xii ABSTRACT
PRABANDARI, YUNITA. The Reflection of the Concept of Marriage of Heian Japanese Aristocracy Revealed in Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji Translated by Arthur Waley. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu is a story about the life of Hikaru Genji. The novel brings some issues about the culture of Heian Japanese aristocracy. The Tale of Genji is known as one of the few Japanese texts that (in the modern period) have had a global reach and it is also coming to be recognized as perhaps the world first novel. By that the writer wants to enrich the list of the literature which is used as the object of undergraduate thesis of English Letters Study Program.
The purpose of this research is to find the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy which is reflected in the novel. The first objective is to reveal and describe some important characters which are the most important element that have direct relation with the issue. The second objective is to describe the
aristocratic society’s life that exists in the story. The last objective is to show the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy by relating the concept of marriage with the description of the characters and the society.
xiii ABSTRAK
PRABANDARI, YUNITA. The Reflection of the Concept of Marriage of
Heian Japanese Aristocracy Revealed in Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji Translated by Arthur Waley. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.
The Tale of Genji yang ditulis oleh Murasaki Shikibu adalah sebuah cerita mengenai kehidupan Hikaru Genji. Novel tersebut mengangkat beberapa hal mengenai kebudayaan aristokrasi Jepang di Era Heian. The Tale of Genji dikenal sebagai salah satu dari beberapa teks berbahasa Jepang yang (di periode modern) memiliki cakupan luas dan mulai diakui sebagai kemungkinan novel pertama di dunia. Karenanya penulis ingin memperkaya daftar literature yang digunakan sebagai objek skripsi di Program Studi Sastra Inggris.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan konsep pernikahan aristokrasi Jepang di Era Heian yang tercerminkan di dalam novel. Sasaran yang pertama adalah untuk mengungkap dan mendeskripsikan beberapa tokoh penting yang merupakan elemen terpenting yang memiliki hubungan langsung dengan persoalan terkait. Sasaran yang kedua adalah untuk mendeskripsikan kehidupan social aristocrat yang ada di dalam cerita. Sasaran terakhir adalah untuk menunjukkan konsep pernikahan aristokrasi Jepang di Era Heian dengan cara menghubungkan konsep pernikahan dengan deskripsi dari beberapa tokoh dan masyarakat.
Penulis menggunakan penelitian pustaka untuk studi ini. Sumber utamanya adalah novel The Tale of Genji karangan Murasaki Shikibu yang doterjemahkan oleh Arthur Waley. Sumber data yang lain diambil dari bermacam-macam sumber yang mendukung analisa dengan cara mempertimbangkan keterkaitan dan kesesuaiannya.
THE REFLECTION OF THE CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE OF HEIAN JAPANESE ARISTOCRACY REVEALED IN MURASAKI SHIKIBU’S
THE TALE OF GENJI
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
YUNITA PRABANDARI
Student Number: 084214081
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE REFLECTION OF THE CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE OF HEIAN JAPANESE ARISTOCRACY REVEALED IN MURASAKI SHIKIBU’S
THE TALE OF GENJI
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
YUNITA PRABANDARI
Student Number: 084214081
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Yunita Prabandari Nomor Mahasiswa : 084214081
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
THE REFLECTION OF THE CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE OF HEIAN JAPANESE ARISTOCRACY REVEALED IN MURASAKI SHIKIBU’S
THE TALE OF GENJI
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 31 Juli 2015
vii
There is no such a thing as coincidence in
this world, There only is
necessity
.
~Ichihara Yuuko, XXXHolic~
Sometimes indeed a woman should even
pretend to know less than she knows, or say only
a part of
what she would like to say…
~Uma no Kami, The Tale of Genji~
No feeling will come across to others if you don’t
put them into
words
.
viii
For
My Savior, Jesus Christ
My Parents
My Lovely Younger Sister
My Family
My Beloved Best friends
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I thank my Saviour, Jesus Christ who gives His guidance and
strengthen me to finish this undergraduate thesis. I also thank to my advisor, Elisa
Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum. for being patient to guide and help me during my
thesis writing process. I would like to thank her for her support and suggestions to
improve and make my thesis better. I thank my co-advisor, Ni Luh Putu
Rosiandani, S.S.,M. Hum. for her guidance to fix any weakneses and improve my
thesis to be better. I would also thank all of the lecturers and staff of English
Letters Department at Sanata Dharma University. I thank them for their support
during my study.
Then, I thank my beloved and wonderful parents, Aprijanto Warsito and
Danny Aryatun, for their everlasting love and support during my study and in my
life. I would also thank my lovely younger sister Silvia Putri Antonia who always
helps me and cheers me up all the time, and my big family for their love and
support during my thesis writing process.
I thank all my friends in English Letters Department, for being best
friends, best family and great supporter in my thesis writing process.
I would also thank my Best Friends Forever, Monica Bendatu, Julian
Trlidanti, Hanna Maria, Ika Fitri Purnamasari, Hijikata Toshiba, who always
suport me and help me in many way during my writing process. I also thank them
for their love and also for letting me be a part of their wonderful life.
xi
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS………. 27
A. The Description about The Characters and Their Marriages………..………. 27
1. The Description of the Emperor’s Character in Correlation to his Marriage ……….... 28
2. The Description of Genji's Character and Marriages' in Relation to their Marriage Life……... 33
B. The Reflection of The Aristocratic Social Life in Heian era Through The Setting of The Novel………. 39
C. The Reflection of the Concept of Heian Japanese Aristocratic Marriage Presented Through the Characters’ Marriages and the Setting in the Novel……… 47
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION……… 53
BIBLIOGRAPHY………. 56
APPENDIX... 57
xii ABSTRACT
PRABANDARI, YUNITA. The Reflection of the Concept of Marriage of Heian Japanese Aristocracy Revealed in Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji Translated by Arthur Waley. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu is a story about the life of Hikaru Genji. The novel brings some issues about the culture of Heian Japanese aristocracy. The Tale of Genji is known as one of the few Japanese texts that (in the modern period) have had a global reach and it is also coming to be recognized as perhaps the world first novel. By that the writer wants to enrich the list of the literature which is used as the object of undergraduate thesis of English Letters Study Program.
