Sei Shōnagon

Epictetus says, “Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the playwright wants it to be: short if he wants to short, long if he wants it long. If he wants you to play a beggar, play even this part skillfully, or a cripple, or a public official, or a private citizen. What is yours is to play the assigned part well. But to choose it belongs to someone else” (#17). Epictetus comes from a stoic school of philosophy, this maxim means that people are who they are meant to be. Everything that

twenty or more identically cut robes…” (Shively and McCullough 395). Such an idea of extravagant dress is echoed in many the works of prose that came out in the era. One example of a scene in which dress is commented on comes from The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon that states “…one could see the varied colours of their many-layered

glossy, and immensely long. It was parted in the middle and fell freely over the shoulders in great black cascades; ideally, when a woman stood up it reached the ground” (Morris, 1994, loc. 4153). Sei Shōnagon remarks many times throughout The Pillow Book about the length and beauty of someone's hair (Sei,

subversive learning of a language reserved for educated men, there was still animosity to be found even with an unbiased view of who should and should not learn the language. The reader is led to believe that Murasaki seemed to be literary rivals with Sei Shonagon, whom she thought was a “dreadfully conceited” woman who “littered her writing with Chinese characters, but if you examined them closely they left much to be desired” (page

compiled in the Kojiki, was created. The extensive history doesn’t just explain the Yamato Emperor’s divinity though; the Record of Ancient Matters also details how many of the cultures, customs, and beliefs of the Japanese people came about. When reading Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book, many of these customs and beliefs are mentioned again, demonstrating

The poetry was critical in order to start making connection with others, because by sending letter that contained hand-written poem, it expressed the feeling toward one another whether it is positive or negative. In Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow book, one can see many situation where the poem is used to express their thoughts in relationship between men and women. “He wants to return and write his next-morning letter before the dew on the morning glories has had time to

japanese-style poem of thirty-one syllables, also gained popularity at the Heian court” (Hane, Pg. 64). These poems allowed for an outsider to get an insight of Japan’s society and culture at the time. One of the underappreciated author’s of this time was Sei Shōnagon, her most famous work being The Pillow Book. Although her work has

Literature and fiction can be dangerous to use alone as a historical source. However, in looking at it with an analytical and open mind and incorporating it with textbooks, readers can gain tremendous knowledge from literature. Looking at the portrayal of a topic by an author is important. All authors write with specific audiences in mind, and with an intention or point. Understanding the point that authors strive to convey can reveal a great deal about opinions and perspectives of the time period

During the medieval period in Japan, court life ruled over every aspect of people’s lives. The court gave people structure and influenced their daily lives. It was an important factor when it came to finding someone to marry. However, there are some who ignore this factor. People who ignore social status can be found in The Tale of Genji. The Tale of Genji is a Japanese classic written by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shoshi in the Japanese court during the Middle Ages. The story

The above quote was my first step into the research of the Heian era. Introduced to it by a friend who had gone to school for a year in Japan, Makura no Soshi (“The Pillow Book”), written by, Sei Shōnagon and Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji brought to me a wealth of knowledge and even more fascinating questions. Given such rich cultural information, as a researcher and anthropologist it fed my desire to know more, and allowed me to really get into the nuances of court life as well as glimpses into