Tale of Genji

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.
The Tale of Genji is a novel set during the Middle Heian Period of Japan. In the Novel we are given a firsthand account of what life was like during the Heian period, at least from the point of view of the Elites of that time. We can see that during this time for the elites it was a very sophisticated and proper society. From the descriptions of the clothing we find that only the finest robes and garments were considered proper. People used carriages to get around. Overall what we read does not describe in great detail the rulings in place, but we can find that this would have been the life for the ruling class. The few times it mentions commoners it is only to describe their lack of fashion.
Gender is another area of distinction in the novel. Being written by a woman, Murasaki Shikibu, we have a gendered perspective on the writing with a lot of feeling coming from the female point of view. But judging by the fact that a woman could have written such a novel at this time reveals much of women’s place in Heian society. Religion is also a very important aspect of this work. Many times the author mentions Karma, and the workings of bad spirits. We also are given a glimpse of a Shinto purification ceremony with the ascendance of a new Ise Virgin.
One subject that seems to still be relevant in modern Japanese society is Mono no Aware. A direct translation tells me that it is “an objects possession of misery”. This can best be described by a Japanese person, but it is my understanding that it has something to do with the emotional truth that things are not permanent in nature. This kind of example can be seen with all living things, but especially with the Cherry Blossoms in the spring. This is a generally sad truth if I understand it correctly, but there is always hope that this truth will continue again with the next generation. This text can give us a very real picture of life in the height of the Heian period, a time when Europeans were still in the dark ages. This along with the fact that it is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, novel in history. The text reveals an incredible amount of similarities even with the modern age. We can see then why this text would be used when discussing Japanese history.