The open boat is lost among the reeds.

1. What effect does our humanity have on beauty in the world?

2. What is the significance of the use of poetry in the novel?

3. What adjectives best characterize each of the following characters: Emperor, Fujitsubo, Genji, & Murasaki?

1. Identify the key poems of the work.

2. How does Genji serve as a tragic hero?

3. Bring your own interpretive questions about this work.