Japanese Lit

Genji's courtship of Murasaki is an example of Genji's overall trend towards using sexual and romantic conquests as a means by which to retain power and status. Having lost his official status and being demoted to Minamoto, Genji needs to maintain his personal power and one of the ways he does so is by seducing a long string of women. His behavior lasts throughout his life. Although Genji does not rape or cause any direct harm, it is clear that women serve subservient and passive roles in the culture depicted in The Tale of Genji. One of the prime examples of the extent of patriarchy in The Tale of Genji is when Genji meets and begins to court Murasaki. First, Genji only wants to see "Pretty little girls," a pedophiliac statement that foreshadows the courtship with his chosen favorite of the "four little girls…very pretty indeed," (p. 23)....
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