num_pages: 337
description: The World of the Shining Prince, Ivan Morris's widely acclaimed portrait of the ceremonious, inbred, melancholy world of ancient Japan, has been a standard in cultural studies for nearly thirty years. Using as a frame of reference The Tale of Genji and other major literary works from Japan's Heian period, Morris recreates an era when woman set the cultural tone. Focusing on the world of the emperor's court-the world so admired by Virginia Woolf and others-he describes the politics, society, religious life, and superstitions of the times, providing detailed portrayals of the daily life of courtiers, the cult of beauty they espoused, and the intricate relations between the men and women of this milieu.
language: English
title: The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan
titlecomplete: The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan
genres: Asia, Historical, Japanese History, Cultural, Japanese Literature, Reference, Japan, Nonfiction, History, Literary Criticism
ratings_count: 845
places: Japan
awards: awardedAt: -189360000000
name: Duff Cooper Prize
publisher: Kodansha USA