman in her time through the presence of “multifaceted female characters.” How do novels and other works of art help us begin to understand the experiences of others? 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Emaki
    Introduction to Emaki The emakimono or emaki is a horizontal illustrated narrative scroll that is distinctly Japanese. Its predecessors originated in India and, along with Buddhism, came to Japan through China. Scrolls were used to depict stories of historical events, provide religious commentary, illustrate works of fiction and poetry, or serve as a form of creative expression for the artist. Scrolls were most often made of paper or occasionally from silk. They were attached to a wooden dowel at the left end and then rolled up for storage on shelves or in boxes. The story or narrative was read by unrolling the scroll a little at a time, from right to left, like Japanese is written. Japanese is traditionally written in vertical lines from right to left so the format of scrolls, with the text alternating with pictures, was a format compatible with Japanese writing conventions. The scenes developed in movie-like fashion, unrolling the narrative for the viewer. After the scroll was viewed, it was rolled up. Pictures were drawn with ink, painted, or stamped. The ink or water-soluble colors were applied with animal-hair brushes. There was no way to correct a mistake or to repaint, as can be done with oil or acrylic paint. Planning ahead was important; because painting was done on the spot, the result was a spontaneity and freshness to the work. Work was intense because a single brush stroke could ruin a scroll. Scrolls were generally 8 to 20 inches in height and could reach up to 60 feet in length. A story could take from one to as many as ten scrolls.
    [Show full text]
  • Inez Suhardjo East Asian Studies, Haverford College Professors Hank Glassman and Pauline Lin Spring 2010 Suhardjo 2
    New Half: Japanese Transsexuals and Their Place in Japanese Literature and Society Inez Suhardjo East Asian Studies, Haverford College Professors Hank Glassman and Pauline Lin Spring 2010 Suhardjo 2 Abstract In 2008, amidst the continued presence of gays and transsexuals in Japanese media after the "gay boom" of the 1990s, a "New Half' transsexual individual by the name of Tsubaki Ayana wrote a memoir entitled Watashi, Danshikou Shusshin Desu (I Went to a Boys' School), which describes her experience growing up in "the wrong body" — that is, with the male-attributed penis even though she has never considered herself male. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the place that Tsubaki's work has within the body of gay literature, and to trace the ways that gay literature has been shaped throughout different times and within different societies. In doing so, this paper ultimately shows that a link that is amorphous and indefinite — but unquestionably present — exists between works of literature, the historical times that they come from, and the social spaces that they occupy. Watashi is examined as three types of literature: autobiography, entertainment, and social commentary. To examine the work's place in literature as each of these types, it is compared to three other works that can be considered part of the canon of Japanese gay literature: Mishima Yukio's Confessions of a Mask as autobiography, the late-Heian era tale The Changelings as entertainment, and Hiruma Hisao's Yes Yes Yes as social commentary. Through literary analysis, this paper draws parallels between Watashi and each of the works chosen for each category.
    [Show full text]
  • The Disaster of the Third Princess
    6. Two Post-Genji Tales on The Tale of Genji Two roughly late twelfth century works represent a transition in the reception of The Tale of Genji. The first, Genji shaku by Sesonji Koreyuki (d. 1175), begins the long line of scholarly commentaries that are still being written today.1 The second, Mumyōzōshi (ca. 1200, attributed to Shunzei’s Daughter), can perhaps be said to round off the preceding era, when Genji was simply a monogatari (tale) among others, enjoyed above all by women. In contrast with Koreyuki’s textual glosses, Mumyōzōshi gives passionate reader responses to characters and incidents in several monogatari, including Genji. The discovery of something like it from much earlier in the preceding two hundred years would be very welcome. Fortunately, some evidence of earlier reader reception survives after all, not in critical works, but in post-Genji tales themselves. Showing as they do demonstrable Genji influence, they presumably suggest at times, in one way or another, what the author made of Genji, or how she understood this or that part of it. This essay will discuss examples from Sagoromo monogatari (ca. 1070–80, by Rokujō no Saiin Senji, who served the Kamo Priestess Princess Baishi)2 and Hamamatsu Chūnagon monogatari (ca. 1060, attributed to the author of Sarashina nikki). Chief among them are the meaning of the chapter title “Yume no ukihashi”; the question of what happens to Ukifune between “Ukifune” and “Tenarai”; and the significance of Genji’s affair with Fujitsubo. Discussion of these topics, especially the second, will hark back at times to material presented in earlier essays, although this time with a different purpose.
    [Show full text]