Should I Continue Reading "The Tale Of Genji"?

I’ll admit it, I’m having trouble with this book. It’s one of those I bought because I thought I * should * read it. Some reviewers on Amazon claimed that not only was it one of the world’s first novels, but that it was also one of the best novels. “Hmm,” I thought, “Looks like it will be an entertaining read.” And such a big, fat book! I really looked forward to it.

Reading it though, is difficult. It’s hard to keep track of who’s-who, especially since the ladies are usually not named. The plot seems to be dragging along. I’ve just reached the part after Genji’s wife has died and he’s trying to seduce his ward.

I’m a voracious reader. It’s very hard for me to give up on a book, but this one doesn’t seem to be grabbing me. Should I continue on? Have any of you read it? Enjoyed it?

It can be good. It is also not very easy to get into from the get go. You have to have an interest in the history there.

Whose translation do you have? Sounds like Royall Tyler? I reccomend an earlier version. Royal Tylers managed to keep the japanese intent , but butchered the English along the way. HGis bad habit of not actually naming anyone (yes, its actually their practice) makes it all nigh-impossible to read.

However, it has some very good moments. I recomend you read the first book, at least. You can easily skip over some chapters, the important things in the book are the character’s relationships to Each other (mostly Genji). Also, realize that its not at all clear whetehr Murasaki meant for the “supernatural sights” Genji witnesses to be real or not…

I read it, it gets really good up until around Genji’s death and then all the new characters (some of Genji’s kids) take over and the tone changes but it is still an interesting read. To me, it reads as a classic because it really tells how Japanese culture and life were at the time (at least if you were an aristocrat) but it was hard to empathize with many of the characters because their concepts logic and morality often seemed very different from my own.

This is the one I purchased.

I always have been interested in history. (After all, I work in a museum!) Some of the details of etiquette in the book have been interesting, but, thus far, it seems to be a recitation of Genji’s social calendar. Genji goes to visit this lady. Then he goes to visit this lady, and sits in another room listening. He writes a poem to this lady, and she responds in kind. The beginning of the book and story of Genji’s birth were interesting, and I’m sort of taken by the Oedipal implications of his interest in his stepmother, but it seems to have fallen into a dull recitation of Genji’s love interests.

I fully expected their morality and logic to be different, but it’s sometimes difficult to determine the character’s motivations for why they’re behaving in a certain way.

Of course, Murasaki was writing for a contempoary audience who would already be familiar with the etiquette and culture, so didn’t see a need for a lot of explanations. I wish she had. It would make it much more interesting.

I’m no expert on the book or on Japanese culture, but I’ve read up to Genji’s death and a little after that (I have the Seidensticker translation – same one you have) so I’ll offer my reflections at least.

I wouldn’t try to keep up with the ‘plot’ as there isn’t really one, not in the sense I’d call it. It’s much more like a biography, albeit of a fictional character. I don’t think it could even be considered an historical novel of its time (the period is about a century before it was written, IIRC) as it seems to be centered on the characters more than anything.
And yet it didn’t seem to me that keeping track of particular characters was terribly important either, in some sense. The names and places of minor characters are indeed confusing, but I like that feeling. It may have helped that I read it only a bit at a time, so it’s as much confusion of my memory as in the book itself. I didn’t really feel the need to go back and see who was who the majority of the time. Some references are clearly incorrect and ambiguous as pointed out in the notes, so I’m not even sure it was all that important to the audience or author – (then again, those may be mostly transcription errors).

But I really liked it; I enjoyed how similar the people were despite the overall social differences (compared to our time); I enjoyed some of the way the story develops when compared to modern novels, even though it wasn’t intentional. (There was at least one moment when the dramatic tension was deflated in what I would call a clever and unique manner if it were a modern book).

I’ve not read Genji, but I’m currently about three-quarters of the way through MUSASHI (the Kodansha International edition, translated by Charles S Terry -in english).

It’s great, powerful swash-buckling adventure and portions of troubled romance. The tale of Miyamoto Musashi and his journey from troubled youth to worldly swordsman in 16th century Japan.

I’m enjoying it immensely and intend to read TAIKO (by the same author, Eiji Yoshikawa) when I finish this. I’ll probably also buy the Criterion DVDs (the ‘Samurai’ movies I, II and III) which are an adaptation of MUSASHI starring Toshiro Mifune (he of Kurosawa collaboration fame).

I have no idea how much embellishment has gone into the english translation, it really feels like the translator has explained some stuff that a native reader ought to know, but an english reader could be forgiven for not understanding. A good Japanese friend of mine knows the book intimately and based on our discussion, I get the impression that this is a pretty clean translation.

Now, it could be that I’m on a big Samurai kick at the moment (having finish the Lone Wolf and Cub saga in recent months -the ending made me cry so bad! And now having a little boy of my own, well… it hits that much harder when you imagine what Ogami Itto went through for simple revenge). But MUSASHI is REALLY cool! (it’s also so damn thick, like a phone book -similar to those early paperback editions of Cryptonomicon).

I recommend it heartily! Oh, and it’s based on a true story about a real guy. Aforementioned Japanese friend has seen paintings and weapons used by the real Miyamoto Musashi.

Oh, and to those who’ve read it, don’t you just wish he’d take a bit of revenge against Otsugi! ARGH! I know he’s noble and better than that, but she just gets my goat every time!

Gene-agi!

I was just about to make a wise-ass comment about the dead girl’s vengeful spirit coming out of the painted screen, but then I realized there’s actually something a little bit like that (Genji’s wife dying as a result of the ghost of Lady Rokujo).

Lissa, if you liked the Oedipal implications of the beginning, keep reading, you’ll appreciate it.

I have the same version you do, and by the end I was just plugging away so that I could say I finished it. panamajack is right: there isn’t really much of a plot, so you won’t really miss that much if you’re not keeping close track of the names.

I’ve got that translation myself. Personally, I liked it. YMMV.

I notice on the Amazon page Lissa linked to, they bundle it with The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Now, I read the Pillow Book before I read Genji, and I’m kind of glad I did, because it gave me a level of insight into the Japanese culture at the time … which is rather different from the “swashbuckling samurai adventure” feel of the later Shogunate period.

Or does she? No one but Genki ever sees the ghosts. Are they real? Are they part of Genji’s guilty mind? Dum Dum DUMMM!!!

Seiden sticker is more accesible than Tyler. Stick with, ti, but understand what you are getting into. The “Plot” is nothing more than Genji himself. Murasaki Shikibu was in love with her protagonist, I think, character flaws and all.

I have the Penguin version that I picked up for about 10 bucks at one of the big chains. The Penguin version was filled with sidenotes that explained much of the cultural aspects of the time and relationships to other characters if that was important. Perhaps that one would better suit you. It still read a lot like “Let’s follow Genji around for his social calendar” though.