Description
Book SynopsisFlowering Tales is the first extensive literary study of A Tale of Flowering Fortunes (Eiga monogatari), a historical tale that covers 150 years of births, deaths, and happenings of late Heian society, a golden age of Japanese court literature.
Trade ReviewSuperb…This study radiates an intense commitment to understanding
Eiga on its own terms while at the same time striving to communicate its particular genius to an audience of a very different place and time…[O]ne can say that Watanabe has succeeded brilliantly in creating an empathetic study of an ‘affective history.’ -- Sonja Arntzen * Monumenta Nipponica *
Superbly written, studded with thought-provoking analogies to contemporary social phenomena, this work illuminates
Eiga as an original genre of ‘affective history.’ * Choice *
Careful and insightful…we finally have a guidebook for navigating—and even appreciating—Akazome Emon’s impressive dedication to recording and structuring the world around her…Through meticulous readings and evocative imagery,
Flowering Tales brings Emon’s world alive, and in revealing
Eiga to be much more than the verbose musings of an undisciplined author, Watanabe enriches and complicates our understanding of Heian writings. -- Erin L. Brightwell * Journal of Japanese Studies *