The purpose of this research is to find the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy which is reflected in the novel. The first objective is to reveal and describe some important characters which are the most important element that have direct relation with the issue. The second objective is to describe the
aristocratic society’s life that exists in the story. The last objective is to show the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy by relating the concept of marriage with the description of the characters and the society.
xiii ABSTRAK
PRABANDARI, YUNITA. The Reflection of the Concept of Marriage of Heian Japanese Aristocracy Revealed in Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji Translated by Arthur Waley. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.
The Tale of Genji yang ditulis oleh Murasaki Shikibu adalah sebuah cerita mengenai kehidupan Hikaru Genji. Novel tersebut mengangkat beberapa hal mengenai kebudayaan aristokrasi Jepang di Era Heian. The Tale of Genji dikenal sebagai salah satu dari beberapa teks berbahasa Jepang yang (di periode modern) memiliki cakupan luas dan mulai diakui sebagai kemungkinan novel pertama di dunia. Karenanya penulis ingin memperkaya daftar literature yang digunakan sebagai objek skripsi di Program Studi Sastra Inggris.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan konsep pernikahan aristokrasi Jepang di Era Heian yang tercerminkan di dalam novel. Sasaran yang pertama adalah untuk mengungkap dan mendeskripsikan beberapa tokoh penting yang merupakan elemen terpenting yang memiliki hubungan langsung dengan persoalan terkait. Sasaran yang kedua adalah untuk mendeskripsikan kehidupan social aristocrat yang ada di dalam cerita. Sasaran terakhir adalah untuk menunjukkan konsep pernikahan aristokrasi Jepang di Era Heian dengan cara menghubungkan konsep pernikahan dengan deskripsi dari beberapa tokoh dan masyarakat.
Penulis menggunakan penelitian pustaka untuk studi ini. Sumber utamanya adalah novel The Tale of Genji karangan Murasaki Shikibu yang doterjemahkan oleh Arthur Waley. Sumber data yang lain diambil dari bermacam-macam sumber yang mendukung analisa dengan cara mempertimbangkan keterkaitan dan kesesuaiannya.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
There are so many ways of communication used by people in order to
convey or express their feelings, and imagination, through a process of creativity.
Everything that people have seen, heard, felt, or sensed, as an input is processed in
the brain through the process of creativity that is combined with imagination
which result in an output that can be seen in many different things such as a
drawing, music, visualization, a poem, short story, novel, or another artistic
product. That will be enjoyed by other people. Some of those artistic products are
categorized as literary work.
Literary works are also ways of communication. The authors use it to
convey their thoughts, feeling and even their imagination. The literary work
involves poem, short story, novel, play‟s script, and some others written artistic
products. According to a book, A Handbook of Critical Approaches to literature, written by Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and
John R. Willinghan, in order to know the literary work deeper, there are four
elements, which are important in understanding literature, i.e. the work, the artist,
the universe (the world), the audience and itself.
signify, or reflect something which either is, or bears some relation to, an
objective state of affairs. …but let us the more neutral and comprehensive
term, universe, instead. For the final element we have audience: the listeners, spectators, or readers to whom the work is addressed, or to whose attention, at any rate, it becomes available. (Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, and Willinghan, 2011: 6)
According to the quotation above, in order to know the literary work
deeper, there are four elements, which are important in seeing literature, the first
is the universe (the world), second is the artist, third is the audience and the last is
the work itself. The quotation above also give a brief explanation about the
relation between the elements which can be seen through the work as an
expression of the author, the work as the object related to the audience to whom
the work is addressed, or the work as an artistic product that imitate or reflect the
universe or the world.
One of some theories which the main focus is in the relationship between a
literary work and the universe is Mimetic Theory, mentioned in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to literature, “The mimetic orientation – the explanation of
art as essentially an imitation of aspects of the universe.” (Guerin, Labor, Morgan,
Reesman, and Willinghan, 2011: 6). Using mimetic theory‟s point of view, a work of literature may bring some issues that happen in the place where the author is
living. It also can be a reflection of a certain culture that either the author
acknowledges or knows well. That is why some people always say that by reading
literary books, one can learn many things about the world. A critical thought from
a reader, who wants to believe that the work brings issues of the world, leads them
to relate between the work and the history of the issue. Then, the reader will find
Even though a work is a fiction, it is said that the work might bring certain
issue when it has the same or similar characteristic with a certain historical fact. It
is strengthened through the sufficient proof of an analysis in relation with the
author‟s life. It happens to Lady Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji translated
by Arthur Waley, which is used in this research.
Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji also brings some issues about
Japanese culture of Heian Japanese aristocracy. The idea to do this research is
triggered by Ivan Morris‟s statement in his book The World of the Shining Prince;
he said that “During their time the remote city of Heian Kyō was the most
flourishing cultural center in the world next to the Chinese capital” (Morris, 1964:
4). Even though it is said as the most flourishing culture center in the world, but
almost every important aspect in its culture is borrowed from abroad, in that time.
In Heian period, the abroad culture that mostly borrowed is Chinese culture
especially in its literature are more or less directly borrowed.
