This Norton Critical Edition includes: * Dennis Washburn's acclaimed and unabridged translation of Murasaki Shikibu's eleventh-century literary masterpiece, widely considered the world's first novel. * Editorial matter by Dennis Washburn. * Fourteen background selections-from the eleventh-century The Daughter of Sugawara no Takasue to Virginia Woolf-carefully selected to increase the reader's understanding and appreciation of this nuanced and vibrant work. * Nine critical essays on The Tale of Genji 's central themes. * An index of songs and poetry, three chronologies and a selected bibliography. About the Series Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format-annotated text, contexts and criticism-helps students to better understand, analyse and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or