The film, The Tale of Genji anime was entertaining, but I still will want to read the book. The movie does a great job bringing to life the novel writing by Lady Murasaki Shikibu about the Japanese's Heian imperial court life. After, watching the film I don't think I will be able to show some parts to my 7th grade students due to some sexual related scenes. The leading character Lord Genji, is portrayed as a womanizer, arrogant, and selfish. He sexually harassed his father the Emperor's wife, until she fell for him. Genji's character seems feminine, he almost looks more beautiful than the women he is sleeping with, including his wife lady Aio. When teaching about The Tale of Genji, I will stick to the written version for the most part, and show few scenes that are appropriate to my students, so they can see the submissive role that women were forced to lived. The film is good to provide a visual image to the students, yet is too long and some scenes are not age appropriate for my students.
I have previously taught the Tale of Genji to my 7th graders in a short reading that summarizes the novel's 54 chapters. Next, time I will also incorporate a few clips of the Tale of Genji anime 2987 film, to helps my students visualize the story.
Thanks for posting this. I have not used this novel in any of my classes. It has not been part of my curriculum, however, I would like to incorporate part of it as part of a world literature unit. As you, I would have to be very careful choosing the excerpts to use in class. Additionally, I would have to look at several versions to determine which one is suitable for the age level of my students. This task will be hard since there are countless versions or editions available. If I do use the book, I could do lessons on life in early Japan, roles of women/men, and various aspects of culture. Students can create a venn diagram or t-chart comparing the rights and treatment of men v. the rights and treatment of women.
edited by malvarenga on 9/7/2015