Satire in the pillow book there is no audience in sei shonagons pillow book, so even though her implications may be less apparent, the satire is still just as immanent. Unlike the wistful and sometimes tragic mood of the tale of genji, however, the author of the pillow book expressed the feeling of. The pillow book of sei shonagon asia for educators. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on sei shonagons the pillow book. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. A contemporary of murasaki shikibu, who wrote the tale of genji, sei shonagon reflects the same concern with style and taste typical of the period. This 54page guide for the pillow book by sei shonagon includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 297 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Apr 11, 2014 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. Memoirs of a lady on the make 1,000 years ago in japan, a court ladyinwaiting, sei shonagon, kept a journal, her pillow book, of her life, loves and intense dislikes. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. With vivian wu, ewan mcgregor, yoshi oida, ken ogata. Sei lists various flowering trees, deciding that the best blossoms are those of the red plum.
A common custom of the time period, courtiers used to keep notes or a diary in a wooden pillow with a drawer. It is, more or less, the diary of the noblewoman sei shonagon, detailing her daily life in heiankyo. Sei shonagon uses a similar tactic in her pillow book. I call it a diary but the pillow book is so much more. The pillow book of sei shonagon, an informal diary of the reminiscences of a ladyinwaiting at the court of a heian empress. Sei served her empress during the late heian period a particularly vibrant time for japanese arts and the beginning of japans feudal age and was a contemporary of. Chapters 19 summary chapter 1 begins with lyrical descriptions of the sky in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The pillow book is an experiment in the potential of film. This study guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the pillow book of sei sh.
The pillow book major character analysis supersummary. The ground to present such ideology is that ma y of the women within the ancient centuries were denied various rights since many of the men were opposed to the perspective of according rights to. 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. 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. The pillow book is her journal, and the topics she covers are varied. Chapter 1, page 3 shonagon demonstrates her attention to nature from the very first chapter of the book. 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. The classic portrayal of court life in tenthcentury japan written by the court gentlewoman sei shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, the pillow book offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the heian period, describing the exquisite pleasures of a confined world in which poetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated, while harsh reality was kept firmly at. She wrote the pillow book around1002 and is a collection of impressions of court life. The pillow book is one of the masterpieces of japanese literature. The classic portrayal of court life in tenthcentury japan written by the court gentlewoman sei shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, the pillow book offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the heian period, describing the exquisite pleasures of a confined world in which poetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated, while harsh. As a member of the imperial court, she was known for her wit and poetry. So do poetic associationsthe orange tree, for example, is associated with the beloved hototogisu bird, which perches in its branches.
Sei shonagon, the author of the pillow book, was born in 966 or 967, the daughter of kiyohara no motosuke. She was a tremendously witty lady of the court in 10th century japan who kept a private diary of various lists and commentaries, and this is one of them. Giphy finding a large number of tales that one has not read before. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. The pillow book quotes explanations with page numbers. The author is sei shonagon, and she was given some notebooks that were lying around the palace that no one else wanted. Nagikos father was a calligrapher, and when she was a little girl he would write his birthday greetings on her face. Many of the translations are made readily available for the first time in this study.
A week of prompts from the pillow book transactions. If sei shonagon were alive today, she would be a livejournalist. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. 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.
Buy the pillow book of sei shonagon by sei shonagon online at alibris. Sei shonagon s the pillow book is one of the strangest and most delightful works of literature in the entire human history. 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. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on the pillow book of sei shonagon, translated from the japanese and edited by ivan morris by sei shonagon. Thats the overall impression i got from this book it reads very much like a modern livejournal or blog, being a collection of random observations on whatever shonagon found interesting, lists of things she. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the pillow book. As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are. Her name her birthdeath date her relationships husbandchildren her life after the court what we know about sei shonagon. The films title, the pillow book is a reference to an ancient japanese diary written by sei shonagon. Wrote during heian era japan over a years ago its author sei shonagon, as she was known at the imperial court, wrote numerous musings about her life, recorded events that happened at the palace and documented the everyday. 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 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. A pair of silver tweezers that can actually pull out hairs properly. The pillow book of sei shonagon columbia university press.
