Touted as being the first novel ever written, the “Tale of Genji” was written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in 11th Century Japan. Lady Murasaki brought herself to literary prowess and created a huge, explosive body of writing describing a dense world, full of psychological intrigue, simply based on the people around her. A remaining scroll, the GenjI Monogatari Emaki, illustrating the Tales, was probably produced about a century after the Tales were written. 

In the Scrolls, you see the characters in their sumptuous garments, whispering and peaking out behind screens that divide the space and rooms. I thought it was humorous that we are still hiding behind screens, our phone screens, and some of the topics that come up in the Tales revolve around “who is attracted to whom” or “who wore it best”.