The Modern Murasaki

The first anthology of its kind, The Modern Murasaki brings the vibrancy and rich imagination of women's writing from the Meiji period to English-language readers. Along with traditional prose, the editors have chosen and carefully translated short stories, plays, poetry, speeches, essays, and personal journal entries. Selected readings include writings by the public speaker Kishida Toshiko, the dramatist Hasegawa Shigure, the short-fiction writer Shimizu Shikin, the political writer Tamura Toshiko, and the novelists Miyake Kaho, Higuchi Ichiyo, Tazawa Inabune, Kitada Usurai, Nogami Yaeko, and Mizuno Senko. The volume also includes a thorough introduction to each reading, an extensive index listing historical, social, and literary concepts, and a comprehensive guide to further research.

The fierce tenor and bold content of these texts refute the popular belief that women of this era were passive and silent. A vital addition to courses in women's studies and Japanese literature and history, The Modern Murasaki is a singular resource for students and scholars.

Preface
Introduction: Meiji Women Writers, by Rebecca L. Copeland
Meiji Women's Poetry, by Laurel Rasplica Rodd
Selected Poems by Meiji Women
Kishida Toshiko (1863-1901), by Rebecca L. Copeland and Aiko Okamoto MacPhail
Daughters in Boxes
Miyake Kaho (1868-1944), by Rebecca L. Copeland
Warbler in the Grove
Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896), by Kyoko Omori
Higuchi Ichiyo's Journal Entries
Tazawa Inabune (1874-1896), by Melek Ortabasi
The Temple of Godai
Kitada Usurai (1876-1900), by Melek Ortabasi
Wretched Sights
Hiding the Gray
Shimizu Shikin (1868-1933), by Rebecca Jennison
How Determined Are Today's Women Students?
The Broken Ring
School for Emigrés
Hasegawa Shigure (1879-1941), by Carole Cavanaugh
Wavering Traces
Nogami Yaeko (1885-1985), by Eleanor J. Hogan
Persimmon Sweets
Mizuno Senko (1888-1919), by Barbara Hartley
For More Than Forty Days
Tamura Toshiko (1884-1945), by Edward Fowler
Lifeblood
The Vow
Further Reading
Contributors
Indexv