The Tale of Genji, often considered the first novel in the world, was written by Lady Murasaki. It was the most venerated literary work among Japanese aristocrats and samurai warriors in early 11th-century Japan when it was written, and enjoyed by commoners in later centuries. Masako Watanabe, retired senior research associate for Japanese Art at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, talks about the visualization of the complex inner feelings of the characters as well as focusing on how depictions of the Third Princess drastically changed during the Edo period (1615–1868). The lecture introduces images of The Tale of Genji from the illustrations of the 12th century to modern manga renditions of the tale.

Sponsored by the Asian Arts Council