Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji - Lecture on Chapters I-XII (Patreon)

Published:
2024-06-02 20:41:44
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Downloads

  • Tale of Genji HLBC Lecture 2.mp3

Missing 4 full-res photos, 1 file, as this post has not yet been imported.

Content

'What karmic bond could have brought me to this life-threatening pass? This incident will be the stuff of scandalous gossip about me for all eternity...'

Today we are discussing the beginning of Lady Murasaki's sublime saga. We are meeting her characters together, wrangling with the profound themes of love, longing, and loss, and immersing ourselves in the vivid world of The Tale of Genji.

We're discussing what life was like for the women of Heian Japan, psychological complexity in the world's first novel, searching for the perfect woman, existential crisis, fatal jealousy, the sorrow of exile, karmic retribution, scandalous gossip, and much more.

Timestamps:

0:00 welcome to the world of Genji

2:00 what was life like for the first readers?

4:00 the women of Japan’s imperial court

6:00 Buddhism’s three ages of Dharma

10:00 the opening of The Tale of Genji

11:00 Kiristubo Consort vs Lady Kokiden

13:00 Bai Juyi’s Song of Everlasting Sorrow

15:00 beginning the work on a melancholy key

16:00 trauma during Genji’s formative years

17:00 the tragedy of losing the one you love

19:00 spring of youth trapped in a world of death

20:00 the Emperor makes Genji a ‘commoner’

21:00 meeting the character of Fujitsubo

22:00 Japanese subtlety in matters of love

23:00 the Shining Prince’s Oedipus complex

24:00 importance of choosing the right translation

25:00 characters of Lady Aoi and Tō no Chūjo

26:00 the psychological complexity of Genji

27:00 directional and defilement taboos

28:00 the psychology of the Don Juan type

29:00 Sei Shōnagon’s The Pillow Books

30:00 why don’t characters use their real names?

31:00 womanising as questing for self-love

32:00 femininity and the language of flowers

33:00 rainy night ‘perfect woman’ conversation

35:00 the men’s three classifications of women

36:00 Genji’s search for the rare wild flower

37:00 Lady Murasaki on what men want

39:00 what motivates male infidelity?

40:00 existential crisis in The Tale of Genji

42:00 understanding the novel in visual terms

44:00 Genji’s encounter with Utsusemi

46:00 how courtship is like a game of Go

48:00 when Genji falls in love with Yūgao

49:00 the dangerous jealousy of Lady Rokujo

50:00 Lady Murasaki’s psychological realism

51:00 ‘stuff of scandalous gossip for all eternity’

53:00 the self-awareness of Hikaru Genji

55:00 death of loved ones is a death of self

56:00 meeting the characters of Murasaki

58:00 wishing to renounce this meaningless world

59:00 ‘how hurtful it is to be ignored…’

1:00:00 when Genji gets Fujitsubo pregnant

1:01:00 the hot dramatic mess of Heian life

1:02:00 yearning to go back to the same person

1:04:00 ‘my feelings and motives are not shallow’

1:05:00 ‘tell me again which plant is it I’m related to’

1:06:00 Genji’s dalliance with Princess Hatachi

1:08:00 superficiality and thwarted romantic ideals

1:09:00 Lady Aoi grows jealous of Murasaki

1:10:00 Fujitsubo gives birth to Genji’s son

1:12:00 patterns of jealousy, possession, death

1:14:00 regret, reflection, and realisation

1:15:00 life, love, and death intertwined

1:17:00 Genji and Murasaki’s relationship

1:19:00 the knives are out for the Shining Prince

1:20:00 when Genji needs to go into exile

1:22:00 bad fortune as karmic retribution

1:24:00 on past lives as reality in this existence

1:25:00 the great sorrow of Genji’s exile

1:27:00 reading assignment for our next discussion

1:30:00 your thoughts on The Tale of Genji?

Resources to Explore:

  • Music Appreciation: The world of Genji is filled with the sound of koto music. If you'd like to get a feel for the atmosphere this stringed instrument created, listen to this album: Masterpieces of the Japanese Koto.

