The Tale of Genji: A Reader's Guide

by William J. Puette

This is the most complete reader's guide available on Japan's highly revered novel, the eleventh-century classic, The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, referred to by Noel Laureate Yasunari Kawabata as the "highest pinnacle of Japanese literature." Written specifically to accompany the translation of the work by Arthur Waley and Edward G. Seidensticker, the guide offers detailed summaries and thematic commentaries, as well as cross-referenced notes on the novel's many characters. It also charts the essential progress of The Tale of Genji and introduces the reader to the more subtle complexities, literary devices, and conventions of Lady Murasaki's Heian Japan.

No longer does the reader have to try and guess the novel's cultural and historical milieu. The author presents brief, illustrated essays on historical, philosophical, and cultural features of the novel, and discusses such relevant aspects as the balance between the tenets of Shintoism and Buddhism, the pervasive concepts of karma in human relationships, and the poetic aspects of aware. Both general readers and literature students will find the background information contained in this "companion" indispensable to their reading and interpretation of this complex novel.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, Reference, Classics, Literary Criticism, Japanese Literature

196 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1983

About the author

Dr. Michael Puette is the Director of the Center for Labor Education & Research at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, where he has taught Labor Studies for over three decades. Originally recruited to teach English in Hawai‘i, he quickly became active in the labor movement, helping to found the Hawai‘i State Teachers’ Association and participating in its first strike. He later served as a full-time field agent for the union and earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. A prolific author, labor arbitrator, and Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Dr. Puette has published widely on Hawaiian labor history, union organizing, and media bias. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Lowell-Mellett Award and the George Meany Award. In addition to his academic and union work, he has volunteered extensively with the Boy Scouts of America and has served on the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission since 2019.

Reviews

[Books on Asia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's important to note that this is not the story of the Tale of Genji. It is a "reader's guide," which means it's for those who have already read the Tale of Genji or who want help understanding the story. It's a highly readable "Cliff's Notes" play-by-play of the scenes. It also compares the mechanics of the Waley and Seidensticker translations since these two well-known translations differ in content and naming conventions, so those who want to go into deeper study, such as reading literary criticism on the Tale, will find this book helpful to clear up disparities in personal names, chapter titles and scenes. Another use of the book would be for those who have read the abridged Seidensticker version (1976) and don't want to read the full 6-volume Waley edition (1933) but still want to know how the story ends. This will fill you in on the missed scenes from an abridged version. Also helpful are the Appendices in the back that show an overall map of Japan and the locations of scenes in the Tale, an overall map of Heian Kyō, and a map of the Imperial Palace grounds showing where the courtiers lived, such as Kokiden, Seiryōden, etc.

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful summaries

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read one of the unabridged translations and I appreciated this because the chapter summaries helped me keep track of what was going on while I was reading. There's some info on the background of the world, although The World of the Shining Prince goes deeper into Heian Japanese culture.

[Jamie Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 star for writing
1 star for research quality
1 star for premise
1 star for impact
1 star for personal taste

Puette did an incredible job breaking down the chapters and providing relevant cultural context. I preferred the guide to the book!

[Othy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puette's Guide to the Tale of Genji is a very good introduction to the literature and the culture of the time period. It is, though, rather thin, and it serves almost as a preliminary introduction. Puette's insights into Heian (and Japanese) religion and political culture, and the notes he has on each chapter, are really good, but I wish he went a little deeper. I still feel that I need help with understanding many different parts of the Tale, most especially Genji's character. Any good guide should direct you back to the text and onward to deeper discussions of the piece, but this one leaves a little too much to be desired.

[Jacob]

After standing in the bookstore in Shinjuku for half an hour trying to decide which of the translations I wanted to dive into and imagining the awkwardness of lugging the massive Tale of Genji around to read on the train like I like to do with other books, I decided maybe it was best to read a couple hundred pages ABOUT the Tale of Genji as due diligence before making the space in my life and bookshelf for the 1300 page novel from the Heian courts.

I got quite a bit more out of this book than I did from the Wikipedia article on Genji Monogatari. Some interesting perspectives on historical context that did make the story more meaningful. There were also some interesting (very basic) commentaries following each of the summaries of the first 9 chapters.

I’m sure I shouldn’t say much about the actual book after only reading the summary, but I was very surprised by the story and the complexity and, frankly, the amount of romance(?) (it was unclear to me sometimes whether the all or just the majority of the sexual activity was foisted by men on women in this story). Regardless, sex and relationships were pretty much the main beats, and court politics was only ancillary.

