Emmerich, Michael (University Of California, Los Angeles)

The Tale of Genji: Translation, Canonization, and World Literature Emmerich, Michael (University Of California, Los Angeles)

Commendation Quotes: A stunning tour de force, "The Tale of Genji "reveals the manner in which the work was 'replaced' by various texts and how it was made from the late-nineteenth century into a world classic both in and outside of Japan. Throughout, Michael Emmerich engages with translation studies, reception theory, and current notions of world literature, writing in a transnational, trans-lingual context. This book makes us profoundly aware of the transformation of the material "Tale of Genji" and reading practices in Japan from the late, early-modern through the postwar period, thus bridging the gap between early-modern and modern literary studies as well as that between Japanese literary studies and contemporary translation studies. Commendation Quotes: "The Tale of Genji" is a brilliantly sustained work of literary criticism, quite the most engrossing book in the field of Japanese literature I have read in years. It is a rare book, one that is sure to have a profound and lasting impact. Table of Contents: AcknowledgmentsA Note to the ReaderIntroduction: Replacing the TextPart I. Ninety-Nine Years in the Life of an ImageTouchstone 1. Reimagining the Canon1. A Gokan Is a Gokan Is a Gokan: Inaka Genji Beyond Parody2. Reading Higashiyama: Image, Text, and Book in Inaka Genji3. Turning a New Page: Bibliographic Translation and the Yomihonization of Inaka GenjiPart II. In Medias ResTouchstone 2. Triangle4. The History of a Romance: Genji Before Waley5. From the World to the Nation: Making Genji Ours6. "Genji monogatari: Translation and Original"Conclusion: Turning to Translation, Returning to TranslationNotesIndexCommendation Quotes: "The Tale of Genji "is a brilliantly sustained work of literary criticism, quite the most engrossing book in the field of Japanese literature I have read in years. This is a rare book, one that is sure to have a profound and lasting impact. Commendation Quotes: Emmerich's astute analyses and imaginative interpretations are likely to radically change our view of Japanese literature and the role translation has played in its constitution, and expand even the notion of translation itself. This discerning study gives a refreshing look at how an Edo-period illustrated book was put together and how it functioned. Anyone interested in the visual culture of Japan should read this book. Commendation Quotes: A stunning tour de force, "The Tale of Genji" reveals the manner in which the work was 'replaced' by various texts and how it was made, from the late nineteenth century, into a world classic both in and outside Japan. Throughout, Michael Emmerich engages with translation studies, reception theory, and current notions of world literature, writing in a transnational, translingual context. This book makes us profoundly aware of the transformation of the material "Tale of Genji" and reading practices in Japan from the late early modern through the postwar period, thus bridging the gap between early modern and modern literary studies as well as that between Japanese literary studies and contemporary translation studies. Biographical Note: Michael Emmerich is associate professor of Japanese literature and cultural studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the editor of "Read Real Japanese Fiction" and "New Penguin Parallel Text: Short Stories in Japanese," and the translator of more than a dozen books. Commendation Quotes: Michael Emmerich's astute analyses and imaginative interpretations are likely to radically change our view of Japanese literature and the role translation has played in its constitution, and they expand even the notion of translation itself. This discerning study gives a refreshing look at how an Edo-period illustrated book was put together and how it functioned. Anyone interested in the visual culture of Japan should read this book. Review Quotes: "The Tale of Genji" is a brilliantly sustained work of literary criticism, quite the most engrossing book in the field of Japanese literature I have read in years. It is a rare book, one that is sure to have a profound and lasting impact.--Gaye Rowley, Waseda UniversityReview Quotes: A stunning tour de force, "The Tale of Genji" reveals the manner in which the work was 'replaced' by various texts and how it was made, from the late nineteenth century, into a world classic both in and outside Japan. Throughout, Michael Emmerich engages with translation studies, reception theory, and current notions of world literature, writing in a transnational, translingual context. This book makes us profoundly aware of the transformation of the material "Tale of Genji" and reading practices in Japan from the late early modern through the postwar period, thus bridging the gap between early modern and modern literary studies as well as that between Japanese literary studies and contemporary translation studies.--Haruo Shirane, Columbia University, author of "Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons"Review Quotes: Michael Emmerich's astute analyses and imaginative interpretations are likely to radically change our view of Japanese literature and the role translation has played in its constitution, and they expand even the notion of translation itself. This discerning study gives a refreshing look at how an Edo-period illustrated book was put together and how it functioned. Anyone interested in the visual culture of Japan should read this book.--Yoshiaki Shimizu, Princeton UniversityMarc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Review Quotes:"The Tale of Genji" is a brilliantly sustained work of literary criticism, quite the most engrossing book in the field of Japanese literature I have read in years. It is a rare book, one that is sure to have a profound and lasting impact.--Gaye Rowley, Waseda UniversityPublisher Marketing: Michael Emmerich thoroughly revises the conventional narrative of the early modern and modern history of "The Tale of Genji." Exploring iterations of the work from the 1830s to the 1950s, he demonstrates how translations and the global circulation of discourse they inspired turned "The Tale of Genji" into a widely read classic, reframing our understanding of its significance and influence and of the processes that have canonized the text. Emmerich begins with an analysis of the lavishly produced best seller "Nise Murasaki inaka Genji" ("A Fraudulent Murasaki's Bumpkin Genji, 1829-1842"), an adaptation of "Genji" written and designed by Ryutei Tanehiko, with pictures by the great print artist Utagawa Kunisada. He argues that this work introduced "Genji" to a popular Japanese audience and created a new mode of reading. He then considers movable-type editions of "Inaka Genji" from 1888 to 1928, connecting trends in print technology and publishing to larger developments in national literature and showing how the one-time best seller became obsolete. The study subsequently traces "Genji"'s reemergence as a classic on a global scale, following its acceptance into the canon of world literature before the text gained popularity in Japan. It concludes with "Genji"'s becoming a "national classic" during World War II and reviews an important postwar challenge to reading the work after it attained this status. Through his sustained critique, Emmerich upends scholarship on Japan's preeminent classic while remaking theories of world literature, continuity, and community. Review Citations:

Choice 05/01/2014 (EAN 9780231534420, Other)

Choice 05/01/2014 (EAN 9780231162722, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Emmerich, Michael MICHAEL EMMERICH graduated from Princeton University. After completing research in Japanese literature studies at Ritsumeikan University in Tokyo, he went on to earn a Ph. D. in Japanese literature from Columbia University. He is the highly acclaimed translator of Nobel laureate Yasunari KawabatasFirst Snow on Fuji; Banana Yoshimotos Asleep, Goodbye Tsugumi and Hardboiled & Hard Luck; Genichiro Takahashis Sayonara Gangsters; Mari Akasakas Vibrator; and Taichi Yamadas In Search of a Distant Voice.