Some researchers believe that this novel brings the concept of culture of
ancient Japan. Like what William J. Puette‟s said, “Yet in the Heian period
portrayed in The Tale of Genji, these Chinese systems and beliefs, having been digested, were in the process of essential modification to accommodate native
Japanese sensibilities.” (Puette, 1983: 26). It was done in a consideration related
to the Japanese history and a little from the history of the author‟s life, the one
who create the novel based on her imagination and knowledge. There is also a
statement from another writer that leads the writer of this research to carry on the
THE HISTORY of the reception of The Tale of Genji is no less than a culture history of Japan, for the simple reason that the Genji has had a profound impact at various levels of culture in every historical period since its composition, including the twenty-first century, producing what is
called “Genji culture.” Most major text enjoy a certain popularity in a
particular period among a specific community of readers, but, remarkably
The Tale of Genji has become many things to many different audiences through many different media over a thousand years, a position unmatched by any other Japanese text or artifact. It is also one of the few Japanese text that, in the modern period, has had a global reach, coming to be recognized as part of world literature, earning acclaim as perhaps the world first novel,... (Shirane, 2008: 1)
Haruo Shirane, in his book Envisioning The Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, & Cultural Production, mentioned that The Tale of Genji is one of the few Japanese text that yet has had a global reach and being recognized as part of world
literature. By that statement the writer‟s encouraged to bring out the topic of this
research as her undergraduate thesis. The writer wants to enrich the list of the
literature which is used as the undergraduate thesis.
To strengthen the idea that the novel brings the concept of culture of
ancient Japan, a statement by George Sansom is also quoted. He says, “It is safe to say that Chinese thought contributed in Japan more to the organization of society
than to the spiritual development of the individual” (Sansom, 1979: 98). Due to
the similarities between what are portrayed in the novel and the history, then it is
true that this novel brings some concept of culture of ancient Japan. One of many
cultural aspects which are brought up in the novel is its concept of marriage.
Generally marriage is known as an institution that legalized man and
woman relationship, but deep in the society, it grows to be something more than
that. Some aspects in the society, such as its politic, economy, morality,
influencing the concept of marriage. The term which is applied in marriage is both
on ceremonial event and legal contract which might be changed in its purpose,
meaning or its rule. The changing depends on the society because marriage and all
of its terms is one of many cultures that produced and agreed by society.
The concept of marriage itself has existed since the ancient time in some
societies. Each region has its own rules and ways about marriage. For example,
ancient Hebrew law dictated that if a married man dies, his brother is to become
the widow‟s husband, though the main purpose is positively to take care about the
woman. While in ancient Egypt, women could have the equal rights in marriage,
even though this was not always practiced. ancient Japan also has its own concept
of marriage which occurred in its Heian era. It is mentioned in George Sansom
book, A History of Japan,
As a rule the Fujiwara achieved their ends not by violence but by the relentless use of political pressure, which they were able to apply because of their matrimonial relations with the throne or by means of their great wealth and consequent influence in the provinces, where their estates multiplied rapidly. (Sansom, 1979: 139)
Marriage can be beneficial for some organizations, group of people, institutions,
or clan in order to deal with the legal point of law such as inheritance rights.
Sometime the concept of marriage implies a purpose such as political business
where women likely treated as a commodity or possession. This is the moment
when „marriage politics‟ happen in order to get a good sponsor to support the
political power. The concept of marriage is different from generation to
Japan, especially its ancient aristocrat‟s families also has its own way of
concept of marriage. It becomes unique because of cultural aspects which was
borrowed from abroad, makes Heian period different from other Japanese periods.
Invariably their faces are white and plum, their eyes long, almost closed, slits, from which we can gather no expression, their nose a tiny conventional hook and their mouth a delicate little circle; of their figures we see nothing at all, since they are swathed in voluminous robes. This is
how painters of the twelfth century imagined the women of Murasaki‟s
time; their pictures represent the ideal of Heian feminine beauty which
itself was greatly influenced by that of T‟ang China.” (Morris, 1964: 201-202)
It has unique point of view about beauty and its perspective in approaching
woman that get strong influence from Chinese culture.In that era, Chinese culture
affects the aristocrat society with its way of life and literature. One of many great
literary works in the world was produced in Heian era. The title of the literary
work is Genji Monogatari written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu which is also known as The Tale of Genji.
The reason why the writer does this research is because the way people to
get a better life in Heian era is through a marriage. “It is no surprise, then, to see
the tremendous concern in the novel with marital alliances, for practically the only
way of climbing the Heian social ladder was by securing a good match for one‟s
offspring.” (Puette, 1983: 28) meaning to say, people of that era are fully aware of „marriage politics‟ which can bring them into a better future. In order to get a
good sponsor for their family, they should prepare their daughter to be a good
woman so that she might be chosen by a high rank nobleman or even an imperial
one to be wife. Here in this research, the ancient literature, The Tale of Genji
occur in that time as it is reflected in the novel. This literature is the right one to
reveal the concept of marriage of the ancient Heian Japanese aristocrat. Through
the characters love stories and their marriages which are highlighted in the novel,
the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocrat can be revealed in detail.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the idea that is described in the background, to do the research,
here are the problems formulations:
1. How are the characters and their marriages described in the story?
2. How is the aristocratic social life in Heian era reflected through the setting
of the novel?
3. How is the concept of Heian Japanese aristocratic marriage presented
through the characters‟ marriages and the setting in the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
From the statement above, the purpose of this research is to find the
answer of the topic that asking about Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji
that it is bringing the world issue about the concept of marriage of Heian
Japanese aristocracy. To answer the topic, it will go through some elements
that will give some details to reach to the answer.
Based on the problems formulated, there are three objectives in this
research. The first objective is to work on the topic by revealing and
describing some important characters‟ life and their marriage. The writer decides to use the characters in the novel to find out the concept of marriage
important intrinsic element in a literature that has a direct relation with the
issues or problems happening in the story. It is because the characters are the
ones who experience and dealing with all of the issues and moments in the
story. That is why the writer describes and reveals the characters as one of the
objective in this research. It is done to help the writer to give proof and
elaborate explanation about the concept of marriage which exists in the novel.
The second objective is to describe the aristocratic society‟s life that
exists in the story. This objective also becomes an important element that has
strong influence in revealing the topic. As mentioned in the title, the decided
topic about marriage of Japanese aristocracy is set in a certain Japanese
period called Heian period. Since the characters are living in society and
environment (the setting) of the story, it can give some details to explain the
topic. In this case, society is the one that build and bring the culture for its
entire population. That is why the society becomes the second objective to
work on.
