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Kurtis Gustin
Hist 370
Comparing and contrasting pre-modern Asian literature
The lives of the elite and the aristocrats of pre- 1200 China and Japan share some commonalties also while possessing unique differences. The aspects of the lifestyle enjoyed by these two groups of people are forever immortalized in two novels that, while are fiction, give insight into what life was like back then. The two books in question are firstly, Dream of the red chamber and The tale of Genji. These two books will be examined for the purposes of comparing and contrasting aristocratic life in pre-modern China and Japan. Scholars have recognized the value of these two texts. Both of them were written by contemporaries and both are believed to have been writing biographies chronicling their own families under the guise of a fictional narrative.
The Tale of Genji is the story that follows an individual, Genji, as he rises falls and rises again in the court and …show more content…
The rest of the novel is filled with Genji’s many love interests and make up the core of the subject matter. Throughout the novel Genji takes on many wives and even has several extramarital affairs which eventually leads to trouble. Near the middle of the book a rival family takes control of the court due to Genji’s father dying. The other family is not as sympathetic to Genji as his father was. When Genji is caught having an affair he is banished from the court and leaves the city. Naturally Genji takes on another wife while banished and has a daughter. Eventually, due to the mother of the emperor nearing death, she convinces the current emperor to pardon Genji. Because of this Genji is allowed to come back to court. The book ends with Genji preparing to move on and remove himself from the drama of court life. However, it does mention that he intends to educate his children and make sure they have an avenue towards
Kurtis Gustin
Hist 370
Comparing and contrasting pre-modern Asian literature
The lives of the elite and the aristocrats of pre- 1200 China and Japan share some commonalties also while possessing unique differences. The aspects of the lifestyle enjoyed by these two groups of people are forever immortalized in two novels that, while are fiction, give insight into what life was like back then. The two books in question are firstly, Dream of the red chamber and The tale of Genji. These two books will be examined for the purposes of comparing and contrasting aristocratic life in pre-modern China and Japan. Scholars have recognized the value of these two texts. Both of them were written by contemporaries and both are believed to have been writing biographies chronicling their own families under the guise of a fictional narrative.
The Tale of Genji is the story that follows an individual, Genji, as he rises falls and rises again in the court and …show more content…
The rest of the novel is filled with Genji’s many love interests and make up the core of the subject matter. Throughout the novel Genji takes on many wives and even has several extramarital affairs which eventually leads to trouble. Near the middle of the book a rival family takes control of the court due to Genji’s father dying. The other family is not as sympathetic to Genji as his father was. When Genji is caught having an affair he is banished from the court and leaves the city. Naturally Genji takes on another wife while banished and has a daughter. Eventually, due to the mother of the emperor nearing death, she convinces the current emperor to pardon Genji. Because of this Genji is allowed to come back to court. The book ends with Genji preparing to move on and remove himself from the drama of court life. However, it does mention that he intends to educate his children and make sure they have an avenue towards