The Pillow Book

  • According to entry 529, the author had no intention of revealing her diary to the public. Wasn’t meant for public consumption because the diary was for her own personal use. Any evidence that she did intend it for public use?
  • The Pillow Book can be related to the modern day social media. Currently, people use social media as a tool to express what they are feeling or ideas that they have. The difference between the two is that the Pillow Book is a more private matter when compared to the public aspect of social media.
  • One of the benefits of the unique writing style of this piece is the fact that all of the ideas discussed are here own. The diary lacks the influence of other people ideas and views. Gives a more realistic perception of the things she discusses
  • She might of knew that her pillow book would be read in the future. – “I did my best to keep it a secret, but despite all my intentions I’m afraid it has come to light” (Page 1153)
  • “I’m utterly perplexed to hear that people who’ve read my work have said that it makes them feel humble in the face of it” (Page 1153) – She’s astonished that people feel the same way she does. The author doesn’t realize how candid and compelling her work is to other people. During this period of time, women were not held as equals to that of men, so the respect that people have for her work perplexes her.
  • Also during this period of time in China, woman who are part of the aristocracy are well written and spoken.
  • The argument can be made that the author intended for work to be published. In the second to last paragraph, she writes, “When Captain of … put out for him.” This connotes the idea that the author had intention of publishing her work, because it seems odd that she would just leave it out for all to see. SeiShonagan is an alias for her writing.
  • She also talks with the “you” voice as if writing to an audience
  • She notes that she means to write things that “delight, or that people find impressive”—why not just write “I write about what I like,” unless you’re intending some kind of audience?
  • Makura no Sushi is the Japanese name for the Pillow Book Makura – “Notebook By Pillow”
  • According to SeiShonagan, the pillow is written on paper. In this point of time, paper is a rare commodity and her pillow book being written on paper connotes its importance. Shonagan also states that the paper comes from His Majesty’s court. The paper was initially meant to be used to write China’s history, which further emphasizes the importance of Shonagan’s work.
  • Shonagan is making her own work equivalent in importance to an important Chinese history. Also implying that she’s creating her own “history”
  • Shonagan makes certain topics such as priests relatable because she expresses sympathy for them. (People outside of social normal vs. People in touch with social norms
  • The use of details makes her seem very attentive to what’s going on around her. The use of details also makes her seem materialistic.
  • One of her “rivals,” MurasakiShikibu, dismisses her as flashy and maybe even a bit superficial
  • Detail use—superficial? Or something more?
  • The use of cats and dogs by Shonagan may express the interchangeable parts of the royal court: that people in court are “dispensible” and can be thrown in and out of favor at any time.
  • The test of writing a poem on the spot is a way of either gaining favor or demonstrating who you really are.