A pillow book is a sort of diary filled with the days observations. Even her personal name isnt known for sure sei is a variation of the family name, kiyohara, and shonagon might be a reference to a husbands or. Sei shonagons the pillow book translated by meredith mckinney is. The pillow book 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. Full study guide for this title currently under development.
Sei shonagon, the author of the pillow book, was born in 966 or 967, the daughter of kiyohara no motosuke. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the. A fat person with a great amount of hair looks hot someone whos. Women essential questions the author what we dont know about sei shonagon. The pillow book by sei shonagon penguin books australia. 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 pillow book of sei shonagon by sei shonagon alibris. 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. The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. Sei shonagon isnt it odd to think a dog would have such fine feelings. 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. She was a gentlewoman in the imperial court known for her wit and clever poetry.
Or acquiring the second volume of a tale whose first volume one has enjoyed. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Hateful things by sei shonagon hateful things is an excerpt from sei shonagons pillow 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 pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of literature. This is the blog of leila raven, aka katt, welcome to the inside of my head. This book is an absolute treasure, and this paperback publication is nicely presented. The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating, detailed accou. 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. The pillow book makura no soshi is a personalised account of life at the japanese court by sei shonagon which she completed c. 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 work of shonagon consists of a collection of essays, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages that have little connection to one. 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.
The pillow book summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Inspired by the ancient japanese journal of sei shonagon, lady in waiting to empress teishi sadako, pillow book gallery is the chronicle of life and love. 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. Hateful things the following is an excerpt from the pillow book, a japanese classic. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. Unlike the wistful and sometimes tragic mood of the tale of genji, however, the author of the pillow book expressed the feeling of. Sei shonagons pillow book, written by a court gentlewoman in 10th century japan, is thoroughly enjoyable. Instant downloads of all 1297 litchart pdfs including the pillow book. In her pillow book, she gives an account of the things she saw and her feelings. Its still mostly deadon accurate, over a thousand years later, and it always cheers me up when. In her journal, sei shonagon describes events that happened in her daily life, e. The pillow book study guide literature guide litcharts. Its opening section, which begins haru wa akebono, or spring, dawn, is arguably the single most famous passage in japanese literature. If sei shonagon were alive today, she would be a livejournalist.
Reviews the pillow book of sei shonagon, translated. This one was written by sei shonagon c9661017, a ladyinwaiting to the empress sadako during the last decade of the tenth century. The pillow book is an extreme example of a work that has lived past its time, and attained. The pillow book, by sei shonagon the war on loneliness. The pillow book is a compendium of seis thoughts on various subjects, in the form of. Seis description of natural scenes and phenomena are admired for their vividness and subtlety, their both poetic and. Its the kind of book best read in small bits and pieces, kind of like a diary, although it isnt one, exactly. She is a gentlewoman in the service of empress teishi.
I call it a diary but the pillow book is so much more. 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. To help us recommend your next book, tell us what you enjoy reading. This lesson is intended to use literature of its time to help students understand heian court culture. The work, which is regarded as being of the greatest importance in japanese literature, is almost unknown in the west. 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 character of sei shonagon in the pillow book from. The pillow book of sei shonagon by morris, ivan translated and edited by and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The pillow book of sei shonagon, translated and edited by ivan morris. She was the daughter of kiyohara no motosuke, a provincial governor and noted poet. The pillow book is one of the masterpieces of japanese literature. Plot overview and analysis written by an experienced literary critic. Shonagon sei shonagon was born in japan approximately one thousand years ago. Specifically, sei was a gentlewoman in the service of the empress teishi, from roughly the year 993 until c. Its lyrical style and compelling images have captured the imagination of readers worldwide. Pillow book by sei shonagon, first edition abebooks. Sei shonagon, a gentlewoman serving in the imperial court of empress teishi in japan in the 990s c. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Get all the key plot points of sei shonagons the pillow book on one page. The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating, detailed account of japanese court life in the eleventh century.
It is almost like reading a blog from ancient japan. In it she included lists of all kinds, personal thoughts, interesting events in court, poetry, and some opinions on her contemporaries. Shrugging off praise, shonagon admits, i am the sort of person who approves of. Nun i think it will stay there until beyond the tenth day of. She has opinions about everything from the length of sleeves to which flowers and. Poetry was a big deal then you would be justified in severing all contact with a lover if he sent you poor poetry. The pillow book 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 11th century in heian japan. Little is known of sei s biography beyond the experiences she records in the pillow book.
The empress is wearing a white robe with a crimson chinese damask. The pillowbook of sei shonagon translated by ivan morris. Beneath this, she is wearing a clovetan or yellow gossamersilk shift, and the long strings of her unlined scarlet skirted trousers trailing undone from below the hem of her clothing tell us that she must have fallen asleep with trousers still untied after her lover departed. Sei shonagon is the author of the diary entries that comprise the pillow book. Sei herself was born in an outlying province where her father served as a governor. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. See a complete list of the characters in the scarlet letter and indepth analyses of hester prynne, roger chillingworth, arthur dimmesdale, pearl, governor bellingham, and mistress hibbins. There are stories, lists, and characters that all revolve around this theme. As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish cloud trail over them. This pillow book is a blend of short narratives, personal musings, and many lists of observations and experiences which sei finds beautiful or interesting. Introduction sei shonagons pillow book makura no soshi is the private journal of a ladyinwaiting to the empress of japan written during the 990s. The author is sei shonagon, and she was given some notebooks that were lying around the palace that no one else wanted. 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 the diary of sei shonagon, a courtesan at the imperial court of japan in the late 10th and early 11th century. Her name her birthdeath date her relationships husbandchildren her life after the court what we know about sei shonagon. Every now and then she provides a list of things, which are like. The pillow book by sei shonagon plot summary litcharts. Sei reveals relatively little about her life and relationships within the pillow book itself. She would have been in her late twenties when she became a courtier, and she remained in teishis court until the empresss death around the year c. 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. The pillow book of sei shonagon by morris ivan translated.
She is very funny, and her cutting wit is relentless. 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 diary of a courtesan in tenth century japan at. The theme of beauty runs throughout the pillow book. Ive been hearing a lot about the pillow book lately, emily, but these choice excerpts really seal the deal. The pillow book is her journal, and the topics she covers are varied.
Unfortunately, the pillow book is the only remaining text by sei shonagon, and her life after she left court in a. The striking thing about this book is that it really seems like sei shonagon the author wanted her work to be read by people of the future. 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. In summary, the difficulty in establishing a viable reading strategy for. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on sei shonagons the pillow book. Sei shonagon collected her writings a bundle of papers kept inside her pillow in the late 900s a. The pillow book, by sei shonagon various publishers. A woman of the lower classes dressed in a scarlet trouserskirt. Sei shonagon was born in japan around the year 965 ce and served as a lady in waiting to empress sadako. The pillow book of sei shonagon columbia university press.