Shonagon is, unsurprisingly, often triumphant in these battles of wit. The poetic message usually operated as a challenge, as the recipient sought to compose the perfect reply, based on allusions to Japanese and Chinese poetry, good taste, and quick wit. Many of the anecdotes included in the Pillow Book involve the frequent practice of exchanging poetic messages between the gentlewomen and their male friends / admirers / lovers. For instance, while I may not identify with the particulars of watching an imperial procession from within an enclosed carriage, when Shonagon remarks on “the great melee caused by the carriages of the High Priestess’s attendants and the rest all setting off for home,” it reminds me of the parking lot traffic jams after an outdoor concert at Wolf Trap. The world and events Shonagon depicts are at once distant from my own world and strikingly universal. The Pillow Book is a collection of short vignettes about court life as well as thematic lists. Sei Shonagon was a gentlewoman who served the young empress Teishi. Recommendation from: several comments on Shelf Love Jenny’s review of The Tale of Genji Paperback pages: 416 (including introductory matter, footnotes and appendices).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |