The Story of Genji is considered one of the greatest works of Japanese literature. It contains great wealth and detail about court life and expectations during the Heian period. The author, Murasaki Shikibu, lived in the palace during her time in the service of Empress Akikio, which no doubt greatly influenced her writing of the Tale of Genji (Waley, x, xxi-xxii). In this book, Genji, also known as the Shining Prince, is the main protagonist and is considered the ideal man. The early chapters are full of details about his relationships and interactions with many women and their views of what was acceptable in their society at the time. Genji was noted time and time again for his beauty and talent. In fact the only person known to hate him was Consort Kokiden. He influenced Genji's exile, while everyone else was against it. When this happened, however, everyone missed him. They especially wanted to hear him play since he was so talented in music. At the cherry blossom festival Genji played the sō no koto. Later we see in the Akashi chapter that Genji plays on a Chinese instrument, the kin. Besides music Genji also danced beautifully at the festival. The ideal man had to be sentimental. By far the greatest of the arts was the ability to write poetry. Poems allowed feelings to be conveyed. He often displayed the intelligence and status he possessed. Especially during the Heian period, crying was not an unmanly attribute. In fact, to be good at writing poetry, it was the ability to write how you felt in a symbolic and elegant way. Genji was best known for his excellent performance in creating poetry. It was often said that his poems were unparalleled, making ma...... middle of paper ......know how to read his companions, and a woman needs to know how to read her lover well. If one could do it it would be perfect. In my personal opinion Genji is far from perfect. In most stories I usually feel for him at the end, when he loses the person he loves, but that sympathy quickly turns to annoyance when the next chapter begins, and he seems to easily forget the first one and happily move on to another. woman. I think women in stories, with a few exceptions, have no backbone. With their voices they resist but with their actions they submit completely. I understand that it was the culture of the time, but just because it was considered appropriate doesn't mean it was right. Works Cited Tyler, Royall. The Story of Genji. New York: Penguin Books, 2006. Print.Waley, Arthur. The Story of Genji. Garden City: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1996.