Genealogy and Cross-Gendering in Le Roman de Silence and Ariake no Wakare [Parting at Dawn]

Le Roman de Silence and the twelfth-century Japanese court tale Ariake no Wakare [ Parting at Dawn ] feature similar constellations of themes, narrativization and reception history. They link aristocratic inheritance anxieties and female-to-male crossdressing with extraordinary musical abilities and services to a sovereign, reflecting parallel preoccupations.