The pillow book summary sparknotes the classic portrayal of court life in tenthcentury japan written by the court gentlewoman sei shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, the pillow book offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the heian period, describing the exquisite pleasures of a confined world in which poetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated. In her journal, sei shonagon describes events that happened in her daily life, e. Nov 30, 2006 the pillow book ebook written by sei shonagon. The pillow book study guide literature guide litcharts. The title of this book is the pillow book of sei shonagon and it was written by ivan morris translator. The pillow book of sei shonagon by ivan morris 9780231073370. Instant downloads of all 1297 litchart pdfs including the pillow book. The film is a melding of dark modern drama with idealised chinese and japanese cultural themes and settings, and centres on body painting. The work, which is regarded as being of the greatest importance in japanese literature, is almost unknown in the west. Sei shonagons pillow book makura no soshi is the private journal of a ladyinwaiting to the empress of japan written during the 990s. Chapter literature selection the pillow book 12 by sei shonagon. This 54page guide for the pillow book by sei shonagon includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 297 chapters, as well as several more. She was a gentlewoman at court, serving the empress teishi, and she uses a pillow book the empress has given her to write about the things that delight, or that people find. The pillow book by sei shonagon is of salient discussion given the case that it presents various segments that would help one to analyze her as woman.
Lists of things from the pillow book 17 nov 1967 the. Her mother would read aloud from a 1,000yearold manuscript, italics the pillow book of sei shonagon, unital which dealt among other things with the arts of love. The work of shonagon consists of a collection of essays, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages that have little connection to one. The pillow book, written about 1002, is a collection of impressions of court life by the court lady sei shonagon. Sei shonagon collected her writings a bundle of papers kept inside her pillow in the late 900s a. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the. The pillow book of sei shonagon by sei shonagon alibris. Series 2 fire episode 1 of 5 by robert forrest first broadcast on bbc radio 4, monday 08 june 2009 second series inspired by the writings of sei shonagon.
The pillow book is also the name of a series of radio thrillers written by robert forrest and broadcast on bbc radio 4 s womans hour drama. Nov 30, 2006 the pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. Women essential questions the author what we dont know about sei shonagon. Sei shonagon writing styles in the pillow book of sei sh. Books memoirs of a lady on the make 1,000 years ago in japan, a court ladyinwaiting, sei shonagon, kept a journal, her pillow book, of her life, loves and intense dislikes. The pillow book is a journal written by a tenthcentury ladyinwaiting to the empress of japan. The pillow book makura no soshi is a personalised account of life at the japanese court by sei shonagon which she completed c. Jan 18, 2010 ive been hearing a lot about the pillow book lately, emily, but these choice excerpts really seal the deal. Or acquiring the second volume of a tale whose first volume. The pillow book, by sei shonagon the war on loneliness.
Gender issues in the pillow book and the essays in idleness. Shonagon fixates on the blazing sun and its low position very close to the mountain rim, or the unutterably delightful sight of snow in the winter morning 3. The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating, detailed account of japanese court life in the eleventh century. The pillow book pb by sei shonagon and the essays in idleness ei by yoshida kenko are both considered classic japanese literature.
Sei shonagon sei shonagon, author of the pillow book, lived between approximately 966 and 1017 in a city that is now kyoto, japan. Worlding sei shonagon guides the reader through the remarkable translation history of the pillow book in the west, gathering almost fifty translations of the spring, dawn passage, which span onehundredandthirtyfive years and sixteen languages. She spent most of her time in a dimly lit room, protected from the eyes of males by silken hangings what language was the pillow book written in. The pillowbook of sei shonagon translated by ivan morris. Textual variants and early modern readers the pillow book is frequently identified as the japanese literary work with the largest number of textual variants. Sei served her empress during the late heian period a particularly vibrant time for japanese arts and the beginning of japans feudal age and was a. Thats the overall impression i got from this book it 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 dislikes, and snippets or scraps of poetry. 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. The pillow book of sei shonagon was a product of a tenthcentury courtiers experiences in the palace of empress teishi.