Like my Japanese tutored commented, “Yeah… maybe they should’ve called it ‘The Tale of Sleeping Around’”

Will I read the real thing now? Only time will tell!

[Avery · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a less than ideal companion to the Tale of Genji, because it contains many factual errors and outdated claims that would not pass muster today. As far as I can tell Dr. Puette is a venerable doctor of law, labor history, and parliamentary procedure at the University of Hawai'i, but not a classical Japan scholar. Some of the errors in this book are of such a simple nature that it makes me questions whether Dr. Puette has the necessary expertise to write a guide like this.

To take a rather simple example, on page 18 it is claimed that "the very language spoken by Japanese of the Heian period had sounds no longer contained in modern speech. Today the Japanese themselves must, therefore, read modern renderings of the work." This calls into question whether Puette could read Japanese. The Nara period had seven vowels expressed in ineffable man'yogana, but in the late Heian period when Genji was written, there were only five vowels and hiragana had already been adopted, not in its modern form, but in a form that corresponds precisely to the modern forms. Therefore, all six year old Japanese children should be able to sound out the original Tale of Genji, and indeed some of them do so. What makes the text so difficult is its 11th century grammar, literary allusions, and highly affected post-classical style.

So, I cannot recommend this book as a guide. However, if you are going to be writing about or talking about the Tale of Genji at length, the chapter summaries which make up about half of the book are quite useful, because one more frequently remembers the mood of the characters than what was actually going on in any given chapter

[Arlene Hayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a long time now, I have wanted to read ‘Tale of Genji,’ which claims to be the oldest novel in the world, having been written in 1008 by a noblewoman Murasaki Shibuku. The novel takes the reader to the Heian period in Japanese history, and follows the many passions and social engagements of Prince Genji, its main character. Because the novel is heavily footnoted with many of the colloquiums and customs of that era, the story, in my opinion, reads like a literary minefield. So to at least get the gist of the novel, I plodded on, even when at times, my comprehension was as murky as mud. What I did love about this novel were the lyrical poems, which were presented throughout all of the chapters. As in typical Japanese fashion, many allusions might be drawn from these short poetic endeavors, and Murasaki has such a gift in drawing the reader toward experiencing the essence of each poetic moment. As is expected, feudal Japanese society was aptly portrayed as male-dominated and chauvinistic, where ladies-in-waiting and their parent or guardian sponsors, might jockey for upward mobility by attracting the attention of a prominent high-court male. The story presents the subtlety of Japanese culture, their love of the arts through painting and poetic expression, and perhaps the sexual prowess of Japanese high-court males of feudal Japan. Because it has had a profound impact on Japanese society throughout the ages, it is a book worth reading. However, like some things taken to completion, I will probably not pass this way again.

[Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend suggested I get this and then sent me hers. It was useful when I got lost in certain chapters (43 and 44 I’m looking at you) and I do think the context helped (though I found it more useful afterwards, honestly, esp the chapter by chapter recap). I didn’t have access to either translation this mentioned, so it was also interesting to learn about the variances in these two “standard” ones.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in the middle of my first reading of Genji. Often I find I note the details but am not sure I quite know what is going on. I see the trees but am not sure of the forest. This brief book is an immense help.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful guide to the basics of Heian culture and customs as I am reading the Tale of Genji. Short and informative, but only if you are also reading Genji.

[Caomhghain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent straightforward introduction to the basic elements of the Tale. Unexciting but comprehensive.

[Ron Kastner · Rating 4 out of 5]

a helpful survey of a mammoth work.

[astrangerhere]

I'm only reading the introductory essays of the book now and will refer to the chapter summaries of the novel only when I need to.

The essays were a little simplistic and actually poked a bit at The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan, which I am reading now.

Both of these books are read in preparation for starting The Tale of Genji.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful cultural introduction to the Tale of Genji, for those who need something with which to ease their way into the novel itself. Do not read chapters VI and VII if you want to avoid spoilers.

[NoBeatenPath · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great help when trying to make your way through Tale of Genji

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this before based on a general interest in Heian era Japan, but had not read any of the actual Tale of Genji until last year when I read the first half of the Tyler translation for a class. Having decided to pick it up again and attempt to finish it, I thought I'd take advantage of the chapter summaries in this to refresh my memory. However, perhaps because this is based on the Waley and Seidensticker translations, Puette's chapter summaries don't seem to mesh with my memories of reading the Tyler version. I think I will end up skimming the first half of the Tyler version as refresher. As general reference or background on Heian Japan The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan is far superior and I'd recommend it as a prerequisite to anyone who wants to take on The Tale of Genji.