The Pillow Book

Both The Pillow Book and The Song of Roland gives us an insight about the dominant groups during its respective period. The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon provides us with the picture of aristocracy in Japan during the Heian period. Sei Shonagon served as a court lady to the empress around the year 1000 and through her time she records her opinions and her experiences in the court. On the other hand The Song of Roland offers us the history of battles during the reign of Charlemagne and how his government

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

Comparison of Sei Shonagon and Marie de France      Though more than two hundred years have separated Sei Shonagon and Marie de France, the scene is much the same. A courtly lady sits in a candle-lit room, with her writing hand poised above a book of parchment. Her face brightens in an instant of inspiration and she scribbles furiously onto the paper. This woman is closely associated with the royal court and is something of an anachronism, a woman author in a male-dominated world. The scene

At a glance, The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon hardly appears to offer more than a personal collection of observations. Having no clear intention of releasing her work to the public, the author instead deals with matters of her daily life without any pretense to historical accuracy. In doing so, however, she provides a firsthand account of court society during the Heian period, allowing for valuable insights into the culture that undoubtedly surrounded her. As a lady-in-waiting herself, Sei Shōnagon

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,

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

as many as 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

The Pillow Book, written by Sei Shonagon in the late 10th century, is a “slender catchall of personal observation” described as informal, unstructured, and highly opinionated of Japanese court life. It is compiled into three different categories including lists, diary entries, and personal reflections that reveal the author’s life. Shonagon portrays the confined but hedonistic lifestyle of the nobility at the height of the Heian period in which women of high social status had plenty of leisure time

Sei Shnagon’s The Pillow Book’s Enjoyableness and Importance Many works of fiction acquire polarizing opinions, based on their writing and content. The Pillow Book by Sei Shnagon is no exception. The diary-like collection of stories may be off-putting to some Western readers, with them possibly viewing it as a hodgepodge of thoughts and words that offer no significant meaning. However, despite such an opinion, the zuihitsu-styled book proves to be an enjoyable and influential read. Each selection

Pillow Book + Essays in Idleness Synthesis Essay In The Pillow Book, Sei Shonagon uses a very distinct style of aesthetics to describe the world around her and her perception of it. She describes everything with a romantic persona that shows her outlook of the world in a beautiful, passionate way. From the very beginning of The Pillow Book, Shonagon’s romantic aesthetic is overwhelmingly evident. The first sentence of the book, “In spring, the dawn – when the slowly paling mountain rim is tinged