Literature: Japanese - Murasaki
Murasaki: The Japanese Jane Austen
Fortnightly, Tuesdays from 2 - 4pm in Richmond. Parking available.
Leaders: Christopher Barclay
Tel: 020 8876 6241
Read another brilliant novel written by a woman and discover a whole new civilisation.
This group will deal with the fascinating culture of Heian Japan - before the Samurai and the civil wars. Around the year 1000 a Japanese lady, Murasaki, wrote what is often considered the first psychological novel and the first novel that can be read for pleasure, The Tale of Genji. Ladies of the court had economic independence and a surprising amount of sexual freedom. Murasaki handles themes of love, jealousy and sexual desire in a remarkably modern way. Her hero Genji is brilliant but his love for one woman does not fit easily with marriage conventions and his compulsion to chase after other women.
We are part way through reading a modern translation of this long novel. Newcomers are welcome if they are happy to catch up.
There is disabled access but the toilet is upstairs.