Finally, the last objective is to show the concept of marriage of Heian
Japanese aristocracy. By relating the concept of marriage with the description
of the characters and the society, the writer wants to reveal the concept of
marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy that exist in the novel, and how is the
issue of the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy brought in the
D. Definition of Terms
Heian
Heian era according to Damien Keown in A Dictionary of Buddhism is a period of Japanese history that takes its name from its time when the capital was
located in the city of Heian-kyo (Kyoto) from 794 until 1185. Ivan Moris, in his
book The World of the Shining Prince said that “In 794 the year of the second move, an imperial edict announced that the new capital would be called Heian
Kyō, the city of peace and tranquility” (Morris, 1964: 2). This Japanese period is
known for its culture especially for its literature. Ivan Morris stated, “During their
time the remote city of Heian Kyō was the most flourishing cultural centre in the world next to the Chinese capital” (Morris, 1964: 4). In this period, to have high
intelligence is when a person is able to make at least a mere imitation of Chinese
literature such as its poetry and prose. Morris also said that “No man could count
himself cultured unless he had what corresponded to a „classical education‟ that is
to say, was familiar with Chinese literature and able to produce passable
imitations of Chinese poetry and prose” (Morris, 1964: 10). Heian era is an era where the people especially its aristocrat were in great affection of Chinese
culture. It happens because of the Emperor admiration of Chinese culture
especially its literature, so that he manages all people in the court to be affected to
it.
In this era of Japan, its history related to the marriage issue is mostly
described through the history of Fujiwara Family/ clan , who have a strong
It is not easy to account fully for the success of this family. It is true that they held a position of great advantage in that their daughters regularly married into the imperial family, and as a rule a Regent was uncle or father-in-law or grandfather to the occupant of the throne, or father of the sovereign's second consort or favourite. Yet they (or many of them) appear not to have been moved solely by vain personal ambition, but to have truly wished to guide the monarchy in the interest of the state. (Sansom, 1979: 142)
It is described by Sansom, in his historical study of Japan that the Fujiwara
family has the strongest influence on the Court. Their successful penetration into
the court is due to their cleverness in making links with the imperial family by
marriages. The Fujiwara family try to reach the highest position, so that they can
get more advantages and maintain their political influence in the court.
Eventhough they try to manage an absolute influence, it is described that the clan
do not want to take over the throne or conquer it. Their only intention is to help
and give a fullest guidance to the monarchy to have a powerful control of the land,
and to reach their goal, they have to get the nearest position to the throne. The
11
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
As far as the writer‟s knowledge, there is one research that already done
by Monica Imanuela Bendatu which is using The Tale of Genji as its subject
(found in the list of Undergraduate thesis title of English letters). The topic is
about The Representation of Women’s Life in Heian Era Through the
Characterization of Murasaki no Ue in Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji.
Here the writer also uses the same novel written by Murasaki Shikibu and find a
different topic that can be researched. Some references will be needed to do the
research, and here are some references that the writer is used to conduct the
research.
1. Masterpiece of World Literature
The kind of relationship between woman and man depends on every aspect
that exists around them. The relationship between man and woman can be
different according to its setting, the place and the time where they live in. It might happen because each country and each era has its own culture and concept
of morality, ethics, and social behavior which differ from one another. Another
element in the society that takes an important role which gives limitation to man
and woman relationship is social status.According to Frank N. Magill:
The first section treats Genji, “The Shining One,” as a child and as a
young man, idealistic but often unwise, learning the art of courtship and love. It also introduces Murasaki (Who is certainly not the author, unless
wife. Her character, thus, is tentatively sketched. In the other part of the book, she learns about the romantic and political intrigues of court life, becomes sophisticated in practicing in her own wiles, and finally – in the
section titled “Blue Trousers” – dies of lingering, wasting disease. The early Tale of Genji, however, treats the hero and heroine as youthful, hopeful, and inexperienced, before they fully understand how to play the cynical games of love and dissembling. (Magill, 1817: 836)
According the review, the Japanese aristocrats described in The Tale of Genji shows some indication of patriarchal system, political issue and also marital life. The concept of patriarchal shown by the society in the novel that the man is
the one who should decide for his family. The political life also appeared in the
story and it is shown in the „marriage politic‟ that they use to conduct their
political power. The story focuses on its court life with the aristocrat‟s politic
affair. Besides that, it is also mostly telling the reader about the imperial love
affair and the way the imperial descendant lives their life and grows in the court
life.
2. The World of the Shining Prince
Another study that also uses Lady Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji as
its object is The World of the Shining Prince by Ivan Morris. Morris give the
reader a glimpse of court life in ancient Japan uses Lady Murasaki‟s masterpiece.
In his book, he stated:
During most of the early period the imperial family had been merely
primus inter pares, one of the many powerful septs that held sway in different parts of the island. The movement about centralization, which culminated in the Great Reform of the seventh century, aimed at putting an end to clan rivalry and creating a centralized bureaucratic state on the Chinese model. (Morris, 1964: 41)
Morris thought that if it is set that way; then the emperor might have the
clan leader that could be the emperor‟s rival in strength. In his book, Morris gives
the reader a labour explanation about the history of ancient Japan. He found that
the literature that was produced in that time is reflecting the history of ancient
Japan, through Genji Monogatari or translated as The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu. Besides of Heian politic in the court, Morris also gives a shot
for some descriptions on the court marriage that is also highlighted in the story.
The prevalence of marriage politics specifically strengthened the position of the principal wife, but indirectly it increased the prestige of women in
general. The „good people‟ made themselves still better by arranging
advantageous marriages for their daughters, if possible to an emperor or imperial prince. Even a girl of humble provincial parentage might enter into a relationship with a man of the highest rank. (Morris, 1964:207)
In his book, The World of the Shining Prince, Morris describes that marriage is not merely an institute that only joining man and woman to be one and
make a family but it could be something else that helps another aspect to develop.
