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Title: The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, Royall Tyler, Murasaki Shikibu ISBN: 0-14-243714-X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: November, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good Study Volume
Comment: The strength of this translation is the introductory information that provides necessary background of both the text and the world that Genji inhabits. Much more than either the Waley and the Seidensticker versions and the footnotes are copious as well. Which makes this translation good for students and classroom study. I would still recommend Ivan Morris' book, _The World of the Shining Prince_ as supplemental information about Heian Japan but Tyler has provided a very good start with his work including very useful genealogical charts.
The illustrations are generous and found throughout the book. Seidensticker had larger illustrations but slightyly less of them whereas Tyler has opted for smaller. One of the flaws of this particular version is the fact that the illustrations are not done as well as the Seidensticker 2 volume set or even the one volume Knopf version. This flaw I place more due to the publisher who has not printed the text as cleanly e.g., ink blots and slight blurring of illustrations and incomplete pressing, as I would have expected. This flaw is found in the more expensive 2 volume hard back set as well. Another thing to consider in the paperback version is the the binding is not the best and will not stand to brutal backpack/book bag wear.
The more useful study volume is definitely Tyler's with his chronology, geneaology charts, informative introduction, footnotes, clothing and color background, offices and titles, and summary of poetic allusions.
It is a very good addition to the collection but do give a swing through both the Waley and the Seidensticker translations as well. Waley for the beautiful language (missing various chapeters) and the Seidensticker (obsessively correct). The rare 19th century partial translation done at Oxford by a Japanese student is a moot issue though interesting for the collection.
Rating: 5
Summary: best of both worlds
Comment: I've read all three translations of The Tale of Genji. For those who don't know there are three translations so far, by Arthur Waley, Edward Seidensticker and this one by Taylor. All of them have their flaws. Waley's translation is known for being a beautifully written, but very freely translated, so free that he left out several chapters. Where Seidensticker's translation is known for being more accurate but the language is not as beautiful. Of all three I think I prefer Taylor's. In addition to the story, he gives an extensive description of the culture and a listing of the Japanese names of the characters which is very helpful for figuring out the intricate details of rank and social position. This may be a bit too much information for those who don't know very much about Heian culture.
For those who don't know much about the plot, the Tale of Genji is divided into two almost completely separate stories. The first part of the story is about Prince Genji, the son of the emperor and a low ranking consort who dies due to her rivals' jealousy. The emperor griefstricken marries another much younger and higher born woman who looks very much like Genji's mother, who Genji falls in love with. Their doomed love affair and its consequences is at the center of this novel. However Genji has many other love affairs some of them with very destructive consequences. Genji's story is both tragic and also light hearted at times as well. Although the story is about Genji, the memorable female characters far outnumber the male ones. Heian Japan was a mostly matrilocal society, where the court was controlled by the grandfather or the father-in-law of the emperor. Women had much more power than in later eras, however, their independence depends on their wealth and social status but the heroines are distinct and have their own thoughts, feelings and personalities.
The second part of the story are the grandchildren of Genji and it takes place after Genji has died. It is the story of the competition between Kaoru, Genji's "son" who is actually the son of Genji's principal wife and her lover, and Genji's grandchild, Niou, and their competition for the love of three sisters. It is very different from the first part of the story, much darker and obsessive. One reviewer described the two parts as Jane Austen and Wuthering Heights in the same novel.
Taylor's translation is well written, informative, and beautifully packaged. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 4
Summary: A world that's gone
Comment: The "Tale of Genji" was written one thousand years ago at the court of the Emperor of Japan. It has to be said, this book will not appeal to everyone. It's very long, it has a huge cast of characters, it's loaded with poetry, and the setting is extremely different to probably anything you've encountered before. There's not much in the way of action or excitement. But if you like human dramas at a gentle pace and are willing to tackle something out of the ordinary, you may find a lot to enjoy here.
Set in tenth-century Japan, it's a bizarre world to us, where a person's worth is measured by their handwriting, their ability to match the colours of their clothes, and their ability to spout just the right poem at the right moment; where women hide themselves away for fear of being seen and are completely dependent on men for support and survival; where men can carry on as many romantic affairs as they please and are thought strange if they don't, and shed tears frequently to demonstrate their sensitivity; where ceremony, music and banquets are given far more prominence in the lives of the nobles than their official duties; where exile a mere thirty miles from the capital is a fate worse than death; and where everyone is continually being struck by the transcience of life and how sad everything is, and how they should devote themselves to religion as a result (and almost never do).
Genji is the beloved son of the Emperor of Japan, but because his mother is of low rank there is no future for him in remaining a prince of the imperial family. When he comes of age his father makes him a commoner, which frees him from the constraints of imperial dignity and allows him to serve in government. Genji is the hero for about three-quarters of the book. The main focus of the story is his love life, with the joys it brings him and the problems he brings upon himself through his behaviour. After his triumphant return from exile, his power and prestige grow and grow until, with the death of his beloved Murasaki, he grows tired of life, retires to a monastery and vanishes from the story. While Genji is beloved and admired by all in the story for his many outstanding qualities he is far from perfect, and the narrator, who intrudes herself with the occasional editorial comment, makes this clear. On the other hand, just when you are disgusted by something Genji has done, he will do something else that once again makes it clear that, in kindness at least, he is a cut above the rest of his male contemporaries.
For the last part of the story, the hero of the story is Kaoru, Genji's putative son. The sensitive and religious-minded Kaoru engages in romantic rivalry with his best friend (and Genji's grandson) Niou for the love of Ukifune, with tragic results. The book ends abruptly and unsatisfactorily, but that's not unusual for such ancient literature where unanswered, and often unanswerable, questions about the survival of documents and authors' intentions always arise.
As a human drama, with psychological insights into the characters that seem so very modern and understandable, this is a really good story (particularly in the Kaoru chapters, to my mind). I also really enjoyed the setting, which is so different to how we live today and therefore so fascinating. I have absolutely no knowledge of whether Royall Tyler's translation is a good one in academic terms, but it reads very easily and has a lot of atmosphere. The character lists at the start of each chapter aid understanding, as do the footnotes, maps, house designs, and various glossaries.
It has to be said that, by our standards, many of the men in the "Tale of Genji" behave cruelly and reprehensibly in their relationships with women. If you can work through that, and the other difficulties so unique a story presents, you will hopefully find your persistence satisfactorily rewarded.
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Title: The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon by Ivan Morris ISBN: 0231073372 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1991 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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Title: The Tale of the Heike by Helen C. McCullough ISBN: 0804718032 Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr Pub. Date: December, 1988 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Diary of Lady Murasaki by Murasaki Shikibu, Richard Bowring, Murasaki Shikibu, Murasaki ISBN: 014043576X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 09 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, Royall Tyler, Murasaki Shikibu, Murasaki ISBN: 0670030201 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 11 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $60.00 |
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Title: The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan (Kodansha Globe) by Ivan Morris, Paul De Angelis ISBN: 1568360290 Publisher: Kodansha International Pub. Date: June, 1994 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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