Review of Related Studies

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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

As far as the writer‟s knowledge, there is one research that already done by Monica Imanuela Bendatu which is using The Tale of Genji as its subject found in the list of Undergraduate thesis title of English letters. The topic is about The Representation of Women’s Life in Heian Era Through the Characterization of Murasaki no Ue in Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. Here the writer also uses the same novel written by Murasaki Shikibu and find a different topic that can be researched. Some references will be needed to do the research, and here are some references that the writer is used to conduct the research. 1. Masterpiece of World Literature The kind of relationship between woman and man depends on every aspect that exists around them. The relationship between man and woman can be different according to its setting, the place and the time where they live in . It might happen because each country and each era has its own culture and concept of morality, ethics, and social behavior which differ from one another. Another element in the society that takes an important role which gives limitation to man and woman relationship is social status. According to Frank N. Magill: The first section treats Genji, “The Shining One,” as a child and as a young man, idealistic but often unwise, learning the art of courtship and love. It also introduces Murasaki Who is certainly not the author, unless by ironic contrast, first as Genji‟s child-concubine then as his second wife. Her character, thus, is tentatively sketched. In the other part of the book, she learns about the romantic and political intrigues of court life, becomes sophisticated in practicing in her own wiles, and finally – in the section titled “Blue Trousers” – dies of lingering, wasting disease. The early Tale of Genji, however, treats the hero and heroine as youthful, hopeful, and inexperienced, before they fully understand how to play the cynical games of love and dissembling. Magill, 1817: 836 According the review, the Japanese aristocrats described in The Tale of Genji shows some indication of patriarchal system, political issue and also marital life. The concept of patriarchal shown by the society in the novel that the man is the one who should decide for his family. The political life also appeared in the story and it is shown in the „marriage politic‟ that they use to conduct their political power. The story focuses on its court life with the aristocrat‟s politic affair. Besides that, it is also mostly telling the reader about the imperial love affair and the way the imperial descendant lives their life and grows in the court life. 2. The World of the Shining Prince Another study that also uses Lady Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji as its object is The World of the Shining Prince by Ivan Morris. Morris give the reader a glimpse of court life in ancient Japan uses Lady Murasaki‟s masterpiece. In his book, he stated: During most of the early period the imperial family had been merely primus inter pares , one of the many powerful septs that held sway in different parts of the island. The movement about centralization, which culminated in the Great Reform of the seventh century, aimed at putting an end to clan rivalry and creating a centralized bureaucratic state on the Chinese model. Morris, 1964: 41 Morris thought that if it is set that way; then the emperor might have the supreme power for over all the land and its people, of course including the former clan leader that could be the emperor‟s rival in strength. In his book, Morris gives the reader a labour explanation about the history of ancient Japan. He found that the literature that was produced in that time is reflecting the history of ancient Japan, through Genji Monogatari or translated as The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu. Besides of Heian politic in the court, Morris also gives a shot for some descriptions on the court marriage that is also highlighted in the story. The prevalence of marriage politics specifically strengthened the position of the principal wife, but indirectly it increased the prestige of women in general. The „good people‟ made themselves still better by arranging advantageous marriages for their daughters, if possible to an emperor or imperial prince. Even a girl of humble provincial parentage might enter into a relationship with a man of the highest rank. Morris, 1964:207 In his book, The World of the Shining Prince, Morris describes that marriage is not merely an institute that only joining man and woman to be one and make a family but it could be something else that helps another aspect to develop. In its case, marriage helps the political aspect of the society. Through marriage, aristocrats in that time could gain some backup power for their position in court. Even the lower rank people of the court also could gain a strong sponsor through the marriage of their daughter with an imperial family or even an emperor. In this part, the ancient Japan that Morris talk about is in its Heian period where the novel The Tale of Genji takes it also as its setting. 3. Guide to the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu There is also a study on Lady Murasaki Shikibu‟s novel The Tale of Genji which is written by William J. Puette. The title of the book is Guide to the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu . It splits into three parts. The first part, presents about some importance feature in the novel. For example are the explanation of Heian Japan Era as the setting, a brief biography of Murasaki shikibu as the author of the novel, and also a brief guidance for reader of both version of the translation of the novel by Arthur Waley and Edward Seidensticker. The second part, presents detailed chapter of The Tale of Genji with commentaries of each chapter from chapter 1 to 9, and gives summaries of chapter 10 to 54. The third part, Puette present some notes on the structure of the novel. In this part he also gives some critical questions for the reader who wants to do a further study on the novel. In his book, he gives a brief guide of The Tale of Genji to the reader. This book presents some illustrations about the historical issue. He gives some explanation about Heian Era which is used as the sett ing in Murasaki Shikibu‟s novel, Consequently, the world of The Tale of Genji is not really the world of Heian Japan at large; it is more accurately the refined world of the inner circle of the highest class in the land. Puette, 1983: 25 In an instant reading, a reader may mistake the social structure in the novel as a whole representation of Heian Era in Japan. While in close reading, the reader may find that it is not a whole representation of Heian Japan but only focus on its aristocrat which Puette ‟s mentioned as „the inner circle of the highest class in the land‟, in the quotation above. Those are some of related studies that the writer‟s used to conduct this research. For the related studies picked by the writer, as can be seen, most of them discussing about some important feature of the novel such as the setting, the plot, and the characters of the novel. All of the related studies do provide a great deal of information that fits the intrinsic of the elements of the novel for the research.

B. Review of Related Theories