In its case, marriage helps the political aspect of the society. Through marriage,
aristocrats in that time could gain some backup power for their position in court.
Even the lower rank people of the court also could gain a strong sponsor through
the marriage of their daughter with an imperial family or even an emperor. In this
part, the ancient Japan that Morris talk about is in its Heian period where the
novel The Tale of Genji takes it also as its setting. 3. Guide to the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
There is also a study on Lady Murasaki Shikibu‟s novel The Tale of Genji
Japan Era as the setting, a brief biography of Murasaki shikibu as the author of the
novel, and also a brief guidance for reader of both version of the translation of the
novel by Arthur Waley and Edward Seidensticker. The second part, presents
detailed chapter of The Tale of Genji with commentaries of each chapter from chapter 1 to 9, and gives summaries of chapter 10 to 54. The third part, Puette
present some notes on the structure of the novel. In this part he also gives some
critical questions for the reader who wants to do a further study on the novel.
In his book, he gives a brief guide of The Tale of Genji to the reader. This book presents some illustrations about the historical issue. He gives some
explanation about Heian Era which is used as the setting in Murasaki Shikibu‟s
novel,
Consequently, the world of The Tale of Genji is not really the world of Heian Japan at large; it is more accurately the refined world of the inner circle of the highest class in the land. (Puette, 1983: 25)
In an instant reading, a reader may mistake the social structure in the novel
as a whole representation of Heian Era in Japan. While in close reading, the reader
may find that it is not a whole representation of Heian Japan but only focus on its
aristocrat which Puette‟s mentioned as „the inner circle of the highest class in the
land‟, in the quotation above.
Those are some of related studies that the writer‟s used to conduct this
research. For the related studies picked by the writer, as can be seen, most of them
discussing about some important feature of the novel such as the setting, the plot,
and the characters of the novel. All of the related studies do provide a great deal of
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Abram said that “a character is the person presented in a dramatic or
narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral,
dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the
dialogue-and by what they do-the action” (Abram, 1993: 23). This is the most
suitable theori that can help the writer to extract some characters in the novel, in
order to reveal the concept of marriage.
The writer also use characterization theori from Barnet. The theori is about
the way to understand and find out the characteristics of the characters. It help the
writer to expose and bring out the proof of the concept of mariage of Heian
The readers or audience can learn the attitudes or behaviors of a character and they may guess how actually the author creates the characters.
c. what the other characters says about the character
A character interacts with other characters. They share their opinion and gives comments about the character. Such opinion and comments may reflect the characteristic of the character drawn.
(Barnet, 1988:712)
Barnet‟s theory gives the point in what part of a novel we can seek the description
about the character and its characterization. In a novel, reader will find the
characters description through some point that often used by the author. In order
to give the reader some detail about the story or the character in the novel, some
authors prefer to use both societies around the character and the character itself to
societies around the character to give an explanation about the characters in the
story. Just like Barnet‟s theory on Character and characterization mentioned
above, those are parts of the novel that can help the reader understand the
characteristics of the characters.
2. Theory of Setting
To analyze the concept of marriage in The Tale of Genji there is a theory needed to help the writer in giving a limitation for the explanation so that the
explanation will always focus on the topic decided. The main topic is the concept
of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy. From the topic it is obvious to see that
this topic needs to deal with a setting of a certain time and place. To deal with a
set of time and place, theory of setting can be the most proper theory to be used.
Because of that, the writer have to know about the detail of the setting of the
story, such as time and place where the story is set, the environment of the
society, the atmosphere, and others. According to Harmon and Holman:
Setting is the Background against which action take a place. The elements making up a setting are: (1) the geographical location, its topography, scenery, and such physical arrangements as the location of the windows and doors in a room; (2) the occupations and daily manner of living of the characters; (3) the time or period in which the action takes place, for example, epoch in history or season of the year; and (4) the general environment of the characters, for example, religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions. (Holman and Harmon, 1986:465)
Except the geographical location, its topography, and scenery, the rest of
those elements in the theory of setting are found in the novel and also influenced
the existing concept of marriage. Beside, It gives the writer a wide scope of
setting so that through the elements the writer can reveal the setting of the story.
Harmon and Holman‟s theory of setting is clearer because of the example that
were mentioned as the example for each of four element of setting which make it
clearer.
According to Barnet, setting is not just looking at the location of the story
but is mainly about the atmosphere and the background of time that exists in the
story. Like what Barnet said:
The setting or environment is not mere geography, not mere locale: It provides an atmosphere, an air that the characters breathe, a world which they move. Narrowly speaking, the setting is the physical surroundings – the furniture, the architecture, the landscape, the climate – and these often are highly appropriate to the characters who are associated with them. Broadly speaking, setting includes not only the physical surroundings but also a point (or several points) in time. (Barnet, 2005: 230)
Barnet gives detail scope to seek for the setting of the story through the
details of the things surround where the characters live. In Barnet‟s theory, some
entity around the characters can be the setting of the story. From the furniture, the
building‟s architecture, the landscape and also the climate that described in the
story, the reader can get some clues about when, where, and in what time the story
is set.
While according to Abrams, the overall setting of a narrative or dramatic
work is “the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its
action occurs; the setting of a single episode or scene within such a work is the
particular physical location in which it takes place” (Abram, 1981: 284). Those
are some theories that can help the writer reveal the answer of the problems
C. Review of Heian Era of Japan Histories
There is certain circumstance that gives specification to this research. It is
mentioned in one of the related studies above. The circumstance that gives
specific topic for the writer is the setting of the novel which refers to certain
period of time of Japan Nation. For that reason, a reference about its history is
needed to be presented in this research.
