“A fluid, elegant rendition.” — The Washington Post

This Norton Critical Edition includes:

• Dennis Washburn’s acclaimed and unabridged translation of Murasaki Shikibu’s eleventh-century literary masterpiece, widely considered the world’s first novel.
• Editorial matter by Dennis Washburn.
• Fourteen background selections—from the eleventh-century The Daughter of Sugawara no Takasue to Virginia Woolf—carefully selected to increase the reader’s understanding and appreciation of this nuanced and vibrant work.
• Nine critical essays on The Tale of Genji’s central themes.
• An index of songs and poetry, three chronologies and a selected bibliography.

About the Series

Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyse and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.