{"product_id":"the-tale-of-matsura-wayne-lammers-9780472038176","title":"The Tale of Matsura: Fujiwara Teika's Experiment in Fiction","description":"Fujiwara Teika is known as the premier poet and literary scholar of the early 13th century. It is not so widely known that he also tried his hand at fiction: \u003ci\u003eMumyōzōshi\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eUntitled Leaves\u003c\/i\u003e; ca. 1201) refers to \"several works\" by Teika and then names \u003ci\u003eMatsura no miya monogatari\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Matsura\u003c\/i\u003e; ca. 1190) as the only one that can be considered successful. The work is here translated in full, with annotation. Set in the pre-Nara period, \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Matsura\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a young Japanese courtier, Ujitada, who is sent to China with an embassy and has a number of supernatural experiences while there. Affairs of the heart dominate \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Matsura\u003c\/i\u003e, as is standard for courtly tales. Several of its other features break the usual mold, however: its time and setting; the military episode that would seem to belong instead in a war tale; scenes depicting the sovereign's daily audiences, in which formal court business is conducted; a substantial degree of specificity in referring to things Chinese; a heavy reliance on fantastic and supernatural elements; an obvious effort to avoid imitating \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e as other late-Heian tales had done; and a most inventive ending. The discussion in the introduction briefly touches upon each of these features, and then focuses at some length on how characteristics associated with the poetic ideal of \u003ci\u003eyōen\u003c\/i\u003e inform the tale. Evidence relating to the date and authorship of the tale is explored in two appendixes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Wayne Lammers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0472038176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780472038176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Michigan Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/19\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 222\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.73lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.51d","brand":"Wayne Lammers","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43943335854335,"sku":"9780472038176","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_1df8de2e-bf7e-42a0-9456-703ddf2bdbdf.jpg?v=1681497541","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-tale-of-matsura-wayne-lammers-9780472038176","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}