Envisioning The Tale of Genji

Crossing the premodern-modern divide, this collaborative work provides a comprehensive history of the reception, interpretation, and adaptation of the Genji. Particularly laudable is the book's attention to visual transfigurations of the text. It leaves one amazed by the phenomenon that is the Genji across time. -- Sonja Arntzen, University of Toronto The Tale of Genji generated not only ongoing interest among readers but also new ideas and materials, often involving different media for at least 800 years. This fine collection of essays by American and Japanese scholars gives us a complete picture of just how fecund the Genji has been. It is must-reading for scholars of Japanese literature and makes an invaluable secondary text for anyone who wants to convey the enormous procreative power of the most canonical and popular of all Japanese literary texts. -- Steven Carter, Stanford University

Presents a portrait of "The Tale of Genji's" reception and reproduction, taking into consideration a wide variety of genres from no plays to Genji paintings to the modern novel. This volume explores the popularization of the Genji, considering parody, pastiche, and re-creation in various popular and mass media.Bringing together scholars from across the world, Haruo Shirane presents a fascinating portrait of The Tale of Genji's reception and reproduction over the past thousand years. The essays examine the canonization of the work from the late Heian through the medieval, Edo, Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods, revealing its profound influence on a variety of genres and fields, including modern nation building. They also consider parody, pastiche, and re-creation of the text in various popular and mass media. Since the Genji was written by a woman for female readers, contributors also take up the issue of gender and cultural authority, looking at the novel's function as a symbol of Heian court culture and as an important tool in women's education. Throughout the volume, scholars discuss achievements in visualization, from screen painting and woodblock prints to manga and anime. Taking up such recurrent themes as cultural nostalgia, eroticism, and gender, this book is the most comprehensive history of the reception of The Tale of Genji to date, both in the country of its origin and throughout the world.