Traditional Japanese literature: an anthology, beginnings to 1600 [abridged ed. 2012]

Stretching from ancient times to the late medieval period, Traditional Japanese Literature spans both high and popular styles and contains key examples of poetry, drama, prose fiction, and essays. Its depth and breadth have made the anthology an indispensable resource for classroom and individual study. For this abridged edition, Shirane retains substantial excerpts from such masterworks as The Tale of Genji, The Tales of the Heike, The Pillow Book, Man'yoshu, and Kokinshu. He preserves his comprehensive survey of secular and religious anecdotes (setsuwa) as well as classical poems.;Acknowledgments; Historical Periods and Key Terms; Introduction; Language and Writing; Language And Writing; Power and Courtship; Power And Courtship; Loss and Integration; Sociality; Loss And Integration; Sociality; Condensation and Intertextuality; Condensation And Intertextuality; Attachment and Detachment; Attachment And Detachment; Performance and Narration; Performance And Narration; 1. The Ancient Period; The Beginnings of Japanese Literature; The Beginnings Of Japanese Literature; Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters, 712); Book 1: The Beginning.