The Pillow Book

Author: Sei Shonagon (Japan)
Publisher:
Publish Date: July 1, 2003
Features: There are two women who played a crucial role in shaping the senses and souls of the Japanese. One is Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji, and the other is Sei Shonagon, whose The Pillow Book has been passed down through the ages. Especially Sei Shonagon, she brought the gentleness of life and an almost obsessive sensitivity into Japanese culture. The Pillow Book is the only work in Japanese literature that has an analytical spirit, the of aesthetic analysis, revealing Sei Shonagon's unique insight. The renowned British director Peter Greenaway particularly admired the brief yet engaging "erotic adventures" in the book, calling it "a sci-fi novel of paradise." Peter Greenaway directed the experimental film The Pillow Book, which was based on The Pillow Book. Literary critic Li Jingze said of The Pillow Book—The writing is truly exquisite, a clean and charming simplicity; in her eyes, court life was like everyday life, and she always remembered the subtle textures of the days. She paid no attention to "great events" like political upheavals and the rise and fall of fate, but instead focused on a flower, an expression, the color of clothing, or the nightingales' songs in the deep night. She called this "interesting," and this obsession with the subtle "meaning" is what Kawabata Yasunari called "the beauty of Japan." Flipping through it can pass the long night. Reading it section by section, one often thinks, "How can writing be like this?" The author's perception and expression of nature are not about laying out everything comprehensively or describing it in detail, but rather capturing and exploring the inner charm of the familiar natural scenery through an impressionistic or emotional lens, and the memory, posture, or moment that moves the viewer. On one hand, this inner charm comes from the objective characteristics of nature. The fluttering of fireflies is a unique sight of summer nights; the clear frost covering the ground in winter mornings, the biting mist, and the warmth brought by the brazier are also unique memories; and the lush and brilliant blossoms of cherry blossoms, the simple and pure white of camellias, and their "moving posture" revealed against the backdrop of green leaves and golden fruits are irreplaceable by other flowers. On the other hand, the author remembers and depicts these natural images with a mood and emotion, expressing the subjective feelings they evoke. The images are highly spiritualized and emotionalized in the aesthetic activity of the subject. The fluttering of fireflies reminds one of the faint light in the dark, the stirring in the quiet, and the refreshing ease after the heat of the day has faded. The scene of walking slowly with a brazier in the cold winter also brings a warm and pleasant feeling.
In terms of content, the book can be roughly divided into three categories:
First, there are the classified writings written based on the popular list-style writing of the time, such as "Mountains," "Festivals," "Trees," "Elegant Things," "Rare Events," and so on. This is somewhat similar to the writing style of Li Yishan from the Tang Dynasty, who listed things like "unpleasant things" and "detracting sights" and grouped them accordingly, but it is more extensive and involves mountains, rivers, grass, and trees, both beautiful and ugly, with great detail.
Second, there are the sections from her diary. After the death of Empress Teishi, the author left the court and spent several years recalling past events, feeling deeply nostalgic and recording them.
Third, there are the sections of reflections. In her later years, she became a nun and lived a lonely and quiet life, during which she had thoughts about nature and life, which she recorded as they came to her.
These three types of essays were later edited and selected by the translator, with some chosen from each, to become the The Pillow Book we have today.