Stretching from ancient times to the late medieval period, Traditional Japanese Literature spans both high and popular styles and contains key examples of poetry, drama, prose fiction, and essays. Its depth and breadth have made the anthology an indispensable resource for classroom and individual study. For this abridged edition, Shirane retains substantial excerpts from such masterworks as The Tale of Genji, The Tales of the Heike, The Pillow Book, Man'yoshu, and Kokinshu. He preserves his comprehensive survey of secular and religious anecdotes (setsuwa) as well as classical poems with extensive commentary. He features classic no drama; selections from influential war epics; and notable essays on poetry, fiction, history, and religion. Texts are interwoven, bringing common themes, styles, and allusions into sharp relief while inviting comparison and debate. The conscientious incorporation of well-known classics and lesser-known popular texts enables a rich encounter with classical and medieval Japanese culture and history, and each text and genre benefits from extensive introductions offering sociopolitical and cultural context. The anthology is divided by period, genre, and topic-an instructor friendly structure-and a comprehensive bibliography guides readers toward further study.
