She Wasn't Waiting Around
By: Cagle, Valerie Barrios, New Moon, 1069238X, Jul/Aug2006, Vol. 13, Issue 6
Lady Murasaki's Novel Idea
Did you know that no one knows the name of the world's first novelist? That's because in Japan, 1,000 years ago, no one wrote down a girl's name at birth unless she was royalty. So no one knows the name of the woman who wrote The Tale of the Genji. Instead, people call her by her nickname, Lady Murasaki, or Murasaki Shikibu.
Lady Murasaki was born during the Heian era, a time of peace. Her father raised her, which was unusual. In Japan, a mother and father often had separate houses. The children lived in the mother's house. But Murasaki's mother had died when she was very young.
Murasaki was smart, and one time her father cried, "If only you had been born a boy!" Only upper class men could get an education. But when Murasaki's brother studied with his private tutor, Murasaki joined him. Her father pretended he didn't notice.
Poetry was important in Japan. Because the country was peaceful, people had free time to create. By the time Lady Murasaki was a young woman, she was a powerful poet. Maybe this was because she'd already experienced a lot. Besides losing her mother, she lost her husband to plague after only a few years of marriage. The imperial family heard of Murasaki's talent, so they called her to court to be a lady-in-waiting--a woman who serves the empress.
In court life, people paid a lot of attention to the way others dressed. Lady Murasaki didn't have patience for things she thought weren't important, like fashion. Because she was more educated than Japanese women were supposed to be, she felt she didn't fit in. But she did grow dose to the empress. She even gave the empress lessons in classical Chinese. People thought it was unladylike for a woman to understand Chinese, so the lessons had to be a secret.
Around this time, Murasaki started writing a book about a prince named Genji. Because Genji was an illegitimate, second-born son, he would never become emperor. But he was brave and idealistic. He had many adventures and loved many people.
Lady Murasaki spent years working on The Tale of the Genji, which was 54 chapters long when finished. No one had ever written a book like this: a long story focused on one person, to be read for pleasure. Once people started reading it, they couldn't stop. People from all over Japan asked to read it. Ladies-in-waiting stole copies of the novel for themselves. Since the printing press hadn't been invented, people had to copy the story on long scrolls.
Lady Murasaki became famous. People wanted to know all about her. But she didn't like the attention. She wanted solitude and privacy. She left the imperial palace, and no one knows what she did next. Many people think she became a Buddhist nun, which she'd dreamed of doing.
Japan never lost its passion for The Tale of the Genji. Theater, poetry, stamps, comic books, museums, movies, parades, puppet shows, pop music and dance, and even shower gel continue to be themed on the story. Most importantly, The Tale of the Genji inspired people to write more novels. Next time you browse novels in the bookstore or library, thank Lady Murasaki.
IN MEDIEVAL JAPAN…
• Women blackened their teeth, often using a dye of iron and tea, to match their black hair.
• Women enjoyed great success as poets. Sometimes men wrote under women's names so people would read their poems!
• Chinese was the formal written language. The Tale of the Genji marks Japan's liberation from Chinese influence because Lady Murasaki wrote it in Japanese.
To learn more about Lady Murasaki and The Tale of the Genji, visit www.forgirlsandtheirdreams.org and click on "Links Girls Like"
"GENJI" IS JAPANESE FOR. "SHINING PRINCE." In The Tale of the Genji, Genji loves a woman named Lady Murasaki. That's how the book's mysterious author got her nickname.
Lady Murasaki's Novel Idea
Did you know that no one knows the name of the world's first novelist? That's because in Japan, 1,000 years ago, no one wrote down a girl's name at birth unless she was royalty. So no one knows the name of the woman who wrote The Tale of the Genji. Instead, people call her by her nickname, Lady Murasaki, or Murasaki Shikibu.
Lady Murasaki was born during the Heian era, a time of peace. Her father raised her, which was unusual. In Japan, a mother and father often had separate houses. The children lived in the mother's house. But Murasaki's mother had died when she was very young.
Murasaki was smart, and one time her father cried, "If only you had been born a boy!" Only upper class men could get an education. But when Murasaki's brother studied with his private tutor, Murasaki joined him. Her father pretended he didn't notice.
Poetry was important in Japan. Because the country was peaceful, people had free time to create. By the time Lady Murasaki was a young woman, she was a powerful poet. Maybe this was because she'd already experienced a lot. Besides losing her mother, she lost her husband to plague after only a few years of marriage. The imperial family heard of Murasaki's talent, so they called her to court to be a lady-in-waiting--a woman who serves the empress.
In court life, people paid a lot of attention to the way others dressed. Lady Murasaki didn't have patience for things she thought weren't important, like fashion. Because she was more educated than Japanese women were supposed to be, she felt she didn't fit in. But she did grow dose to the empress. She even gave the empress lessons in classical Chinese. People thought it was unladylike for a woman to understand Chinese, so the lessons had to be a secret.
Around this time, Murasaki started writing a book about a prince named Genji. Because Genji was an illegitimate, second-born son, he would never become emperor. But he was brave and idealistic. He had many adventures and loved many people.
Lady Murasaki spent years working on The Tale of the Genji, which was 54 chapters long when finished. No one had ever written a book like this: a long story focused on one person, to be read for pleasure. Once people started reading it, they couldn't stop. People from all over Japan asked to read it. Ladies-in-waiting stole copies of the novel for themselves. Since the printing press hadn't been invented, people had to copy the story on long scrolls.
Lady Murasaki became famous. People wanted to know all about her. But she didn't like the attention. She wanted solitude and privacy. She left the imperial palace, and no one knows what she did next. Many people think she became a Buddhist nun, which she'd dreamed of doing.
Japan never lost its passion for The Tale of the Genji. Theater, poetry, stamps, comic books, museums, movies, parades, puppet shows, pop music and dance, and even shower gel continue to be themed on the story. Most importantly, The Tale of the Genji inspired people to write more novels. Next time you browse novels in the bookstore or library, thank Lady Murasaki.
IN MEDIEVAL JAPAN…
• Women blackened their teeth, often using a dye of iron and tea, to match their black hair.
• Women enjoyed great success as poets. Sometimes men wrote under women's names so people would read their poems!
• Chinese was the formal written language. The Tale of the Genji marks Japan's liberation from Chinese influence because Lady Murasaki wrote it in Japanese.
To learn more about Lady Murasaki and The Tale of the Genji, visit www.forgirlsandtheirdreams.org and click on "Links Girls Like"
"GENJI" IS JAPANESE FOR. "SHINING PRINCE." In The Tale of the Genji, Genji loves a woman named Lady Murasaki. That's how the book's mysterious author got her nickname.
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