  • The Game of Go: Enjoying the pastimes of the characters is a strong way to live the great books. As we're reading a work considered to be the world's first novel, you might wish to learn about one of the world's oldest board game. This TEDx Talk sees Go as an ancient guide to modern life, and this video gives a great rundown of the rules. And this is the board I'm using at the moment.

  • The Pillow Book: For a fascinating glimpse into Heian court life, I highly recommend checking out the writing of Lady Murasaki's contemporary and rival Sei Shōnagon. 'The Pillow Book' is a captivating collection of lists, poetic musings, gossip, and observations that will really elevate your appreciation of the sociocultural climate of Genji.

  • Allusion Appreciation: The influence of Bai Juyi's 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow' is tangible throughout Lady Murasaki's work. For a wonderful breakdown of this narrative poem, check out this video. We can see another influence upon the saga in the form of 'The Tales of Ise',  a collection of narrative waka that would make for a beautiful and accessible complement to your reading of Genji.

  • Abridged Readers: For those dipping into the world of Genji in the abridged version, this edition stops at chapter seventeen. You may want to dive into the full version from chapter eighteen onwards once you come to the end of the abridged volume. My recommendation continues to be the Washburn version, which is available on Kindle here. Thank you so much to readers who have found and recommend this Norton paperback version of the Washburn. For audiobook lovers, the Washburn is the translation narrated here.

  • Upcoming Lectures: We have an exciting season of reading in the book club. Our discussions for Genji will continue on alternating weeks, so for those staying in line with the lectures, that's a fortnight to read the assigned chapters. As outlined at the end of the lecture, this weekend coming we will be discussing Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra; the weekend after that we will be back to Lady Murasaki's masterpiece; then the week following that, we will meet Michel de Montaigne together, another writer who knew much about the human condition.

Reading Assignment:

Our next discussion will cover up to and including chapter 25 of the story, which is entitled 'Hotaru' or 'Fireflies'. As you move deeper into the heart of the story, take note of your impressions and let us know how you're finding the experience.

Questions for You:

1) What are you impressions of The Tale of Genji thus far? 

2) What do you make of Lady Murasaki's characters?

3) What would be your criteria for the perfect partner?

4) What are the chief obstacles of Genji? And what are the joys?

If this is your first reading of The Tale of Genji, I would love to know how the story is meeting your expectations. If this is a reread for you, what is it like returning to the story? And please do share with us your favourite passage from the beginning of the story. 

Happy reading, everybody!

Files

Previews only

Comments

Anna B.

No wonder Japanese filmmakers and writers are excellent storytellers- they have a foundation in this book of gold!!

Anna B.

Page 135, last sentence before the last paragraph - everyone thinks Genji looks so stunning they must say prayers for him, everyone but the Crown Prince’s Mother. “Isn’t this really taking things a bit far ?” the theme of jealousy is strong- something we see in life, that jealousy is a real thing that people act on, in families, relationships, workplaces etc. Since Genji’s father had already made him a commoner in anticipation of it, I’m curious how this will play out - and what insights into human nature we will get. Why do some people get jealous ? Is the act of jealousy Cain and Abel and therefore crime and war? Is jealousy hatred for yourself ?

Leen Verbraken

Thanks for this lecture… I’m behind the schedule, but that’s ok. I’m taking this story really slow: 1 chapter a day. I set my mind on finishing this and I love it so far. I’ve also read the first volume of the ‘80s manga. It was so helpfull in memorising these characters. I was struggeling with this… I loved the artwork and I’m going to read one volume each month. I’m reading the Tyler translation, but also bought the Washburn.. But because I started the Tyler I’m going to stick with it. This is a book I see myself rereading in a couple of years.. I’m buddy reading this book with a friend: It’s a treat to gossip about each chapter 😅. My favorite part so far would be the first chapters : the love between Kiritsubo and the emperor and her death.

