Genjis son. Genjis position at court is restored and the Lady Akashi has a baby girl. Genji then goes on a pilgrimage to the Sumiyoshi Shrine to give thanks to the
deity for protecting him during the storm at Suma. After his return to the capital he settles down with Murasaki and several other ladies at his Rokujo Mansion.
During this next section of the Tale, Genjis influence at court increases steadily and he is totally focused with the progress of his children and
grandchildren at court. Genji is persuaded to marry the Third Princess, who gives birth to a son and soon after becomes a Buddhist nun. In the last 10 chapters, the
action shifts to the wild mountain area of Uji and the adventures of Genjis son and grandson, Kaoru and Niou who are friends and rivals in love to get ukifune.
B. Approach of the Study
It is important to select the appropriate approach when certain pattern of thought that will help to give the limitations for the study is needed to analyze the
literary work. The approaches that the researcher uses in analyzing the novel are sociocultural
– historical approach. This sociocultural – historical approach will be used to reveal the setting of place, time, and also the society in Heian era in
order to know the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocracy that revealed through the story. Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods stated in Reading and
Writing about Literature: Critics whose major interest is the socio cultural-historical approach insist
that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it. They define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a
specific group of people and point out that literature take these attitudes
and actions as its subject matter… …The traditional historical approach to literature usually takes as its basis
some aspect of the socio cultural frame of reference, combining it with an
interest in the biographical as well as knowledge of and interest in literary history… Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 8-10
According to Rohrberger and Woods, the way to connect the work with the sociocultural
– historical approach is in its reference to the civilization that produces the work. The civilization or in common way is the society with its
culture and its way of life define as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people. That is why it is necessary to investigate the social surroundings in which
a work was created and which in some way it reflects ideas, issues, culture, habits, and way of life of the society.
C. Method of the Study
The writer used library research in this study. The writer managed to find suitable sources containing necessary data and information by considering the
factors of validity, accuracy, relevancy, and also appropriateness that could finally decide which sources that could be used.
The primary source was the novel The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu translated by Arthur Waley. The secondary data were taken from various
sources that conducted the analysis. Therefore, some review, critics, and some works that are used in the novel as its object of study would be used also as the
data that would be compared or conducted with the writer analysis. Besides, consulted with some people and the expert that worked on same novel or same
topic also became the method of the study. To answer the problem formulation there were some steps that the writer
needed to find the result. Firstly, the writer had to find the characterization of some important characters according to his or her description and action in the
novel. The theory of character by Abram in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms
and characterization by Barnet in his book Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry and Drama
would help the writer to figure it out. Second, the writer had to find the description of the society that existed in the novel. To
make the writer found the society easier, the writer used the theory of setting. The theory of setting in Barnet’s book Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction,
Poetry and Drama could help the writer to figure out the setting in the literary
work and finally with the setting, the society could be revealed. Besides Bar net’s
book, the writer also used Abram’s book A Glossary of Literary Terms and
Harmon’s book A Handbook to Literature. From the theory of setting in those books, perhaps the writer could describe the society clearly and could provide
elaborate explanation. Finally, the last steps was connecting the concept of marriage with the description of some characters and the society to find the
answer of the thesis which talked about the concept of marriages of Heian Japanese aristocracy in the novel The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu;
translated by Arthur Waley.
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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