To help the explanations on the era of Japan that bounding the novel, the
writer uses a book titled as A History of Japan to 1334 which is written by George Sansom. In the book, he gives explanation about his historical study about the
growth of Japanese civilization chiefly in its political and social terms. He
provides the reader much information about the history of Japanese civilization,
from its early years to year 1334. The chapter in this book is organized, based on
the period of each era occurs in Japan.
Much information like the topographical of the Capital, the political
interest, the people who rule the land and the society of each era with its interest
of beauty and belief are well organized in each chapter. Not all of chapter consist
in the book are used to conduct the writer‟s research. The writer used only some
topic related to the research which explains about the history of Japan in Heian era
described in its sixth chapter. One of the major even brought out is about a clan
called The Fujiwara who built their clan bigger and wider by penetrating the court
with those people of Fujiwara clan. “The Fujiwara family continued to pursue its
policy of gaining political power by providing Fujiwara ladies as imperial consort
through political marriage which automatically conducting their clan to control
the flow of the court‟s politics.
D. Review on Marriage During Heian Era
During Heian era, there are some aspects that make this era looks like a
period that has unique culture. Part of the culture that is also influential in this
period, to be a unique one is its marriage. According to Ivan Morris, “courting and
marriage costumes differed according to the particular degree of relationship
(principal wife, concubine, etc.) it is nevertheless possible to formulate a general
pattern that had been adopted by the upper classes in Murasaki‟s time” (Morris,
1964: 214). The man in the court especially the descendant of the imperial family
can have more than one wife. When the court‟s aristocrat fall in love with a
woman from a low rank and her rank is not worthy enough to be an official wife,
then she will be placed as a concubine. Out of those statuses, man‟s relationship
with woman is counted as an affair that later in the analysis some of the
relationship will be seen as a part of a ceremonial even that shall be done far
before the marriage ceremonial even.
Related to flourishing literature in this era, a concept of marriage that
exists in this time gives some contribution in the literature development where
women‟s writing is dominant in some moment during Heian era. Like what
Morris stated:
The one that actually shall do the diary writing is the man. However due to
the situation that mentioned in the quotation above, women can fill their leisure
time to make a writing which in Japanese it is called as nikki, means diary.
E. Theoretical Framework
The writer will use the theory of character and characterization to analyze
the characteristic of some important characters in the story. The theory of
character and characterization will help the writer to answer the first problem
formulation. In order to see the concept of marriage exists in Heian era, the
description about the characters and its characteristics is needed. By using the
theory of character, the writer will understand the prevailing concept of marriage
through the characteristic and the characters‟ marriages in the novel. Both of them
will be faced to the conditions and terms that occur in the story. As a result of
facing those aspects, it brings out the concept of marriage which exists in the
novel.
Meanwhile, the theory of setting will help the writer to analyze what kind
of Heian era is and gives detail explanation which can reveal what, when, and
where the story is set. This theory can help the writer to answer the second
problem formulation about the marriage as the setting of the story. To strengthen
the proof that the concept in the story match with the concept of marriage that
exist in history.
In doing this research, first the writer will identify the characteristic of the
characters and their marriages in the story. Second, the writer will find out how
the help from the first and second descriptions, the writer will find out the concept
of marriage presented through the characters‟ marriages and the setting of Heian
22 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of Study
Genji Monogatari, written by Murasaki Shikibu is one of some the world’s
oldest novels. The Tale of Genji as it is called in the translation version. It was written shortly after the year 1000 in Japan, when the era was called Heian.
Genji Monogatari is, many agree, the world’s oldest novel, written a thousand years ago, but almost totally unknown to western reader until the appearance of the fine translations of Arthur Waley and Edward G. Seidensticker in this century. (Puette, 1983: 23)
The novel that is used by the writer in doing this research is The Tale of Genji translated by Arthur Waley with a new foreword by Dennis Washburn which was printed in Singapore under the Tuttle Publishing, a registered
trademark of Tuttle Publishing – a division of periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. It was
printed by in the year of 2010. According to Dennis Washburn in his foreword of
The Tale of Genji, the Arthur Waley translation of Lady Murasaki’s masterpiece,
the translation of the novel by Arthur Waley has the beauty for expressing the
main text, Genji Monogatari.
For the reader of nowadays will find it rather difficult to understand the
story because of the language style that the translator, Arthur Waley uses the
nearest expression to express the original novel which is written in full Japanese
language.
In the story, Genji, the hero of the Tale, is the son of the emperor and his
favorite concubine, Kiritsubo. A Korean fortune teller predicts a brilliant future
for Genji but his mother suffers the jealousy of rivals at court, becomes ill and
dies, then the distraught emperor eventually finds another concubine, Fujitsubo,
who reminds him of his former love, kiritsubo. Since Genji lack of backing at
court, the emperor makes him a commoner, assigning him as the membership of
the non-royal Genji clan and let the eldest son of the emperor and Lady Kokiden
becomes the heir apparent. Genji becomes an uncommonly handsome, talented,
and gifted young man, admired by all people but feared by Lady Kokiden and her
family because of his potential figure to be a perfect heir apparent.
The first part of the Tale follows his amorous exploits with a variety of
ladies in and around Heian-kyo, his friendship with To no Chujo and arranged
marriage to To no Chujo's sister Aoi, the birth of his son and his growing
relationship with the young Murasaki. Meanwhile, the old emperor dies and is
succeeded by Lady Kokiden's son. Genji's amorous intrigues cause a scandal at
court and he is forced to leave the capital and live in Suma for several years.
During this second part of the Tale, Genji meets the ex-Governor of
Harima and his daughter The Akashi Lady. Genji returns to the capital and the
Genji's) son. Genji's position at court is restored and the Lady Akashi has a baby
girl. Genji then goes on a pilgrimage to the Sumiyoshi Shrine to give thanks to the
deity for protecting him during the storm at Suma. After his return to the capital
he settles down with Murasaki and several other ladies at his Rokujo Mansion.
