Book Report: The Tale of Genji

TITLE:  The Tale of Genji
AUTHOr: Murasaki Shikibu
PUBLISHER: Borzoi Book Alfred A Knopf, YEAR: 1976

The Theme

·        Love Affairs between a Man and Women

Genji, as the protagonist in the story, has a special relationship with more than one woman he attracts to. He marries to the daughter of an influential member of court, Aio, as his first wife that gives birth of his son, Yugiri. Then, he marries to Murasaki, the ten years old girl who he brought from Kitayama, the northern rural hilly area of Kyoto, to be married with him on her mature age. Moreover, he has slept with his father’s wife, Fujitsumo, who give birth of his son, Reizei. In Akashi, he also has love affair with daughter of the wealthy aristocrat who is pregnant with his son when he is back to the court. He also marries with his half-brother’s daughter, but he finds her to be unsatisfying as a wife.

Main Characters

1.      The Emperor Kiritsubo

The Emperor Kiritsubo is unfair towards his wives. He doesn’t love them in equal. If he really loves one woman as his wife, he doesn’t care about his other wives. In the story, told that he loves Ladi Kiritsubo very much. Yet his love makes him forgotten if his other wives also need his affection very much. But, however, I assume that such attitude shows that his happiness just depends on a woman who could make him happy. It’s a beautiful woman like Lady Kiritsubo who is capable to do as he wishes. He needs a handsome son, so Lady Kiritsubo gives him a baby with the best appearance than others.

2.      Genji

In short, Genji is a remarkable young man, handsome, and charming. He has attracted the attention of his father, the emperor, who would like to appoint him as the emperor. Yet because of his mother’s status is too low, there is no political support could raise him to be the emperor. Besides, because of his handsomeness and attraction, many women fall in love with him, even  Fujitsubo, the emperor’s wife who gives birth of his son, Reizei.

3.      Lady Kokiden

Lady Kokiden is very jealous towards Lady Kiritsubo and also impacted to her descendant.  Because of the affection of the emperor is more for lady Kiritsubo and her hope of becoming Empress is unsuccessful, Lady Kokiden becomes a spiteful woman. She provokes other women at court to be jealous towards Lady Kiritsubo so that they will always harass her. Then, Lady Kiritsubo falls sick and dies soon after because of her mental depression of the stress from Kokiden and other women. 

Summary of the story (plot)

Genji’s mother, Lady Kiritsubo, is very adored by his father, the Empire Kiritsubo. Because of the jealousies of other women at Paulownia court, especially Lady Kokiden is so distressing to her so that she falls sick and dies when Genji is still very young. The Emperor is depressed over her death, so then he marries Fujitsubo who remind him of his former love. Actually the Emperor has more than one wife. But his love to Kiritsubo is more than others, so he marries Fujitsubo who looks like Kiritsubo.

The Emperor worries about Genji’s future. The Emperor favors him and wants to appoint him as his heir, but he cannot get the political support because his mother’s status is too low. As an alternative, he removes Genji from the imperial family and gives him his own surname, Minamoto, in order to allow him to make his way as a commoner in the government.  While he is technically a commoner, he still enjoys the favor of his father and freedom in the court. He grows to be a handsome, intelligent, but reckless young man.

As a young man, Genji is forced into a political marriage with the daughter of an influential member of court, but he is never really happy with her, although they do eventually have a son, Yugiri. Instead, he falls in love one of the Emperor's wives, Fujitsubo. He sleeps with her then she becomes pregnant with his son, Reizei. They pass the boy off as the child of the Emperor.

Knowing he cannot possess Fujitsubo because she is his father’s, Genji seeks love elsewhere–a young girl who looks just like Fujitsubo named Murasaki. She is Fujitsubo’s niece, and only ten at the time that Genji focuses his affection on her. He takes over her care and raises her as a daughter then marries her as soon as she comes of age.

Genji is gorgeous, charming, intelligent, affectionate, wealthy, and well-connected politically.  His talents also raise him politically, and he grows more influential and powerful in court. Before long, Genji has had a sexual affair with the daughter of his main political opponent, and is caught by him in the act. He has to go into exile to escape his wrath.

He winds up in Suma by the Inland Sea of Japan, the ward of Kobe City. He cannot bring Murasaki with him, and he is very lonely without her.  Alone and in the wild, he must endure hardships and is almost killed by a storm.  When the storm ends, however, a wealthy aristocrat rows by and invites Genji to join him at his home in Akashi. Because of the beauty of his third wives, Genji falls in love with her. Then, when he goes back to the court, the girl is pregnant with his baby.

