I am an Australian living in Japan and working as an english teacher. Im interested in Japanese literature but am still not good enough at Japanese to read Genji
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Hi there! I just got through the Tyler version in my class last semester, so I know how you feel. I can't believe I read it in its entirety, but it feels really good afterwards.
I have just one for you... Although I'm not sure how helpful it will be. This has a small bit about Genji towards the end.
Tyler translationfirefly67May 7 2008, 12:33:08 UTC
I wish I had some articles to recommend, but I don't! The Tyler version seemed hard to read, to me (I just read it recently myself), but then I first read another version, Waley, I think, many years ago in school, and became accustomed to it first. The Tyler translation apparently accurately reproduces the Heian custom of using a person's title, rather than a 'personal name' to identify a character--and when the person's title changes in the course of their life, so does that appellation! This confused me a bit as the story progressed. The Waley translation kept the same names for the characters all the way through, (Genji, To No Chujo, Rokujo, etc.) that seemed easier and more familiar for my western mind to grasp. Still, the Tyler version is very good, and nothing can spoil the flavor of the stories. You won't have any trouble reading it. Just consider each chapter a story in itself... !
I actually found the introduction to Tyler's edition very helpful (I read Seidensticker which had almost no cultural context whatsoever).
Otherwise the classic text recommendation is _The World of the Shining Prince_ by Ivan Morris, and we tried to get some useful online links in the community's profile (http://community.livejournal.com/reading_genji/profile) and tags.
Thankyou so much!!namerakaMay 19 2008, 05:18:48 UTC
Thankyou so much, I really appreciate this!! my email is slard@hotmail.com
Here are the names of some articles im interested in
Nickerson, Peter. "The Meaning of Matrilocality. Kinship, Property, and Politics in Mid-Heian ";”(Monumenta Nipponica , Vol. 48, No. 4. (Winter, 1993), pp. 429-467
Doris Bargen, "Spirit Possession in The Context of Dramatic Expressions of Gender Conflict: The Aoi Episode of The Genji monogatari"” (Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 48, No. 1. (Jun., 1988), pp. 95-130)
A Tosa Journal (Tosa Nikki; pp. 70-102) in CJP; Tyler, Royall. The No Play Matsukaze as a Transformation of Genji monogatari. (Journal of Japanese Studies 20:2 (summer 1994), p. 377-422)
Great GENJI reader's guide!
anonymous
August 13 2008, 11:42:16 UTC
Ivan Morris's WORLD OF THE SHINING PRINCE is fun, but by far the most useful guide to the GENJI in English is Haruo Shirane's THE BRIDGE OF DREAMS: A POETICS OF THE TALE OF GENJI. Shirane's book will really help you understand the GENJI, so that you'll enjoy it much more!
Comments 8
I have just one for you... Although I'm not sure how helpful it will be.
This has a small bit about Genji towards the end.
Mostly I just wanted to say good luck!
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The Tyler version seemed hard to read, to me (I just read it recently myself), but then I first read another version, Waley, I think, many years ago in school, and became accustomed to it first. The Tyler translation apparently accurately reproduces the Heian custom of using a person's title, rather than a 'personal name' to identify a character--and when the person's title changes in the course of their life, so does that appellation! This confused me a bit as the story progressed. The Waley translation kept the same names for the characters all the way through, (Genji, To No Chujo, Rokujo, etc.) that seemed easier and more familiar for my western mind to grasp. Still, the Tyler version is very good, and nothing can spoil the flavor of the stories. You won't have any trouble reading it. Just consider each chapter a story in itself... !
Reply
Otherwise the classic text recommendation is _The World of the Shining Prince_ by Ivan Morris, and we tried to get some useful online links in the community's profile (http://community.livejournal.com/reading_genji/profile) and tags.
Reply
Reply
I have access to JSTOR through my school, so let me know which articles you need and I can send you the PDF for them.
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Here are the names of some articles im interested in
Nickerson, Peter. "The Meaning of Matrilocality. Kinship, Property, and Politics in Mid-Heian ";”(Monumenta Nipponica , Vol. 48, No. 4. (Winter, 1993), pp. 429-467
Doris Bargen, "Spirit Possession in The Context of Dramatic Expressions of Gender Conflict: The Aoi Episode of The Genji monogatari"” (Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 48, No. 1. (Jun., 1988), pp. 95-130)
A Tosa Journal (Tosa Nikki; pp. 70-102) in CJP; Tyler, Royall. The No Play Matsukaze as a Transformation of Genji monogatari. (Journal of Japanese Studies 20:2 (summer 1994), p. 377-422)
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