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<p class="MsoNormal">A work of art that needs to be preserved, perhaps one of the most important works of art in history, is the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu in roughly <span> </span>1010 A.D.E. and considered to be the world’s first novel (Emmont).<span>  </span></p>
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[caption id="attachment_3362" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/uji_river_1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3362" alt="http://www.taleofgenji.org/images/uji_river_1.jpg" src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/uji_river_1-300x199.jpg" width="300" height="199" /></a> http://www.taleofgenji.org/images/uji_river_1.jpg[/caption]
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>                </span>The Tale of Genji was written in the Heian period of classical Japan, and is considered to be heavily inspired by the culture of the Imperial Court, which was responsible for much of the art at the time (Britannica).<span>  </span>In the Heian period, the royal family was essentially a series of puppet ruler of the Fujiwara family who gained control by marrying into the royal line (Britannica).<span>   </span>As such, the Imperial Family, not needing to focus so much on matters of state, instead focused on art, ritual, and other forms of entertainment.<span>  </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>                </span>The focus of the Tale of Genji was on the various carnal exploits of the titular character and the drama of the Imperial Court, as Prince Genji was both a womanizer and the son of the Emperor and a concubine.<span>  </span>The entire first part of the story is Genji having a series of affairs as he is both unhappy with his wife and harboring a desire for the emperor’s new wife; his step-mother.<span>  </span>This also leads him to kidnap a young girl given the name Murasaki (same as the author) and tries to make her into some kind of copy of the emperor’s wife.<span>  </span>Throughout the rest of the story, the focus is on Genji sleeping around, the Court’s reactions to it (ranging from amused to shocked) and also the various examples of court decadence.<span>   </span>This continues after Genji dies, with the conflict between Genji’s descendants who largely fight over who they want to marry (Emmont).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>                </span>This novel is similar to the Pillow Book of the same era, written by Sei Shonagon around the year 1000 (Britannica).<span>  </span>However, this wasn’t a novel, so much as a diary.<span>  </span>It also wasn’t dramatized; it was simply a series of observations of court life.<span>  </span>It can be argued that The Tale of Genji was inspired by the Pillow Book, though that could simply be caused by the fact that they were essentially about the same thing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>                </span>While the novel is dramatic and romantic, it also seems to have hints of the author’s disapproval of the aristocrat’s lifestyle, as Genji dies wondering about how pointless life is and how little joy he really derived from his exploits (Reese).<span>  </span>The book was well received in its time, which makes sense as it was filled with the romance and intrigue that its audience seemed to love (Reese).<span>  </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>                </span>This is a book that needs to be preserved, for it is not only the first novel, but also the first novel written by a woman, an important insight into the culture of an important period in Japan, and also a great example of romance, drama, philosophy, and adventure.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center" align="center">Bibliography</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Emmott, Craig. "The Tale of Genji." The Tale of Genji. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2013.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The website that gave me information on the novel.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Pillow Book (work by Sei Shonagon)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Article on a comparative work in the same period.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Heian Period (Japanese History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Article on the Heian Period, the period of time that the work was written in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reese, Carolyn J. "Murasaki Shikibu." Female Hero: (Women in World History Curriculum). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Article about the author.</p>