occur in that time as it is reflected in the novel. This literature is the right one to reveal the concept of marriage of the ancient Heian Japanese aristocrat. Through
the characters love stories and their marriages which are highlighted in the novel, the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocrat can be revealed in detail.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the idea that is described in the background, to do the research, here are the problems formulations:
1. How are the characters and their marriages described in the story?
2. How is the aristocratic social life in Heian era reflected through the setting
of the novel? 3.
How is the concept of Heian Japanese aristocratic marriage presented through the characters‟ marriages and the setting in the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
From the statement above, the purpose of this research is to find the answer of the topic that asking about Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji
that it is bringing the world issue about the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy. To answer the topic, it will go through some elements
that will give some details to reach to the answer. Based on the problems formulated, there are three objectives in this
research. The first objective is to work on the topic by revealing and describing some important characters
‟ life and their marriage. The writer decides to use the characters in the novel to find out the concept of marriage
since the story does not have an organized plot. Besides, character is one
important intrinsic element in a literature that has a direct relation with the issues or problems happening in the story. It is because the characters are the
ones who experience and dealing with all of the issues and moments in the story. That is why the writer describes and reveals the characters as one of the
objective in this research. It is done to help the writer to give proof and elaborate explanation about the concept of marriage which exists in the novel.
The s econd objective is to describe the aristocratic society‟s life that
exists in the story. This objective also becomes an important element that has strong influence in revealing the topic. As mentioned in the title, the decided
topic about marriage of Japanese aristocracy is set in a certain Japanese period called Heian period. Since the characters are living in society and
environment the setting of the story, it can give some details to explain the topic. In this case, society is the one that build and bring the culture for its
entire population. That is why the society becomes the second objective to work on.
Finally, the last objective is to show the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy. By relating the concept of marriage with the description
of the characters and the society, the writer wants to reveal the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy that exist in the novel, and how is the
issue of the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy brought in the novel.
D. Definition of Terms
