The Tales Of Genji Literary Analysis

Known to be the first novel created, The Tales of Genji is about a prince, Genji, who admires beauty and women. Themes such as aesthetics as well as relationships. From aesthetics, the sadness of things portrays the ideals of the Japanese in that time. Through relationships, it showed the way marriages and relationships were treated in olden day Japan. To the Japanese in that era, the Tales of Genji provided entertainment as well as scandals that the royal family possibly had. Also offered women an ideal husband because he was sensitive and caring to all his wives. The relationships shown in the novel display the way marriages were handled in Japan in the Heian era. The men usually had multiple wives as well as concubines. Many influential families would try to get their daughters married to the emperor so they could have a descendant to the throne. Marriage created jealousy among women because it was

Throughout the story, the many deaths and lives of individuals pass and continue. However, the objects or items that the deceased held dear remain and are in some cases passed on to descendants. These things will outlast us and as they watch all the individuals around them die every time they become sad things. In the Tales of Genji, this occurs with beauty seen through poetry, the colors of a woman’s robes, and nature. The idea of communicating through poetry is seen when Genji meets the Lady of Evening Faces. In order to attract his attention, the lady writes a poem on her fan while he is admiring the flowers. The poem allows her to have a relationship with Genji. The colors of a woman’s robe were vital to attract a husband because women were kept behind screen doors. The dresses were the only thing a man could see and a guide to a woman’s character. These skills were more important than the physical features she was born