Chapter XXIII: Communication in Genji

One of the things that I've thought a lot about here in Japan is communication. Clearly, the way we talk to one another has changed over the years, and it continues to change at an enormously fast speed. Take, for instance, the way I'm communicating with you now. 20 years ago, when I first came to Japan, correspondence with people in America would take weeks, if not longer. Now, using the Internet, I can send photos (like the one I just took a minute ago, here in my Internet cafe booth . . . posted above), chat and/or video conference with people -- almost in real time.

How is this possible? Well, a big shout out has to go to the "Manga-kisa" here in Japan. Manga, as you know, are Japanese comic books, and kissaten is the word for "cafe." Today, comic book cafes have gone high tech. Everything is digital, and you simply pay by the hour (or minute, as the case may be) to go into your booth and either kick back reading magazines, or going on line like I do to create this blog.

Communication is also a big deal in Genji, particularly while Genji is exiled in the 12th through the 14th chapters. To facilitate communication between her characters in these chapters, Murasaki uses two techniques: the letter, and the dream.

The letter is very straight forward -- messages printed on scrolls that are passed via servants from one person to the other. (Again, a technique used often in Shakespeare.) The problem with these letters, of course, is who gets to read them, or who discovers them after the intended person has read them. Since many of these contain love messages, all sorts of problems happen once the letters get into the wrong hands.

Dreams are a bit different. Murasaki uses dreams to bring characters together that normally would not have had a chance to be together. For example, while Genji is in exile, his dead father visits him in a dream and instructs him to return to the palace regardless of the danger that awaits him there. In other chapters of the story, the different lovers of Genji appear in one another's dreams. In fact, one vengeful mistress actually attacks (and supposedly inflicts enough pain to kill) one of Genji's younger lovers in her sleep. (More on this later.)

YOUR TASK:

1) Write a letter as if you were Genji to someone in your life that you wish to see while you are in exhile. Feel free to use any convention of communication, old or new. For example, you may want to write your letter on a scroll, or you may want to send it via text message.

Chapter XXII: Genji -- A Player or a Polygamist?

Although I've already alluded to this aspect of Genji in earlier posts, I think it's time to consider why Genji has so many lovers. Obviously, in today's world, no man of any rank in society would be allowed to have more than one wife. (That said, in places like India and Africa it is still somewhat common.)

Clearly, in today's world, it is not even acceptable for one man to have several girlfriends at the same time.

This, however, is one aspect of Genji that can not be avoided. Perhaps one should look into the historical setting to find reasons for why this was accepted, or necessary in the novel. First, the morality rate of children was extremely high in ancient Japan. Only one out of two children are said to have reached adulthood. Second, it was important for a person like Genji to build a legacy for himself, and have ample protegy to choose from, in order to maintain his high post in society. (As legacy often determined one's status.) Third, Heian society on a whole remained somewhat naive (as seen from a modern perspective) with regard to childbirth. Often it was believed that children were born through "immaculate conception."

YOUR TASK:

1) Compare Genji to Barack Obama. How do their families differ? How are they the same?

2) What expectations has their respective societies placed upon them that would cause them to behave in certain ways, particularly regarding their families?

3) Now think of Genji and Obama's families. What impact has society had on them, particularly in way they conduct themselves when they are in public? Are there more similarities than differences between these two clans?

4) EXTRA CREDIT: Do research on the current Imperial family of Japan. How are they similar to, or different from Genji and/or Obama?

Chapter XXI: Shakespeare, Politics and Genji

Getting back to the heart of the story, we go now to Chapter Ten. At this point, Genji is around 26 years old. He has already had affairs with 10 women (more on this in the next post), and is married to Aoi. There is even speculation that two or three of the young children now running around the Heian court are, in fact, Genji's.

At this point, there is a scandal. The current emperor suddenly dies, and through a strange series of events, the throne is left open and the governing mistress of Genji's enemies takes over. Fearing his safety, Genji leaves for a remote coastal sactuary. Genji's enemies ban him from the court, seemingly forever.

At this point, the story leaves romance behind and takes on large Shakespearean overtones, as one king plots to overthrow another king; people are removed from power; people are forced out of courts and go into exile, etc.

Interestingly enough, I've thought a lot about politics and Japan on this trip, as the country is currently in a major election, which will be held on August 30th. (Obviously as a non-resident I can't participate directly in any of the activities, including taking handouts from people on the street. That doesn't, however, stop these fervent activists from approaching me, or piping their thoughts to me from loudspeakers in cars or on street corners. . . . I mean, these people take their job SERIOUSLY!)

YOUR TASK:

1) Think about politics. Where are some of the places you see politics directly? Where do you see them indirectly?

2) Interestingly, the overt politics in Genji seem to take place among the men, and the indirect, more discreet politics seem to take place among the women. Is this the way things are in real life? Or are they changing? (Think of Hillary Clinton and Sara Palin in America, for example.)

3) What do politics do to human relations? Is there a reason why Shakespeare included so many politics in his plays? Is that one of the reasons why his stories, as well as Genji, seem to be "timeless?"

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Just a reminder . . . You can access more of my photos from , a fancy photo sharing thing.