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Abstract
ROYALL TYLER
Rivalry, Triumph, Folly, Revenge: A Plot Line through
The Tale of Genji
This essay argues that The Tale of Genji has a four-phase plot:
rivalry, triumph, folly, and revenge. In the first phase, Genji struggles
against his elder half-brother Suzaku, supported by the emperor, the
brothers’ father. During his exile the Sumiyoshi deity and the late
emperor’s spirit intervene to assure his triumph. In phase three, he
rashly marries Suzaku’s favorite daughter and then provokes the Rokujo
lady’s spirit, which strikes back with consequences that ruin both his and
Suzaku’s last years. In the final phase, Suzaku’s angry spirit pursues
Kaoru, Genji’s alleged son, through the women Kaoru loves.
Volume 29, Number 2 (Summer
2003)
© 2003 Society for Japanese Studies
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