Theresa Wood

Benjamin, you were right about the book becoming more engaging around page 100 with the introduction of Young Murasaki. Genji is not a likeable character but he is learning and may be changing as he grows up. Time will tell. I found the conversation in Ch 2 infuriating but appreciated your lecture about it. My husband of 34 years walked in as I was listening to the lecture and we had a fun talk about "what men want." That list sounded like a lot of what I read in women's magazines when I was younger. None of that discussion on Ch 2 considered what women want and yet we see through Utsemi, Rokujo, Kokiden, Fujitsubo, Murasaki, and the rest that they want what men want in a partner too, esp emotional connection. But they lacked the ability to go searching for it. They had to wait like a flower in a garden and hope to be found. At least in some societies today, women have the ability to do some questing of their own! (I won't get into the childlike and compliant aspect, except to add that when I was given the option to include "obey" in my wedding vows, it was at least an option.) Without Murasaki's perspective, we wouldn't know how these women (and girls and boys) suffered as a result of their encounters with Genji. If anything, this novel is impactful for showing the damage left in the wake of Genji's thoughtless pursuit of the ideal. Am I the only one who is Team Kokiden?😄 She is the only woman taking control of her destiny instead of retreating into a cloistered life or dying from stress/neglect or despairing in solitude or hardening to someone bitter, cold, aloof. I doubt she'll be successful, but I can appreciate what she's done to ice Genji out and protect her son.

Estella

So far, I am really enjoying this book! This is my first read. I am captivated by the storylines and the way that it takes me to another time, place, and culture. I think it is very interesting in chapter 11, that the men are talking about the characteristics of different types of women. "How varied are the characters and the dispositions of women!" (40) As I was reading this, I found myself trying to understand what these women were feeling and why they acted or reacted as they did in their different positions in life. Then I was thinking about the fact that the author is a woman, and is writing a male's perspective as a woman; This is really good. A "perfect" partner, I think, must have balance and maybe that is why all extremes are mentioned. The extreme contrasts against the need for balance. When they talk about the 'artisans' we see the value of balance and evaluation, (not too extreme but somewhere in the middle) when we read, "On the other hand, ordinary scenery, of familiar mountains, of calm streams of water, and of dwellings just before our eyes, may be sketched with an irregularity so charming, and with such excellent skill, as almost to rival Nature" (45). Then we see this comparison in penmanship as well. This is such a great way to look at others and the world around us, and serves as a reminder to take the time to 'see'.

Ayca Ergeneman

Reading this book feels like being next to a river and bathing in it many times over and still not wanting to leave its side. I think to enjoy it you have to understand it for what it and not try to fit it to any expectations. Instead you ou meet it where it flows and soak in the beauty.

Anne Smith

I am very late starting this because I wanted to finish Ivan Morris's The World of the Shining Prince first. It was a bit of a slog at times but I'm glad I have the background to the culture in which Genji is set. I'm just in chapter 4 of Genji now (the Tyler translation) and am enjoying the beauty and poetry of the language. Genji is certainly opportunistic in his romantic pursuits; I smiled when another character thinks "Here he goes again!" when Genji asks about the inhabitants of the house next door to where he was visiting.

Brock Eldon
>>143906084

I'm rather behind on this one too, Anne, having been travelling for the past month a lot for work. I'm currently rotating between Infinite Jest and Genji. Two very big summer reads! But manageable, I think.

Donna F.

I’ve been away from the book club dealing with health issues. Good to be back. I’ve been reading Genji: I’m up to chapter 37. I tried reading the book last year, but fell off. I’m really glad I’m not the only reader who is bored and finds Genji’s actions deplorable. I can’t find the beauty in this book. Genji and some of the other male characters area huge antiheroes and I can’t wait to finish this book and go on to a book that will nourish my soul.

AS

Due to cherry orchard related workload demands, I've only recently started TOG and am now about 70 pages in. I'm definitely on team 'it's about the women (and girls)'. That seems obvious to me, as obvious as Genji being a rapey, manipulative, piece of shit. In fact, all the male characters so far are basically awful people, but I am genuinely enjoying the book, focusing on the females words and actions, the evocative descriptions, and the Buddhist references - I happen to practice Zen. Of course this book reminds me of Lolita. It also reminds me of DFW's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men since it seems to share a sort of between the lines, 'hey ladies, heads up', type quality.