Traditional Japanese History
Patrick Long
6/4/13
HST 391
History within Japanese Literature
Japanese literature spans over a large period of time for writing. Earlier literature work was greatly influenced by Chinese literature, but after opening its ports to Western trading, Japan eventually developed its own style and quality of literature. Like most literature around the world and through history, we can learn a lot about Japans history through its literature. The Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa periods are the time period in which we see the development of a Japanese culture that resembles less Chinese culture than the time periods we see in the previous period in Japanese history.
The Heian period was between 794 and 1185 and was named for the location of the imperial capital. This time period within Japanese history is characterized by the flourishing culture of the court aristocracy, which actively pursued aesthetic refinement which led to new developments in art and literature (Heian Period). From one of the groups I chose “The Tale of Genji” because it is a great record of life for the nobility during this time period, it also considered some of the best literature in the world. “The Tale of Genji” displays the complex relationship between the literary past and its later transformation from the material you find within the story (Janet Emily Goff, 1982: p. 144). To the poets in Japan during this age, the Tale of the Genji epitomized Heian court life in its depiction of the life of Prince Genji and his affairs with various court ladies, while the inclusion of nearly eight hundred poems had offered poets a guide to proper poetic expression on a wide variety of occasions.
The Tale of the Genji falls under the category of ancient literature and is considered to be one of the world’s first novels. The book is just full of poems between men and woman during the Heian period and how they communicated among each other (Web Page Template). Court life was able to flourish
6/4/13
HST 391
History within Japanese Literature
Japanese literature spans over a large period of time for writing. Earlier literature work was greatly influenced by Chinese literature, but after opening its ports to Western trading, Japan eventually developed its own style and quality of literature. Like most literature around the world and through history, we can learn a lot about Japans history through its literature. The Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa periods are the time period in which we see the development of a Japanese culture that resembles less Chinese culture than the time periods we see in the previous period in Japanese history.
The Heian period was between 794 and 1185 and was named for the location of the imperial capital. This time period within Japanese history is characterized by the flourishing culture of the court aristocracy, which actively pursued aesthetic refinement which led to new developments in art and literature (Heian Period). From one of the groups I chose “The Tale of Genji” because it is a great record of life for the nobility during this time period, it also considered some of the best literature in the world. “The Tale of Genji” displays the complex relationship between the literary past and its later transformation from the material you find within the story (Janet Emily Goff, 1982: p. 144). To the poets in Japan during this age, the Tale of the Genji epitomized Heian court life in its depiction of the life of Prince Genji and his affairs with various court ladies, while the inclusion of nearly eight hundred poems had offered poets a guide to proper poetic expression on a wide variety of occasions.
The Tale of the Genji falls under the category of ancient literature and is considered to be one of the world’s first novels. The book is just full of poems between men and woman during the Heian period and how they communicated among each other (Web Page Template). Court life was able to flourish
Bibliography: Oyler, Elizabeth. “The Tale Of the Heike. “Clliope 16.5 (2006): MAS Ultra – School Edition. Web 5 June 2013