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Interesting context to note: Lady Murasaki is the author of the Tale of Genji, which is widely regarded as the first novel ever written and one of the oldest ex
by ixtli 8y ago
Interesting context to note: Lady Murasaki is the author of the Tale of Genji, which is widely regarded as the first novel ever written and one of the oldest extant pieces of Japanese cultural artifact to be considered a masterpiece.
- gwern 8y agoKeene has a good entry on Murasaki's diary in his book about Japanese diaries (which I recommend to anyone with more than a passing interest in Japanese literature), _Travelers of a Hundred Ages_. One of the observations that stayed with me is he notes (as one can verify C-fing OP), is that her diary is more than a little infuriating because she almost never talks about _The Tale of Genji_! Just a few passing references. Considering how much has been lost over time, it is a remarkable gift for any _Genji_ fan or scholar, or even just fan of Japanese literature in general, that her personal diary of all diaries would survive the ages in a fairly extensive form, and then... she doesn't talk about Genji. How did she get the idea? What was her purpose? What was the thematic relationship of Kaoru to Genji? How are we supposed to regard Genji ultimately? Was the original ending really lost? Countless questions, many no one has realized to ask, could have been answered with a few quick sentences discussing _Genji_ or herself, and - nada.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]