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. Literature selection from the pillow book by sei shonagon sei shonagon was a ladyinwaiting to empress sadako during the last decade of the 10th century in japan. Hateful things by sei shonagon hateful things is an excerpt from sei shonagon s pillow book. Time of day, or weather conditionsearly morning rain, for instanceaffect the beauty of various blossoms. Sei shonagons penchant for lists happily reminds me of ibn hazm of cordoba, an andalusian writer from the 11th century whose the ring of the dove is a classificationhappy treatise on love and lovers with chapter titles like on those who, having fallen in love with a certain quality. 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. And while the pear blossom is generally considered to. Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl. The film is narrated by nagiko, a japanese model living in. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Reviews of the the pillow book until now about the e book we have now the pillow book comments consumers havent still eventually left their particular overview of the action, or you cannot make out the print still. The the pillow book film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. Shonagon 9661017 was a ladyinwaiting serving the japanese empress sadako in the peaceful heian era.
The pillow book by sei shonagon was written in the 11th. Rare things a soninlaw whos praised by his wifes father. Apr 20, 2017 the pillow book makura no soshi is a personalised account of life at the japanese court by sei shonagon which she completed c. Shonagon sei shonagon was born in japan approximately one thousand years ago. Written in the kamakura period in theth century, and therefore three centuries after the pillow book the essays in idleness even have a reference to sei shonagon s literacy work ei, 3. 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.
Jan 19, 2010 unfortunately, the pillow book is the only remaining text by sei shonagon, and her life after she left court in a. Introduction sei shonagon s pillow book makura no soshi is the private journal of a ladyinwaiting to the empress of japan written during the 990s. Find the quotes you need in sei shonagon s the pillow book, sortable by theme, character, or section. Sei shonagon s pillow book is one of the greatest japanese literary works. In this 5 part program, karen lindsey reads professor ivan morris translation of the pillow book, 1967 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 11th century in heian japan. Feb 22, 2014 the pillow book, by sei shonagon various publishers. These are detective stories with sei shonagon as a principal character and feature many of her lists. The pillow book by sei shonagon plot summary litcharts. 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. Specifically, sei was a gentlewoman in the service of the empress teishi, from roughly the year 993 until c.
Unfortunately, the pillow book is the only remaining text by sei shonagon, and her life after she left court in a. The tale of genji by murasaki shikibu plot summary. She wrote her pillow book, or collection of personal reflections, dur ing her years of service as ladyinwaiting to the empress sadako. The pillow book is a 1996 erotic drama film written and directed by peter greenaway, which stars vivian wu as nagiko, a japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers. This pillow book is a blend of short narratives, personal musings, and many lists of observations and experiences which sei finds beautiful or interesting. Because children invest their birthdays with enormous importance, its no wonder that when nagiko grows up she. This position afforded shonagon an ideal opportunity to observe the people and customs at the royal court in heian.
The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. A fat person with a great amount of hair looks hot someone whos. Thus, like other heian classics, sei shonagon s work challenges the assumption that there exists an authentic text, which is definitive and remains stable through time. 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. Every now and then she provides a list of things, which are like tiny exhibitions organised by an unpredictable curator. Sei herself was born in an outlying province where her father served as a governor. The pillow book is a classic of japanese literature, completed in c. Written during the heian period by sei shonagon, ladyinwaiting of empress teishi, it is an impressionistic compendium of hundreds of things classified by categories rare.
Shrugging off praise, shonagon admits, i am the sort of person who approves of what others abhor and detests the things they like. Sei shonagon, a gentlewoman serving in the imperial court of empress teishi in japan in the 990s c. Aug 01, 2009 sei shonagon was born in japan around the year 965 ce and served as a lady in waiting to empress sadako. Sei shonagon often wrote about peeping from behind a curtain or screen. She authored the pillow book, a collection of lists, gossip, poetry, observations, complaints and anything else. In her pillow book, she gives an account of the things she saw and her feelings.
Ive been meaning to give it a go ever since my friend becca blogged about it wow, that was three years ago. It rejects convention and asks the viewer to forget traditions and entrenched assumptions. Gender issues in the pillow book and the essays in. She spent most of her time in a dimly lit room, protected from the eyes of males by silken hangings. A woman with a body writing fetish seeks to find a combined lover and calligrapher. The emperor falls in love with a court lady and she becomes his new favorite. 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. Get all the key plot points of sei shonagons the pillow book on one page. And oh how inexpressible, when the sun has sunk, to hear in the growing darkness the wind, and the song of autumn insects.
224 763 1474 1362 722 912 882 1151 616 70 1043 213 603 1477 109 873 1044 564 1226 102 45 1400 1459 611 1538 150 937 42 360 1311 806 658 946 53 993 855 1476 1315 483