The importance of poetry for social relations and courtship amoung courtiers and the importance of it regarding communication, not just producing art is very interesting as far as understanding the social relationships among the elite. The pitfalls of courtly life in the "Tale of Genji" and the way patriarchal leaders/princes were glorified but also flawed really shows the complexities of court life but also the questionable paternity that even though it is fiction, likely occurred as well. I think the comparison to the "me too" movement with the "Tale of Genji" is also interesting because it demonstrates the diffulties women faced and the influence of Confucian patriarchy. With the "me too" comparison" I also recently taught my classes about the "comfort women" of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the recent controversy regarding Harvard professor J. Mark Ramseyer's claim that they were all voluntary sex workers at that time. I think it relates to the "me too" movement" as well because these women still have a professor at an Ivy League University denying their experience and their history. So that brings me back to why it is extremely interesting that the noble women of classical Japan were also literate and communicated their experiences as well, although not directly with their names attributed to it.
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