Analysis of the pillow book by sei shonagon

Unfortunately, the pillow book is the only remaining text by sei shonagon, and her life after she left court in a. Ive been hearing a lot about the pillow book lately, emily, but these choice excerpts really seal the deal. Light when shonagon writes, at the end of the pillow book, that all moonlight is moving, wherever it may be, she distills a major theme of her text 254. An analysis of the pillow book by sei shonagon and the. The pillow book ends with a possible explanation of the diarys origin. Thats the overall impression i got from this bookit reads very much like a modern livejournal or blog, being a collection of random observations on whatever shonagon found interesting, lists of things she likes or. The pillow book is an extreme example of a work that has lived past its time, and. The pillow book is the diary of sei shonagon, a courtesan at the imperial court of japan in the late 10th and early 11th century. The pillow book of sei shonagon 821 words critical. The the pillow book film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and.

A precursor of the genre zuihitsu random jottings the more literal meaning to proceed, or follow, with a brush, this literary form made its appearance under the title makura no soshi, or notes of the pillow, one thousand. Written at the height of heian culture, it is a classic text of great literary beauty, full of lively anecdotes, humorous observations, and subtle impressions. Sei shonagon, a gentlewoman serving in the imperial court of empress teishi in japan in the 990s c. The pillow book of sei shonagon is an immensely detailed account of court life in eleventhcentury japan. A pillow book uncovers individuals life, and for this situation, sei depicts the kept yet gluttonous lifestyle of the honorability at the stature of the heian period in which women of high economic wellbeing had a lot of recreation time to spend perusing and composing, being a tease and tattling joe parker, 2008. What are the elements of humor in sei shonagons pillow book. A perfect companion to that work, the pillow book of sei shonagon brings an added dimension to murasakis timeless and seminal novel and further illuminates japanese court life in all its ritualistic glory. The pillow book makura no soshi is a personalised account of life at the japanese court by sei shonagon which she completed c. The pillow book of sei shonagon a journal of sorts really is a collection of thoughts, impressions, lists and daily events of her life as a courtesan in the imperial palace. The pillow book is an extreme example of a work that has lived past its time, and attained the deathless status that writers dream of as they labour over their page or screen, transmuting their moment into momenttranscending language. It is also the best source of information on japanese court life in the heian period 7941185.

Shonagon 9661017 was a ladyinwaiting serving the japanese empress sadako in the peaceful heian era. Specifically, sei was a gentlewoman in the service of the empress teishi, from roughly the year 993 until c. The pillow book summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Sei shonagons the pillow book translated by meredith mckinney is one of the earliest, and bestknown, works of classic japanese literature. She wrote her pillow book, or collection of personal reflections, dur ing her years of service as ladyinwaiting to the empress sadako. Sei shonagons the pillow book is one of the strangest and most delightful works of literature in the entire human history. The language is beautiful and haunting sei shonagons writings were both wholly alien and disturbingly familiar. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the. A pair of silver tweezers that can actually pull out hairs properly. Less a novel than a series of musings and anecdotes, shonagons work is a description of life at the imperial court around the turn of the millennium, giving the reader an insight into how the rich. Sei shonagon provides her insightful accounts of the life at the court. Sei shonagon, the author of the pillow book, was born in 966 or 967, the daughter of kiyohara no motosuke. A pillow book is an openended and spontaneous collection of fragments, and as such may include lists, observations, poems, short personal essays and diary entries.

Thus, like other heian classics, sei shonagons work challenges the assumption that there exists an authentic text, which is definitive and remains stable through time. Images overview summary it begins with a poetic admiration of the four seasons, then a list of pet peeves called hateful things such as tiresome visitors, annoying inkstick mistakes sleepy priests performing exorcists, and random conversations. In her journal, sei shonagon describes events that happened in her daily life, e. Citations as 36 are page numbers from shonagon, sei, and meredith mckinney. Reviewing shintos influence in sei shonagons literary. The lady sei shonagon was a contemporary of lady murasaki shikibu, author of the tale of genji. The pillow book, on the other hand, is a plain record of fact, and being at least ten times as long as murasakis diary, and far more varied in contents, it is the most important document of the period that we possess. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. The work of shonagon consists of a collection of essays, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages that have little connection to one. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on sei shonagons the pillow book. I finally got around to reading this diary about courtly life in heian era right about the year japan. The pillow book of sei shonagon columbia university press. Though her world would have been familiar to her audience, which experienced her reflections only after they were unintentionally released, parts of the pillow book may seem opaque to 21stcentury.

