Noh Drama and The Tale of the Genji
The Art of Allusion in Fifteen Classical Plays
- 312 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
The Japanese noh theater has enjoyed a rich, continuous history dating back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573), when virtually the entire repertoire was written. Some of the finest plays were inspired by the eleventh-century masterpiece of court literature, The Tale of Genji. In this detailed study of fifteen noh plays based upon the Genji, Janet Goff looks at how the novel was understood and appreciated by Muromachi audiences. A work steeped in the court poetry, or waka, tradition, the Genji in turn provided a source of inspiration and allusion for later poets, who produced a variety of handbooks and digests on the work as an aid in composing poetry. Drawing on such sources from the Muromachi period, Goff shows how playwrights reflected contemporary attitudes toward the Genji, even as they transformed its material to suit the demands of the noh as a theatrical form. This book includes annotated translations of the plays, many of them appearing in English for the first time. The translations are preceded by essays covering the history of each play and its use of Genji material.
Originally published in 1991.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Sources and Abbreviations
- Introduction
- I. The Reception of the Genji in the Middle Ages
- 2. Noh Dramaturgy and the Literary World
- 3. The Genji and the Noh
- 4. Medieval Sources of the Genji Plays
- 5. Plays About Utsusemi
- 6. Plays About Yūgao and Her Daughter Tamakazura
- 7. Plays About Lady Rokujō
- 8. Plays About Genji and the Akashi Lady
- 9. Plays About Princess Ochiba
- 10. Plays About Ukifune
- 11. Praying for Genji
- Appendix A. Genji Chapter Titles
- Appendix B. A Note on the Translations
- Notes
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index