is "The Tale of Genji" worth reading, despite it's size?

Question

I'm really into Japan and such, I was wondering if I should read this.

Answer 1

Yes, it's a very moving story with TONS of societal references.

Almost no characters have names, they are referred to by their positions, which change over the course of the book, so get a version with all the footnotes to keep track of characters and
get all the info on the references. I have a very nice big paperback,I'll try to find it for you-

Answer 2

As stated above the Tale of Genji is definitely an excellent source of insight into Japan's culture. I would suggest however that one not expect to read this story without taking time to truly interpret what is said. In other words, you may not be able to breeze by this book like you would a popular fiction novel, but rather like reading a Shakespeare play. Most of the book is based on context and deep cultural cues. It is well worth the challenge, however. I hope you enjoy it!

Answer 3

Yes, it is. The story is very worth reading. I read it occasionally in both original and a manga(comic).

There is a popular Manga of The tale of Genji called "Asakiyumemishi" ( あさきゆめみし)which is written based on The tale of Genji. The cartoonist of the manga is
Ms. Waki Yamato.
Some Japanese kids just read the manga version at first
like brief reading of the long story.

http://www.kodanclub.com/cgi-local/comic.cgi?id=999-00135-01-011
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=3891&page=22
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Genji_%28manga%29

And in Japan, a lot of classical literatures including ones in Heian Era have manga version, and "Asakiyumemishi"　
is one of the most famous among those.

Answer 4

Well, I bought that two years ago and it's still sitting in it's box. I hope to get to it someday, but those two huge books seem almost like too much. since I am a guy, there's extra reason for me not to read it, because it's supposed to be more for women. My point is that it's an imposing task, male or female, love Japan or not (I love Japan because it's beautiful and very interesting, plus it gave me my fiance, all the more reason to love Japan).

Answer 5

I never had a chance to read it, but i think it is worth reading,,,I also recommend you to read the Memoirs of a Geisha,, I prefer the book than the movie, I saw the movie but not much emotion, in this book , your imagination would take you to old history and culture of Japanese women..

Answer 6

yes i would read it, size doesnt matter, lol ;)