Each subsequent generation in Genji monogatari proceeds with yet more realism and often yet more ... more Each subsequent generation in Genji monogatari proceeds with yet more realism and often yet more tragedy. The misty nostalgia toward the past in the earliest chapters gradually fades in favor of unrelenting clarity, each theme repeated until the psychology of each character is as clear to us as our own. At the same time as we see ourselves reflected in the main character, Genji, he seems to be by self-admission more than usually prone to image transference, attempting to replace one lost or failed relationship with another. One curious aspect of transference in this text is that, more often than not, it involves an ersatz incestuous connection. Despite its whole narrative being focused around a single family, and while there are some positive examples, idealized parent-child relationships are overshadowed by self-interest, intrigues and even abuse. In many ways, Neo-Confucian critics of the text were justified in labeling the work "amoral" from a Confucian standpoint. 1 This paper will argue, however, that Murasaki Shikibu's intention in these pseudo-incestous relationships is to convey the unique ethos of Heian aristocratic family dynamics, centralized around separation and deprivation. Furthermore, that while parent-child love does indeed exist in her time, it is often interrupted and diverted into forced romanticization.
Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443) was not alone in seeing the potential of Heike monogatari 平家物語 t... more Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443) was not alone in seeing the potential of Heike monogatari 平家物語 to be translated into the media nō. Of the total canon of 250 currently performed plays, more than ten percent of them draw directly upon characters or incidents in the Heike. But although he was far from the only one, Zeami might have held a special reverence for Heike among the Muromachi Period nō playwrights. This paper theorizes that his reason for particular affection for Heike characters may be specifically connected to the imperfect masculinity of the tragic Taira warriors, as they are presented in the original text. Zeami does take great care to translate these characters faithfully, but he also makes subtle adjustments and fills in the unknown space of interiority left behind in the decidedly public-themed Heike. The end result is that the characters are able to exceed the bounds of humanity to a transcendent state of spirituality, a dissonant and emotionally exquisite chord which is maintained precisely by their vulnerable and imperfect beauty, in other words, their yūgen 幽玄. To explore this phenomenon, this paper will examine three representative shura-nō 修羅能 (“warrior plays”) based on Heike characters: Sanemori, Kiyotsune and Atsumori, with supporting evidence from Zeami’s treatises. These three characters share some points of similarity within the Heike text, but crucially, all three represent a faded, imperfect or unconventional masculinity, which is used and expanded upon by Zeami to make their deaths all the more poignant, even to a contemporary audience.
Each subsequent generation in Genji monogatari proceeds with yet more realism and often yet more ... more Each subsequent generation in Genji monogatari proceeds with yet more realism and often yet more tragedy. The misty nostalgia toward the past in the earliest chapters gradually fades in favor of unrelenting clarity, each theme repeated until the psychology of each character is as clear to us as our own. At the same time as we see ourselves reflected in the main character, Genji, he seems to be by self-admission more than usually prone to image transference, attempting to replace one lost or failed relationship with another. One curious aspect of transference in this text is that, more often than not, it involves an ersatz incestuous connection. Despite its whole narrative being focused around a single family, and while there are some positive examples, idealized parent-child relationships are overshadowed by self-interest, intrigues and even abuse. In many ways, Neo-Confucian critics of the text were justified in labeling the work "amoral" from a Confucian standpoint. 1 This paper will argue, however, that Murasaki Shikibu's intention in these pseudo-incestous relationships is to convey the unique ethos of Heian aristocratic family dynamics, centralized around separation and deprivation. Furthermore, that while parent-child love does indeed exist in her time, it is often interrupted and diverted into forced romanticization.
Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443) was not alone in seeing the potential of Heike monogatari 平家物語 t... more Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443) was not alone in seeing the potential of Heike monogatari 平家物語 to be translated into the media nō. Of the total canon of 250 currently performed plays, more than ten percent of them draw directly upon characters or incidents in the Heike. But although he was far from the only one, Zeami might have held a special reverence for Heike among the Muromachi Period nō playwrights. This paper theorizes that his reason for particular affection for Heike characters may be specifically connected to the imperfect masculinity of the tragic Taira warriors, as they are presented in the original text. Zeami does take great care to translate these characters faithfully, but he also makes subtle adjustments and fills in the unknown space of interiority left behind in the decidedly public-themed Heike. The end result is that the characters are able to exceed the bounds of humanity to a transcendent state of spirituality, a dissonant and emotionally exquisite chord which is maintained precisely by their vulnerable and imperfect beauty, in other words, their yūgen 幽玄. To explore this phenomenon, this paper will examine three representative shura-nō 修羅能 (“warrior plays”) based on Heike characters: Sanemori, Kiyotsune and Atsumori, with supporting evidence from Zeami’s treatises. These three characters share some points of similarity within the Heike text, but crucially, all three represent a faded, imperfect or unconventional masculinity, which is used and expanded upon by Zeami to make their deaths all the more poignant, even to a contemporary audience.
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