The exotic location and the distance in time make [the sentiments of Of Nightingales That Weep] palatable—just. It has something of the formality and simplicity of a retold folk tale. Its moral message is clear: that beauty is skin-deep.

The underlying theme is derived from the concept of loyalty and the ways in which it can be expressed. Takiko, daughter of a samurai, is lady-in-waiting to Princess Aoi when she becomes infatuated with a warrior from a rival clan. The subsequent story involved slaughter, mass suicide, death from plague and ultimate betrayal; but Takiko's own brand of courage enables her to face reality and come to terms with it. If there is an element of masochism in her final choice of husband, her decision is none the less fitting in terms of the plot….

The elaborate, poetic and violent qualities of life in feudal Japan are sympathetically...