At a time when the West was sunk in the Dark Ages, Japanese aristocrats enjoyed a life-style remarkable for its tolerance, variety and well-bred contradictions: a polygamous world, it was at once permissive and courtly Buddhist-oriented, yet the sensibility was towards the sumptuous, never the other-worldly a governing class full of hierarchical rigidities and a boring bureaucracy, but the ""in"" thing was to hunt or compose poetry, (the military, for instance, was infra dig) intellectually advanced yet still surrounded with superstitions, etc. The novel's hero, Prince Genji, becomes also the mirror of what Ivan Morris discerns to be the era's guiding patrician principle, that of aesthetic values tempering and transcending the psychological and social ones. Moreover, the discussion of The Tale of Genji, the great medieval roman-fleuve, (which has been likened to Proust) taken purely as literary criticism is in itself an assessment of no mean proportions. It seems quite likely its breadth of learning, the ease and elegance of its style, and the vivid picture it presents of Heian Japan's court life- culturally, politically, sexually- should make it one of those studies both scholars and the general sophisticate keep returning to year after year. First Edition (1969), not directly stated, but indicated by a lack of reference to subsequent printings, in accordance with Penguin's customary practice at the time of publication.A beautiful title and a beautiful book. First Edition (1969), not directly stated, but indicated by a lack of reference to subsequent printings, in accordance with Penguin's customary practice at the time of publication. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. A moderately used copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing mild wear and minor cosmetic flaws. Free of ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, or labels.
Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Very Good in Wraps: moderate rubbing to the wrapper covers a couple of green marker pen marks at the lower backstrip and along the rear "hinge" stress creases here and there to the panels the binding is square and secure the text is clean.
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