During this next section of the Tale, Genji's influence at court increases
steadily and he is totally focused with the progress of his children and
grandchildren at court. Genji is persuaded to marry the Third Princess, who gives
birth to a son and soon after becomes a Buddhist nun. In the last 10 chapters, the
action shifts to the wild mountain area of Uji and the adventures of Genji's "son"
and grandson, Kaoru and Niou who are friends and rivals in love to get ukifune.
B. Approach of the Study
It is important to select the appropriate approach when certain pattern of
thought that will help to give the limitations for the study is needed to analyze the
literary work. The approaches that the researcher uses in analyzing the novel are
sociocultural – historical approach. This sociocultural – historical approach will
be used to reveal the setting of place, time, and also the society in Heian era in
order to know the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy that revealed
through the story. Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods stated in Reading and Writing about Literature:
Critics whose major interest is the socio cultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it. They define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people and point out that literature take these attitudes
and actions as its subject matter…
interest in the biographical as well as knowledge of and interest in literary
history… (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 8-10)
According to Rohrberger and Woods, the way to connect the work with
the sociocultural – historical approach is in its reference to the civilization that
produces the work. The civilization or in common way is the society with its
culture and its way of life define as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of
people. That is why it is necessary to investigate the social surroundings in which
a work was created and which in some way it reflects ideas, issues, culture, habits,
and way of life of the society.
C. Method of the Study
The writer used library research in this study. The writer managed to find
suitable sources containing necessary data and information by considering the
factors of validity, accuracy, relevancy, and also appropriateness that could finally
decide which sources that could be used.
The primary source was the novel The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu translated by Arthur Waley. The secondary data were taken from various
sources that conducted the analysis. Therefore, some review, critics, and some
works that are used in the novel as its object of study would be used also as the
data that would be compared or conducted with the writer analysis. Besides,
consulted with some people and the expert that worked on same novel or same
topic also became the method of the study.
To answer the problem formulation there were some steps that the writer
needed to find the result. Firstly, the writer had to find the characterization of
novel. The theory of character by Abram in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms and characterization by Barnet in his book Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry and Drama would help the writer to figure it out. Second, the writer had to find the description of the society that existed in the novel. To
make the writer found the society easier, the writer used the theory of setting. The
theory of setting in Barnet’s book Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction,
Poetry and Drama could help the writer to figure out the setting in the literary work and finally with the setting, the society could be revealed. Besides Barnet’s
book, the writer also used Abram’s book A Glossary of Literary Terms and
Harmon’s book A Handbook to Literature. From the theory of setting in those
books, perhaps the writer could describe the society clearly and could provide
elaborate explanation. Finally, the last steps was connecting the concept of
marriage with the description of some characters and the society to find the
answer of the thesis which talked about the concept of marriages of Heian
27 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. The Description about the Characters and their Marriages
In this first part of fourth chapter, some of the characters will be extracted
from the story. Each of their characteristic deal with the condition and term apply
in the story, the reader can get the idea about what issue brought up in the story is.
They can get it from seeing how the characters‘ dealing with the term occurs in
the story or how they correspond the happening with their own personality. That
is why the description, which shows characters personality and their characteristic,
in the novel will strengthen the issue of the prevailing concept of marriage life
through the way they correspond with a certain situation or term in the story.
Novel The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu is telling the reader about some generations of an imperial family. There are the generation of a
former family presented by The Emperor, the generation of a son presented by
Genji (son of the Emperor), and the generation of grandchild presented by Genji‘s
offspring‘s. Therefore, the reader might find this novel with so many characters
exist in it. Eventhough there are many characters, but only some characters are
built to have important role in the story, moreover when it comes to discuss about
marriage‘s life. In this research, two characters, the Emperor (Father of Genji) and
Genji, are seen to be the best candidates for bringing the research‘s topic. The
writer chooses them because both characters deliver most of the problems in
The Emperor is the first character that appears in the story and as an
introduction of the story. His life is exposed to describe the circumstance of court
and marriage life which is bounding to the next generation continuously. Next is
Genji. He is chosen to be another character that is presented as the comparison of
The Emperor‘s, in term of their characteristics, since Genji‘s success on keeping
his marriage life in peace. Both describe journey of marriage life in different path,
one as an Emperor and the other as a commoner of aristocrat. Eventhough they
have different social status, at the end, the problem that they have to deal with is
same. They have to face the society hierarchy and its circumstances.
The important characters are not only from its main characters, but it also
involves some minor characters. Here, the wives of the emperor and Genji will
also take a role in order to reveal the marriage life of the story. Similar with the
emperor and Genji, the character of the wives and the way they deal with their
own marriage might give some clue and description of marriage life in the novel.
In this part, both characters are put together to be used to help the writer to reveal
the description about a reflection of aristocratic marriage life in the novel. Here
are the description about the characters‘ characteristics and its relation to their
marriage life:
1. The Description of the Emperor’s Character in Correlation to his Marriage
The story of The Tale of Genji begins with description of The Emperor‘s
life along with some wives who have important role in his life. By their
who is only a concubine due to her low rank. Eventhough she makes the first
appearance, but she is not the first wife. The second one mentioned is Lady
Kokiden who noticed as the first wife of the Emperor (official/principal wife)
because of her highest rank among the other ladies. And then the last one
mentioned is Lady Fujitsubo who is courted last and chosen as the empress by the
Emperor. Besides those three ladies, the Emperor still has many more concubines,
but those three are the ladies that take important role in Emperor‘s life and in the
story.
The Emperor, the man who ruled the whole land, He has the highest power
to control everything in his territory. It is his duty to take control on all aspects
which are influencing his land and its society. For example, some aspects that are
highlighted in the story such as economic stability, social hierarchy that prevails
in its society and political flow in the Court are the major aspects that described as
some matter that need full attention and spend lot of emperor‘s time. That is why
as an emperor, he cannot do all controlling by himself. He must have some people
who help him in controlling the land and its society, such as minister of the left
who is also the emperor‘s sponsor and minister of the right, his father-in-law who
works as the political opponent of minister of the left. Therefore some decision
related to the land necessity, cannot be done technically without the ministers
endorsement.
