Another perspective is the patriarchal view that Murasaki was merely following the literary trends of the day, which made it possible for women to author their own books in a literary context. The Japanese respect for Chinese literature and writing traditions were said to be part of a patriarchal trend in writing during the Heian Period. For instance, Keene’s (1955) historical argument for Murasaki’s authorship is defined within the context of patriarchal Japanese and Chinese traditions: “One of the unusual features of Heian literature is that such works as
The Tale of the Genji”, most of the diaries, and much of the poetry were written by women. The usual explanation for this curious fact is that the men considered writing in Japanese beneath them and devoted themselves to the occupation of poetry and prose in Chinese, leaving the women to write masterpieces in the native language (Keene 23).
This historical perspective defines a patriarchal view of the role of women as “native writers” that were …show more content…
In this case, the framework of the Tale of the Genji was said to have been based on the Chronicles of Japan, which Murasaki used as a premise for own novel: “The Chronicles of Japan were completed as late as the first decades of the eighth century” (De Bary 627). In this context, the authorship of the Tale of the Genji appears to reject the sweeping assumptions about the Chinese patriarchal values of male nobility in the Heian Court. This would mean that Murasaki had access to The Chronicles of Japan, which would have been written within the context of Chinese writing traditions of the 8th century. Murasaki’s own dairy defines the partial rejection of Keene’s (1955) view of the dominance of patriarchal values in the writing style of Murasaki as a female
The Tale of the Genji”, most of the diaries, and much of the poetry were written by women. The usual explanation for this curious fact is that the men considered writing in Japanese beneath them and devoted themselves to the occupation of poetry and prose in Chinese, leaving the women to write masterpieces in the native language (Keene 23).
This historical perspective defines a patriarchal view of the role of women as “native writers” that were …show more content…
In this case, the framework of the Tale of the Genji was said to have been based on the Chronicles of Japan, which Murasaki used as a premise for own novel: “The Chronicles of Japan were completed as late as the first decades of the eighth century” (De Bary 627). In this context, the authorship of the Tale of the Genji appears to reject the sweeping assumptions about the Chinese patriarchal values of male nobility in the Heian Court. This would mean that Murasaki had access to The Chronicles of Japan, which would have been written within the context of Chinese writing traditions of the 8th century. Murasaki’s own dairy defines the partial rejection of Keene’s (1955) view of the dominance of patriarchal values in the writing style of Murasaki as a female