Page:A History of Japanese Literature (Aston).djvu/133

Rh that it is indeed a remarkable work. What a revelation it would be if we had the court life of Alfred's or Canute's reign depicted to us in a similar way.

Both the Genji Monogatari and the Makura Zōshi are only imperfectly intelligible even to educated Japanese, and they are little read at the present day. This is to be regretted, as modern writers would derive much benefit from making these old masterpieces their study and example.