A man of an imperial line blood who is chosen to be an emperor and get
his hands controlling the whole land, such an enormous power for an imperial
emperor shall bring prosperity to the country, many court people want to get close
to him. Some noblemen just want to serve him and prove their loyalty while some
other try to gain their wealth and political influence. Facing that kind of situation,
ideally, an emperor shall know every court circumstance and situation. He has to
work on that matter with strategy so that he can avoid on violating the court
circumstance. On the other hand, in the story, the emperor‘s described as a one
who is ignorant, rather unrealistic, and driven easily by emotional feeling. Those
personal qualities can be seen in emperor‘s life, in the way he react and decide a
way out of his matter. Those qualities are implied in his marriage life where the
emperor cannot lead his own marriage into a secure and happy marriage life. Later
in contrast with Genji‘s qualities, the personal qualities of the emperor can be seen
more clearly as the reason of his failure to keep his marriage life‘s peace.
In the court, The Emperor lives with his wife and all of his concubines. As
an emperor, he has some privileges. He has an opportunity to be with the lady he
likes the most. He is free to choose the lady to become his wife and his empress.
Eventhough it is called a privilege, but still it is bounded by some court
circumstances. For example is court circumstance that gives limitation on the
criteria of the lady who can be chosen as a wife and empress. It happens due to the
prevailing system of rank in the aristocrat society.
unfortunately she was not of the same rank as the courtiers who waited upon him in the Upper Palace, so that despite his love for her, and though she wore all the airs of a great lady, it was not without considerable qualms that he now made it his practice to have her by him not only when there was to be some entertainment, but even when any business of importance was afoot.
The emperor could no longer endure to witness her vexations and moved her to the Koroden. In order to make room for her he was obliged to shift the Chief Lady of the Wardrobe to lodgings outside. So far from improving matters he had merely procured her a new and most embittered enemy! (Shikibu, 2010: 4-6)
Lady Kiritsubo, the favored lady who described in the quotation above, is
one of The Emperor wives who obtains predicate only as a concubine because of
her low rank and lack of sponsor. The quotation describes the emperor act of
giving overflowing love to just one lady he really loved. He gives all his love and
full attention toward Lady Kiritsubo. In a glimpse, it sounds like he is being unfair.
But if it is analyzed carefully, it cannot be seen as an unfair act because he has his
own privilege to stay with the lady he likes. The fact that that man is an emperor
cannot be excluded. To be noted, not all his marriages are his will, some of his
marriages are just an arranged marriages as symbol of a unity between an emperor
and his sponsor or politic partner. Besides, he has absolute power to rule and gives
order, so that it can be understood if he acts that way to Lady Kiritsubo. In the
same time, from the description in the quotation about the Emperor‘s action when
he continuously practicing with Lady Kiritsubo to prepare her to be a
lady-in-waiting eventhough he knows all of the competitiveness growing within his ladies
quarter about to be the chosen one, it gives the impression of the Emperor‘s
ignorant toward surrounding. The peak of his ignorant is shown from his decision
Wardrobe to lodgings outside. Instead of secure the lady, it‘s more like his action
gain her more enemy who will join to treat her badly. Here then Lady Kokiden
also take her role.
…she had, after all, priority over her rival; the Emperor had loved her
devotedly and she had borne him princes. It was even now chiefly the fear of her reproaches that made him uneasy about his new way of life. (Shikibu, 2010: 5)
The quotation above refers to Lady Kokiden, the principal wife of the
Emperor due to highest rank she has as a daughter of the Minister of the Right,
whom the political power is in the second place, right under the Emperor. This is a
clue which is conducting the idea that the Emperor is being unrealistic. The
Emperor who already knew the condition of her beloved lady who has low rank
and with all reproaches from his principal wife, Lady Kokiden, he still pours her
with his strong affection and his full attention. He is unrealistic enough to exclude
all the rejection from Kokiden from his mind which make all Kiritsubo‘s miseries
worser day by day. Then he is even trying to make lady Kiritsuboto get the chance
to be admitted as a wife rather than a concubine by preparing her to be a
lady-in-waiting. Theoretically, it is possible for an emperor to raise one‘s rank, but it has
to go through court‘s endorsement. In Lady Kiritsubo‘s case, the emperor‘s
founded become unrealistic person she has the lowest rank than the rest
concubines, which will take a long time and long process to raise her rank, while
for the time being she is been bullied by the other ladies and fading in a fast pace.
A daily life which is full of corrupt competitiveness grows intensely within the
ladies, while the Emperor‘s driven by his emotion easily. Lady Kokiden who is
filled with jealousy of the emperor‘s love for Kiritsubo, Sheledmost of the malice
deeds toward the unfortunate lady. Many bad things are done upon Lady
Kiritsubo. The Emperor cannot do something to help his beloved Lady. For now,
what he can do is just waiting for the announcement from the court for he had
increase the rank of Lady Kiritsubo not for long ago, butit is too late. The lovely
lady Kiritsubo‘s already sinking in her own great distress. Then, not for a long
time, her condition becomes worse and at last, she meets her death.
If only he is not blinded by his affection and take consideration of
surrounding and circumstance that his wives have to go through, his marriage will
not get a tragic end. It‘s his own personal quality for being ignorant, unrealistic,
and easy to be driven by emotional feeling that turns his marriage into a sad, full
of miseries and violent marriage life, which is ended with the beloved lady‘s death.
2. The Description of Genji's Character and Marriages' in Relation to their Marriage Life
Genji, the son of the Emperor with Lady Kiritsubo, his characteristics
description can be found in the story. It can be seen from what Genji says, his
attitudes or behaviors and also from what the other characters say or response
toward Genji. For example, in AoiChapter, at the moment after Lady Aoi‘s death, Aoi‘s servants gather and talk to genji for the last time about their sadness of
