The Pillow Book

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon is a fascinating, detailed account of Japanese court life in the eleventh century 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 Lady Shonagon was an erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, fictionalized the elite world Lady Shonagon so eloquently relates Featuring reflections on royal and religious ceremonies, nature, conversation, poetry, and many other subjects, The Pillow Book is an intimate look at the experiences and outlook of the Heian upper class, further enriched by Ivan Morris s extensive notes and critical contextualization. Download The Pillow Book – kino-fada.fr Elegant ThingsA white coat worn over a violet waistcoat Duck eggs.Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl.A rosary of rock crystal.Snow on wisteria or plum blossoms.A pretty child eating strawberries Sei Shonagon was a lady in waiting to the Empress of Japan during the Heian period At one point, she was given some extra paper that had been lying around and decided to make a pillow book a book kept by her bed, where she jotted down stories, memories, lists, and whatev Elegant ThingsA white coat worn over a violet waistcoat Duck eggs.Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl.A rosary of rock crystal.Snow on wisteria or plum blossoms.A pretty child eating strawberries Sei Shonagon was a lady in waiting to the Empress of Japan during the Heian period At one point, she was given some extra paper that had been lying around and decided to make a pillow book a book kept by her bed, where she jotted down stories, memories, lists, and whatever else came into her head I loved this little book a lotthan I expected to For the history buffs, it s an incredibly detailed picture of court life in imperial Japan For the artistically inclined, Shonagon s images and descriptions are beautiful and stirring When crossing a river in bright moonlight, I love to see the water scatter in showers of crystal under the oxen s feet For the gossip inclined, there s tons of court gossip that Shonagon dishes out for us, and she also gives ...A thousand years ago, one evening, a woman picked up her brush, drew it over an inkstone and wrote.In spring it is the dawn that is most beautiful As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish cloud trail over them.In summer, the nights Not only when the moon shines, but on dark nights too, as the fireflies flit to and fro, and even when it rains, how beautiful it is She was a lady in waiting who served ten years in the court of a Heian Empress A thousand years ago, one evening, a woman picked up her brush, drew it over an inkstone and wrote.In spring it is the dawn that is most beautiful As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish cloud trail over them.In summer, the nights Not only when the moon shines, but on dark nights too, as the fireflies flit to and fro, and even when it rains, how beautiful it is She was a lady in waiting who served ten years in the court of a Heian Empress her given name has been lost We know her only by her family name and honorific, Sei Shonagon Yet she lives in these ancient notes as surely as if she had only just ta...Less interesting than its closest contemporary, The Tale of Genji, this is another interesting book about the intimate life of the Japanese imperial court during the Heian period as Genji is as well It ..., , ,, , ,10, , ,, , ,10 , ,, ,, ,, , ,, , ,, ., , , , ,,Lovely, amazing, brilliant book from a court lady with spectacular wit and humor I really need to reread this again some day When I have a week to spare.I ve never had to work so hard to read a book before It s been years since I ve read it, but this book took me days and days ...He spoke to me of Sei Sh nagon, a lady in waiting to Princess Sadako at the beginning of the 11th century, in the Heian period Do we ever know where history is really made Rulers ruled and used complicated strategies to fight one another Real power was in the hands of a family of hereditary regents the emperor s court had become nothingthan a place of intrigues and intellectual games But by learning to draw a sort of melancholy comfort from the contemplation of the tiniest things thi He spoke to me of Sei Sh nagon, a lady in waiting to Princess Sadako at the beginning of the 11th century, in the Heian period Do we ever know where history is really made Rulers ruled and used complicated strategies to fight one another Real power was in the hands of a family of hereditary regents the emperor s court had become nothingthan a place of intrigues and intellectual games But by learning to draw a sort of melancholy comfort from the contemplation of the tiniest things this small group of idlers left a mark on Japanese sensibility much deeper than the mediocre thundering of the politicians Shonagon had... AcknowledgementsChronologyIntroductionFurther ReadingNote on the Translation The Pillow Book Appendix 1 PlacesAppendix 2 People and Where They AppearAppendix 3 TimeAppendix 4 Glossary of General TermsAppendix 5 Court Ranks, Titles and BureaucracyAppendix 6 Clothes and Colour GlossaryNotesIncredible, witty, beautiful prose Shonagon Sei was a sarcastic and insightful woman who was unafraid to air out her own prejudices staples among her lists of hated things commoners, and exorcists who fall asleep on the job , as well as her love for all things beautiful and the mildly hilarious Many call this the earliest blog in history, but it s muchthan that It s a vivid, if not remarkable look into Heian court life through the eyes of a strong Japanese woman, a true individual o Incredible, witty, beautiful prose Shonagon Sei was a sarcastic and insightful woman who was unafraid to air out her own prejudices staples among her lists of hated things commoners, and exorcists who fall asleep on the job , as well as her love for all things beautiful and the mildly hilarious Many call this the earliest blog in history, but it s muchthan that It s a vivid, if not remarkable look into Heian court life through the eyes of a strong Japanese woman, a true individual of that time.My favorite sections were when Sei discusses the Royal Family, specifically the young Empress, whom Sei waited upon Different from the other passages, which vary between bitingly sarcastic portrayals of her peers to descriptions of beautiful landscapes, the entries about the Empress are colored with muchgentle and affectionate emotions Disarmingly human It is friendship, adoration, and...This famous 10th century Japanese journal The Pillow Book Penguin, 2006 by Sei Shonagon translated by Dr Meredith McKinney is a bitdescriptive than its predecessor The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon Penguin, 1981 translated by Dr Ivan Morris as we can see to compare, tentatively, from the following extracted paragraphs 1 In spring, the dawn when the slowly paling mountain rim is tinged with red, and wisps of faintly crimson purple cloud float in the sky.In summer, the night m This famous 10th century Japanese journal The Pillow Book Penguin, 2006 by Sei Shonagon translated by Dr Meredith McKinney is a bitdescriptive than its predecessor The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon Penguin, 1981 translated by Dr Ivan Morris as we can see to compare, tentatively, from the following extracted paragraphs 1 In spring, the dawn when the slowly paling mountain rim is tinged with red, and wisps of faintly crimson purple cloud float in the sky.In summer, the night moonlit nights, of course, but also at the dark of the moon, it s beautiful when fireflies are dancing everywhere in a mazy flight And it s delightful too to see just one or two fly through the darkness, glowing softly Rain falling on a summer night is also lovely p 3 Morris s text 1 In Spring It Is the Dawn...3.5 starsImpressively I found this translated book by Dr Ivan Morris interestingly enjoyable, informative andin detail than the one by Dr Arthur Waley in the same title Tuttle, 2011 since it totally comprises 185 topics followed by each translated text Unfortunately, this book is not the complete translation because you have to read it in another one by another publisher, that is, Oxford University Press and Columbia University Press, 1967 p 16 In the meantime, I think we should be 3.5 starsImpressively I ...

• English
• 18 January 2017
Sei Shōnagon
• Paperback
• 419 pages
• 0231073372
• Sei Shōnagon
• The Pillow Book