Book Reco # 10: The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
The world's first known novel and depicts the life of high courtiers in Japan.
Happy mid-week readers!
The Tale of Genji is the world's first known novel. It depicts the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. The history of this book is a tale worth telling in itself.
I love watching/reading period pieces because I'm always curious about how people lived during a time different from mine, and it was what got me interested in The Tale of Genji.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
The book's story centers around Prince Genji and his many affairs. Ironically, women during this time were, like the olden days, known as "conservative" - covered neck down with layers of clothes and rarely showed some skin. Yet, the promiscuity of the characters here is well-known. How did these people even manage? lol
I'd like to describe this book as Pride and Prejudice meets Game of Thrones but set in Imperial Japan. The author describes the lifestyle and courtship during this period much like that of Pride and Prejudice. Like Game of Thrones, the book also tackles politics wherein marriages are used as a political strategy. I enjoyed reading this book even though I disliked Genji a lot. Plus, I can really now say that I have read the world's first known novel!
The Tale of Genji is an important work in Japanese literature and has influenced many modern writers globally. The parts I loved the most were about Japanese medieval court customs, poetry, and arts. I recommend this to anyone interested in learning about Japanese culture.
Happy Reading!