The "Kiritsubo" Chapter and The Song of Lasting Regret: Intertextual Dynamics in Murasaki Shikibu's Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji)
Matthew Chudnow
Time and Place
Wednesday, October 18, 3:30~4:30Derby Hall 48
Summary of Talk:
Murasaki Shikibu makes frequent use of Chinese Tang poet Bai Juyi's narrative poem Chang hen ge ("The Song of Lasting Regret") as a source of poet allusion in her mid-Heian period romance Genji Monogatari ("The Tale of Genji.") The most focused example of this is as an intertextual element in the opening chapter, "Kiritsubo" ("The Paulownia Court.") "Kiritsubo" is both the opening chapter of Genji monogatari and the ground zero for much of the key poetic and thematic elements within Shikibu's narrative as a whole. The first half of the chapter's narrative runs parallel to that of Bai Juyi's poem. It is the contrast established within this narrative framing using "The Song of Lasting Regret" as an intertext that serves to delineate several of the main thematic and aesthetic elements at the core of Genji monogatari: the location of political power within the "rear court," the plight of the woman of weak social status and support, the aesthetic representation of characters' psychological states through natural surroundings, the cycle of transference of romantic desire onto surrogates, and the breakdown of communication between romantic intimates. Clear examples of each are found in the sections of "Kiritsubo" that make use of "Song of Lasting Regret" intertextually. As the world of Genji monogatari is one defined by depth and variation rather than linear progression, carefully consideration of the intextetual role of Bai Juyi's poem in "Kiritsubo" is important for a greater understanding of Shikibu's text as a whole.
Next talk:
Prof. Mark Bender, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
Title: TBA
*If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Etsuyo Yuasa (yuasa.1@osu.edu) or Matthew Chudnow (chudnow.1@osu.edu).