The pillow book study guide from litcharts the creators of. Sei shonagon, who may well have allowed herself such a dream from time to time as her brush moved over the page, despite the fact that what she was writing was. The writing is very personal and it makes the book even more valuable as it does not only reveal certain customs and traditions, but unveils the way people thought. The pillow book summary from litcharts the creators of. For march i will complete the set of what is for me that trinity of great heian women writers who lived in the same world, in a sense dominated by the mystique of the tanka, but were so different from one another by adding to the legendary poet ono no komachi, and the incomparable novelist murasaki shikibu, the essayist or diarist sei shonagon, author of the pillow book. It is vivid, sarcastic, poetic and frank, and full of outspoken opinions. Together, they are the most famous of the authors of the heian era, the first period in history in which the writings of women defined, shaped, and led a nations literature born in japan in 965, there is little that we know of the details of her life except that she served as a ladyinwaiting to. She is the author of the pillow book, makura no soshi. As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish cloud trail over them.

Ive been meaning to give it a go ever since my friend becca blogged about it wow, that was three years ago. The pillow book, makura no soshi is a book of observations and musings recorded by sei shonagon during her time as court lady to empress consort. The pillow book themes from litcharts the creators of. While others may be more familiar with murasaki shikibus the tale of genji as an example of classic japanese literature of the time, i chose the pillow book instead i always lean towards bucking the trend and i was intrigued by what i had read of sei. The heian period in japanese history was the period in between 794 and 1186 c. Analysis of hateful things by lady sei shonagon echeat. Sei shonagon mostly tells us stories of her daily life, gossips about her peers, comments on fashion and the seasons.

Its opening section, which beginsharu wa akebono, or spring, dawn, is arguably the single most famous passage in japanese. Rare things a soninlaw whos praised by his wifes father. The work, which is regarded as being of the greatest importance in japanese literature, is almost unknown in the west. Whenever considering fabrics, scenes in nature, or scenes from her own life, shonagon deliberately notes the quality of. I call it a diary but the pillow book is so much more. Shonagon sei shonagon was born in japan approximately one thousand years ago. The book the pillow of sei shonagon can be regarded as a comprehensive description of the life at japanese court at the period of heian society. It provides a perspective on imperial culture in all its luxury, privilege, and poetry and is considered a masterpiece of japanese literature. The pillow book, makura no soshi is a book of observations and musings recorded by sei shonagon during her time as court lady to empress consort teishi during the 990s and early s in heian japan. Unlike the wistful and sometimes tragic mood of the tale of genji, however, the author of the pillow book expressed the feeling of. The book is full of humorous observations okashi written in the style of a diary, an approach known as zuihitsustyle rambling of which the pillow book was the first and greatest example.

The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating, detailed account of japanese court life in the eleventh century. When the first volume of the tale of genji appeared in english, the prevailing comment of critics was that the book revealed a subtle and highly developed civilization, the very existence of which had hitherto remained unsuspected. Not only when the moon shines, but on dark nights too, as the fireflies flit to and fro, and even. Get all the key plot points of sei shonagons the pillow book on one page. Sei shonagon, diarist, poet, and courtier whose witty, learned pillow book makura no soshi exhibits a brilliant and original japanese prose style and is a masterpiece of classical japanese literature. Sei shonagon was a contemporary and erstwhile rival of lady murasaki, whose novel, the tale of genji, fictionalized the court life. Sei begins filling the book with those things she finds delightful or impressive, never intending it. The pillow book, by sei shonagon i finally got around to reading this diary about courtly life in heian era right about the year japan. If sei shonagon were alive today, she would be a livejournalist. This 54page guide for the pillow book by sei shonagon includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 297 chapters, as well as several more. Written by a lady of the court at the height of heian culture, this book enthralls with its lively gossip, witty observations, and subtle impressions. The pillow book, by sei shonagon the war on loneliness.

The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. The pillow book is a collection of reflections written by japanese gentlewoman sei shonagon as a kind of journal during the 990s and early s. Citations as 20 are citing specific numbered passages from the pillow book. The pillowbook of sei shonagon by sei shonagon, 1929. This pillow book is a blend of short narratives, personal musings, and many lists of observations and experiences which sei finds beautiful or interesting. The pillow book is a diary composed by sei shonagon, a young woman who served in the imperial court at kyoto during japans heian period. Textual variants and early modern readers the pillow book is frequently identified as the japanese literary work with the largest number of textual variants. Through his elegant and readable abridged translation, arthur waley perfectly conveys sei shonagons girlish temperament and quirky. Sei herself was born in an outlying province where her father served as a governor.