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. 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. This position afforded shonagon an ideal opportunity to observe the people and customs at the royal court in heian. The pillow book a of things it is pillow book sei shonagon folio society the pillow book by sei shonagon pillow book. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In her pillow book, she gives an account of the things she saw and her feelings. Diary, sei shonagon 1 sei shonagon, a lady in waiting to empress teishi or sadako, left a journal of anecdotes, impressions, and commentary called the pillowbook covering the years 986 c. Lists of things from the pillow book 17 nov 1967 the. It provides a perspective on imperial culture in all its luxury, privilege, and poetry and is considered a masterpiece of japanese literature. The author is sei shonagon, and she was given some notebooks that were lying around the palace that no one else wanted. Through his elegant and readable abridged translation, arthur waley perfectly conveys sei shonagon s girlish temperament and quirky.
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. 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 a distance. Aug 01, 2009 sei shonagon was born in japan around the year 965 ce and served as a lady in waiting to empress sadako. Nov 30, 2006 buy the pillow book penguin classics translation by sei shonagon, meredith mckinney isbn. 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. Nov 30, 2006 the pillow book ebook written by sei shonagon. Unlike the latters fictionalized view of the heianera court, shonagons journal provides a lively miscellany of anecdotes, observations, and gossip, intended to be read in juicy bits and pieces. 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. Sei shonagon collected her writings a bundle of papers kept inside her pillow in the late 900s a. Sei shonagon mostly tells us stories of her daily life, gossips about her peers, comments on fashion and the seasons. The pillow book of sei shonagon by sei shonagon alibris. Very modern and very classical, the pillow book invites us for the excursion through its amazingly poetic field that opens in many directions.
The pillow book of sei shonagon by arthur waley overdrive. 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. 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. 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. Pillow book sei shonagon text image collections book.
The pillow book of sei shonagon by sei shonagon, 1929 online research library. She wrote her pillow book, or collection of personal reflections, dur ing her years of service as ladyinwaiting to the empress sadako. Chapter literature selection the pillow book 12 by sei shonagon. One of the great classics of japanese literature, the pillow book of sei shonagon is by far our most detailed source of factual material on life in eleventhcentury japan at the height of heian culture. The pillow book of sei shonagon, an informal diary of the reminiscences of a ladyinwaiting at the court of a heian empress. The pillowbook of sei shonagon translated by ivan morris figure 1 sei shonagon viewing the snow, utagawa yoshitora, from the series calligraphy and pictures for the fiftythree stations of the tokaido, woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 1872. Jan 19, 2010 much of the pillow book is similarly personal, and the vibrant personality of the woman who wrote it makes the pillow book a delightful, fascinating, and important book to read. The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating, detailed account of japanese court life in the eleventh century. 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. Its the kind of book best read in small bits and pieces, kind of like a diary, although it isnt one, exactly. Themakura no soshi, orthe pillow bookas it is generally known in english, is a collection of personal reflections and anecdotes about life in the japanese royal court composed around the turn of the eleventh century by a woman known as sei shonagon. The pillow book recaptures this lost world with the diary of a young court lady. The work, which is regarded as being of the greatest importance in japanese literature, is almost unknown in the west. What are the elements of humor in sei shonagons pillow book.
Many of the translations are made readily available for the first time in this study. 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. She is known as the author of the pillow book makura no soshi. Sei shonagon, the author of the pillow book, was born in 966 or 967, the daughter of kiyohara no motosuke. The pillow book is a journal written by a tenthcentury ladyinwaiting to the empress of japan. The pillowbook of sei shonagon translated by ivan morris. 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 of sei shonagon, reminding her that when she turns twentyeight, in 2000, the pillow book will be one thousand years old. Shonagon sei shonagon was born in japan approximately one thousand years ago. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Pillow book by sei shonagon, first edition abebooks. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. 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 of sei shonagon columbia university press. Sei shonagon 96610171025 was a japanese author and a court lady who served the empress consort teishi around the year. 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 pillowbook of sei shonagon by sei shonagon, 1929. 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. 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. Jul 12, 2011 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. In her journal, sei shonagon describes events that happened in her daily life, e. Questia read the fulltext online edition of the pillow book of sei shonagon 1929. Slowness was one of the major qualities of being elegant and graceful. Sei shonagon was a contemporary of murasaki shikibu, who wrote the wellknown novel the tale of genji. 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.
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 pillow book is her journal, and the topics she covers are varied. Every now and then she provides a list of things, which are like tiny exhibitions organised by an unpredictable curator. 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. The author used an academic course to investigate as many as possible of the translations of the first entry in sei shonagons pillow book into other languages, including russian, french, spanish, english, german, chinese, italian, romanian, czech, dutch, danish, croatian, turkish, catalan, and bulgarian. 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.