The Pillow Book Sparknotes
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 sparknotes. The pillow book summary study guide supersummary a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes offers high quality study guides for challenging works of literature. This study guide contains the following sections. Sei begins filling the book with those things she finds delightful or impressive never intending it to be seen by others she claims. Yoshido kenko s essays in idleness tsurezuregusa written in the 1300s is an example of a work similar in structure it s a compilation of loosely connected sayings narratives and other passages though written from the.
This 54 page guide for the pillow book by sei shōnagon includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 297 chapters as well as several more in depth sections of expert written literary analysis. In her journal sei shonagon describes events that happened in her daily life e g. The pillow book 枕草子 makura no sōshi is a book of observations and musings recorded by sei shōnagon during her time as court lady to empress consort teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in heian japan the book was completed in the year 1002. Sei shônagon 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.
1002 ce during the heian period the book is full of humorous observations okashi written in the style of a diary an approach known as zuihitsu style rambling of which the pillow book was the first and greatest example. The pillow book ends with a possible explanation of the diary s origin. 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 moment transcending language. The work of shōnagon consists of a collection of essays anecdotes poems and descriptive passages that have little connection to one.
As a young girl in japan nagiko s father paints characters on her face and her aunt reads to her from the pillow book the diary of a 10th century lady in waiting. The the pillow book film community note includes chapter by chapter summary and analysis character list theme list historical context author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. The pillow book of sei shonagon translated from the japanese and edited by ivan morris summary study guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. Throughout the pillow book sei refers to the kokinshu a poetry anthology that was published around 905 and was avidly studied in empress teishi s court.
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 translated from the japanese and edited by ivan morris summary study guide description.