The Tale of Genji

Name: The Tale of Genji
Author: Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu · c. 1010

The first novel ever written: a court lady's account of the shining prince Genji, his loves, his exiles, and the generation that inherits his absences. Written at the Heian court around 1010, it invented psychological fiction from nothing, with no model to follow. A thousand years of novels descend from this book, and its melancholy sense that beauty and loss arrive together has never been improved on.

The case against

on the character titles
“I find it frustratingly impossible to keep track of them and their relationships”
a book blog
on the Washburn translation
“a much longer, duller work that I found a chore to read at times”
a book blog
on the length
“the length of the work, the reoccurrence of many of the same plot elements”
a book blog
on the character list
“by checking back to my edition’s list of principals quite regularly.”
a book blog