EALC 275: Masterpieces of East Asian Literature Lecture #8: The Pillow Book Sept. 25, 2013The Heian world: Aesthetic concepts 1. Miyabi(雅): “courtliness” refinement, elegance -- refined aesthetic sensibility -- subtle suggestivenessThe Pillow Book--author • Sei Shonagon (c. 968-c.1025) • Real name is unknown • Daughter of a prominent waka poet/courtier Kiyohara no Motosuke • Lady-in-waiting to Empress Teishi beginning in 993 until the empresses death in 1001.The Pillow Book--author • Empress Teishi led a famous literary salon of ladies-in-waiting. • In 999, due to family rivalries at court, a second empress was appointed, Shoshi daughter of Michinaga • Lady Murasaki, author of the Tale of Genji, was a lady-in-waiting to the competing empress Shoshi. • Pillow Book/Tale of Genji: Personal rivals? Literary borrowing from the former to the later.The Pillow Book--genre • The most brilliant example of the zuihitsu genre (“following the brush” 隨筆) • Prose pieces rangining in length from a line or two to several pages. • Recounted experiences at court • No organizational scheme • Unified by her voice and witWhat is a Pillow Book—Title Ivan Morris: “A notebook or collection of notebooks kept in some accessible but relatively private place, and in which the author would from time to time record impressions, daily events, poems, letters, stories, ideas, and descriptions of people.”What is a Pillow Book—Title • Record of the private lives of Heian aristocrats • Can be contrasted with official histories of public life • Beginning of full-length narrative fiction in Japan has its roots in the diaries of court women like Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu.Lady-in-Waiting: World of Screens and Curtains 1 • We often see Sei Shonagon writing about peeping from behind a screen or curtain on the action going on at the Heian court. • Like other ladies of the Heian court, Sei Shonagon spent most of her time in dimly lit rooms, protected from the eyes of male visitors by silken hangings.Lady-in-Waiting: World of Screens and Curtains 2 • On the one hand we can see the sequestration of court women in the inner chambers, with the exception of chaperoned journeys by cart to Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and court events attended by the Empress. • On the other hand we also know that Sei Shonagon never hesitated to engage men in conversation. She not only associated with them as equals, but did not hesitate to assert her superiority when a man seemed an unworthy adversary.The Pillow Book- LanguageThe Pillow Book- Language • During this period, since the language of most official documents was classical Chinese, most men of the nobility used Chinese characters to write poetry and prose in Chinese • But among women the kana syllabary continued to grow in popularity. Most of the works of literature from the Heian period, like the Pillow Book and the Tale of Genji, were written predominantly in kana. • Diaries by court women were usually written mostly in kana and became the inspiration for a new form of full-length narrative fiction.The Pillow Book- Contents 1. A “poem pillow”: Handbook for poetry writing in which the essentials of literary composition were transmitted. 2. Lists or catalogues of “things” 3. Descriptions of daily life at the Heian Court: emphasis on the elegant speech, appearance, and deportment of those associated with Empress Teishi. Handbook for ladies-in-waiting?The Pillow Book- Types of Lists 1. First: Lists of places, plants, and objects such as “peaks,” “plains,” “markets,” “ferries,” etc. Courtiers would consult these lists to decide which famous places to use in their poetry. 2. Second: Much richer in content are Sei Shonagon’s list of “things” such as “awkward things,” “things that should not be seen by firelight,” or “things that look pretty but are bad inside.” Reveal her individualistic, psychologically compelling, and idiosyncratic reactions.The Pillow Book- Types of ListsThe Pillow Book- Types of Lists • Talk to a classmate sitting next to or behind you (one person takes note/other reports): 1. Choose one of the list of “things” from Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book. 2. Try to figure what qualities or traits these “things” have in common. 3. See if you can add one or two items to the list.The Pillow Book- Types of Lists 22. Things that violate our expectations (p.136) 24. Things people look down on (p.137) 25. Elegant Things (p.138) 101. Things that make one uncomfortable (p.144) 320. Disagreeable Sights (p.154)The Pillow Book- Aesthetics • Okashi: Donald Keene has noted that the adjective most frequently used by Sei Shonagon in the Pillow Book is okashi which can be translated as “amusing,” “funny,” “splendid,” “adorable,” or “interesting.” It is always used by her in a good sense. • Mono-no-aware (物の哀れ): The “lightness” of okashi is often contrasted with the aesthetic of “mono-no-aware” which is used to evoke the “heavier” tragic feelings in response to the impermanence of beauty and worldly things found through the Tale of Genji.Friday: The Tale of Genji • Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973-c.1014) --Contemporary of Sei Shonagon (c. 968-c.1025) • Tale of Genji of Lady Murasaki 1.Textbook, Genji and Heike, pp.1-83 2.Quiz #4: Buddhism and Pillow