The story is about a boy named Genji, son of the emperor of Japan and his various activities and problems. It once again provides a lot of information about court life in medieval Japan and also what people consider attractive in a person. Genji is consistently described as a near-perfect man, and since the book was very popular in its time, it can also be said that it depicted what many people believed to be the perfect man. If people didn't agree with many things in the book, it wouldn't have become as popular as it would be an inaccurate portrayal of human life. The role of women in life while they wait and the philandering ways of men became very evident through the book. Religion and right actions played a role in the novel, as well as Genji often refraining from doing things because it would be wrong of him to do so. Prayers and rituals are also described (although not in much detail) showing that they still had a place in life (if not a very large one). The work was still highly idealized and somewhat of a fantasy due to the perfection of Genji and some of his