Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Contributors
- Book part
- A note on Romanization and conventions
- Glossary
- General introduction
- Part I The ancient period (beginnings to 794)
- Part II The Heian period (794–1185)
- 7 Introduction: court culture, women, and the rise of vernacular literature
- 8 Sugawara no Michizane, a Heian literatus and statesman
- 9 Kokinshūand Heian court poetry
- 10 Early Heian court tales
- 11 Genji monogatariand its reception
- 12 Late courtly romance
- 13 Premodern commentary on the classical literary canon
- 14 ThePillow Bookof Sei Shōnagon
- 15 Heian literary diaries: fromTosa nikkitoSarashina nikki
- 16 The Heian Academy: literati culture from Minamoto no Shitagō to Ōe no Masafusa
- 17 Heian canons of Chinese poetry:Wakan rōeishūand Bai Juyi
- 18 The Literary Essence of Our Court (Honchō monzui)
- 19 Vernacular histories:Eiga monogatari, Ōkagami, Gukanshō
- 20 Heian popular songs:imayōandRyōjin hishō
- Part III The medieval period (1185–1600)
- Part IV The Edo period (1600–1867)
- Part V The modern period (1868 to present)
- Bibliography of English secondary sources and translations
- Index
10 - Early Heian court tales
from Part II - The Heian period (794–1185)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2016
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Contributors
- Book part
- A note on Romanization and conventions
- Glossary
- General introduction
- Part I The ancient period (beginnings to 794)
- Part II The Heian period (794–1185)
- 7 Introduction: court culture, women, and the rise of vernacular literature
- 8 Sugawara no Michizane, a Heian literatus and statesman
- 9 Kokinshūand Heian court poetry
- 10 Early Heian court tales
- 11 Genji monogatariand its reception
- 12 Late courtly romance
- 13 Premodern commentary on the classical literary canon
- 14 ThePillow Bookof Sei Shōnagon
- 15 Heian literary diaries: fromTosa nikkitoSarashina nikki
- 16 The Heian Academy: literati culture from Minamoto no Shitagō to Ōe no Masafusa
- 17 Heian canons of Chinese poetry:Wakan rōeishūand Bai Juyi
- 18 The Literary Essence of Our Court (Honchō monzui)
- 19 Vernacular histories:Eiga monogatari, Ōkagami, Gukanshō
- 20 Heian popular songs:imayōandRyōjin hishō
- Part III The medieval period (1185–1600)
- Part IV The Edo period (1600–1867)
- Part V The modern period (1868 to present)
- Bibliography of English secondary sources and translations
- Index
Summary
In modern parlance, the term monogatari refers to long prose narratives told in the equivalent of the third person, and produced among the nobility from the early tenth century until some time in the Kamakura period. This chapter traces the emergence of this genre up until the appearance of The Tale of Genji in the early eleventh century, which marks its pinnacle. It also discusses the Taketori monogatari or The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Ise monogatari, and Tsukuri-monogatari. In addition to these tales Heian Japan was aware of the short fiction that circulated in Tang China. In the Tang dynasty, many stories and poems circulated about the meetings of the emperors Mu and Wu with the Queen Mother of the West. In these texts, the emperors approach the queen mother to be taught the secrets of Taoist alchemy and to obtain an elixir of immortality, though they ultimately fail or are refused.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature , pp. 121 - 128Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015