Inspiration for Young Women

I attended a lecture on the world's oldest novel, The Tale of Genji.  The lecturer, Machiku Kuwahata, is a journalist and a life-long student of Japanese classical literature.  She studies with an 87-year old professor-emeritus who is a Tale of Genji scholar and also a childhood classmate and friend of the current Emperor's elder sister.    This personal contact has given the scholar insight into the lives of the Imperial family and this helps her better understand the novel's more subtle nuances.  

MAIN CHARACTER.  The story's main character is Hikaru Genji, the second son of the Emperor who was expelled from the imperial family.  (Genji means "expeled from the imperial family.)  In 54 chapters the novel spans 70 years and includes 300 characters.  Whew!  The novel has no plot.  Events simply unfold as characters get older.  And relationships  remain remarkably consistent across time.   

AUTHOR.   The author was a WOMAN born into the noble class.  Her name was Lady Murasaki Shikibu (sounds kinda like "Moo-rah-sah-kee  Shh-ski-boo).   She was given a strong education in Chinese history, literature, and poetry.  After her husband's death in the year 1001, she began writing her masterpiece. (Think about it...the novel is 1,013 year old!)    Lady Murasaki became the lady-in-waiting to the Empress and during this time also wrote a diary of her own life.  Though the novel was written for a female audience, Emperor Ichijo read the Tale of Genji and admired her deep knowledge of history.  Scholars are still examining the oldest remaining copy and gleaning new meanings. 

STILL POPULAR.   And general audiences today still enjoy the novel, although almost exclusively through movies and plays set in a more modern context.   The novel's archaic court language was out-of-date just a century after it was written!  It takes scholars to understand the original script.  YouTube has a variety of excellent videos ranging from scholarly lectures to anime movies.   Just type in Tale of Genji to learn more.

SHOULD I READ IT??  At the Edo Museum I almost bought the novel's latest English translation but decided to first ask some highly-educated Japanese if they have read the novel.  Here are some of their answers:    "I started it several times but never finished."  "I preferred to see the play."   "I don't like all the affairs so I never read it."  No one that I have talked with has read the novel.  I think that may be the answer I am looking for. If I decide to read it, I had better be willing to commit a lot of time to the project. 

ILLUSTRATIONS.  The novel's illustrations were created later during the Edo Period (in the 1600s).  During the Edo period women merely looked at the pictures while servants read the text aloud.  How ironic.  A woman wrote the novel but later generations of women did not even have the education to read it!  Girls, get a high-level education and never let men (or women) tell you that it's not important!!!