After returning to court in Chapter 13 (“Akashi”), Genji tries to control his sexual urges more effectively. He concentrates on promoting himself and increasing his power at court. He continues to rise in wealth and power, even if he is not lucky in love.

In Chapter 34 (“Spring Shoots I”), Genji agrees to marry the daughter of his half-brother. After they are married, Genji finds her to be unsatisfying as a wife.  When Murasaki becomes sick, Genji abandons his new wife to be with his old love. While he is away, a man comes in and sleeps with his new wife, getting her pregnant. The son she bears, Kaoru, is passed off as Genji’s, but Genji knows the truth.  The true father dies from the shame of the discovery of his illicit affair. Genji’s new wife decides to become a nun rather than continue with him, to Genji’s great embarrassment. About three years later, Murasaki dies.  Genji is devastated by the loss and goes to live in a temple, then dying several years later in his fifties.

After his death, the book continues to tell the tale of his two descendants after an eight-year gap. Kaoru is now a young man. His best friend is Niou, Genji’s grandson by the girl he made love to at Akashi. Kaoru and Niou are best friends who become rivals in love.

Kaoru hears of a prince who has retired to a religious life with his two daughters. Intrigued, Kaoru visits him and learns his true parentage. He also sees the daughters, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi. He thinks they are beautiful and tells Niou about them. Niou courts and seduces the younger, Naka no Kimi.    However, Niou does not visit often, spending most of his time at court. Naka no Kimi is lonely, and she and her sister believe that she never meant anything to Niou. Oigimi sees her sister’s devastation and refuses Kaoru, thinking that he will treat her just as Niou treated Naka no Kimi. She becomes so depressed that she starves herself to death, to Kaoru’s grief.

Afterwards, Niou brings Naka no Kimi to court so they can be together. Meanwhile, Kaoru begins to realize that he truly loves Naka no Kimi. Noticing the way Kaoru acts around his wife, Niou becomes jealous.  Naka no Kimi solves the problem by introducing Kaoru to a half-sister named Ukifune who looks just like Oigimi, and he pursues her instead. Before he can leave with his new love, Niou also sees her and wants her. When Kaoru moves with Ukifune to his home in Uji, Niou hunts her down and makes love to her.

Ukifune cannot decide who she wants. Kaoru is more powerful, but Niou is more sexually attractive. Unable to decide, Ukifune throws herself into the river in order to kill herself.  Unbeknownst to them, she is still alive. She is found by monks, crying and unable to speak. They take her to the head nun and it is discovered that she has amnesia and seems to be mentally unbalanced. Then, she does regain some of her memory, but will not tell anyone anything she has remembered, and instead asks to be made a nun.

A year later, Kaoru has heard of the nun with amnesia who looks like Ukifune. He discovers it is her and tries to contact her by sending a letter through her half-brother, but she pretends not to recognize the boy and refuses the letter. Kaoru wonders if she is being kept there by someone else. Then, the tale ends there.

Setting

·        Setting of time: set in 10th century, around the peak of the Heian period (Japan Period).

·     Setting of place: set the specific place at Paulownia Court, Suma by the Inland Sea of Japan (the ward of Kobe City), Akashi, and Uji.

·        The dominant atmosphere is full of romance.

Tone

The tone in the story is hurt and romantic. The writer shows the romance between some characters through their happiness in love. However, on the contrary, it feels hurt when a man character has a special relationship with his step mother, such as the case of Genji and Fujitsumo.

Social/Historical Background

The world of the Tale of Genji is aristocratic Japan of the tenth century. The society was polygamous and imperial. The Emperor would take several wives, each daughter from prominent aristocratic families, in order to establish his line. He would have one main wife known as the Empress, several consorts, and several “intimates” or consorts of low rank. Genji’s mother is one such Empress who from low rank.

Style

Over all the style of the language is literal, except the poetry he utters. For example (of literal), Genji’s man asks him when he is awake from sleep,

”Did you sleep well?”

“I certainly did”, Genji answered. (page: 49)

Moral

The moral lesson we can get from the story is that love isn’t about the desire of having sex for many women or about the struggle to conquer all pretty women. But love must be kept with a woman we love forever.