payment page
Note: While ideas about consent and age of maturity at the time of this book's publication differed greatly from ours, Genji’s actions with Violet will no doubt present a challenge for twenty-first century readers. It's not entirely clear how old she is when Genji "consummates" their relationship, but even so, his actions can be considered problematic at best and abhorrent at worst.
Discovered by Genji when she is ten, Violet eventually becomes his most significant romantic partner. Princess Wistaria and Violet resemble one another, which is how they attract Genji’s interest. Princess Wistaria is his father's consort and later his father's wife, so she is not available to Genji, although he does father her child. She eventually retreats from court life to avoid Genji.
In contrast, Genji is able to mold Violet to suit his needs, teaching her to be a gifted poet and fine companion to him. Violet also has a strong sense of self and is able to survive alone while Genji is in exile in Suma and Akashi. Like Genji’s mother, Violet does not have strong family relations, so she can never be his wife. But the relationship they share is an enduring one, despite the fact that she is never able to bear him a son or daughter. Her character is further developed in later chapters of the novel, not covered in this SparkNote, but her youth, and Genji’s exile, mean she is only partially represented at the novel’s beginning.
