Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari [The Tale of Genji]

Stina Jelbring (Stockholm University)

Ed. by Mats Arne Karlsson, University of Sydney
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.2.2: Japanese Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Mats Arne Karlsson (University of Sydney), Roy Anthony Starrs (University of Otago)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1021

Places

Japan (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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The

Genji monogatari

(The Tale of Genji; hereafter the

Genji

), attributed to a writer known as Murasaki Shikibu, is a fictional narrative from as far back as 11th-century Japan. It is authored in a form of Japanese that requires annotations to fully grasp, even for many Japanese readers today. Despite this it still enjoys a place among well-known classical works both inside and outside Japan. It is not only studied at school and university but also in private reading circles. Furthermore, it is often described as the world’s first novel. But how did this come about, and what importance can we attribute to it today and in a historical perspective?

Focusing on its context and reception, the concepts of genre, fictionality, translatability and intermediality will be used as tools of

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4718 words

Citation: Jelbring, Stina. "Genji Monogatari". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 March 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38851, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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