Episode 271 - You're Going on the List

History of Japan

Isaac Meyer

Japan, History, Japanese

4.8 • 744 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2019

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, we cover the fascinating tale of Sei Shonagon and the Makura no Soushi, or Pillow Book. Why is a collection of anecdotes considered to be one of Japan's greatest literary classics? What mkes the Pillow Book so famous? And why does Isaac love it so very much?

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week's episode is brought to you by Audible.
0:03.1	Audible has over 180,000 titles to choose from,
0:06.8	all compatible with iPhone, Android, Kindle, or your MP3 player of choice.
0:12.5	For listeners of the show, Audible is offering a free 30-day trial membership,
0:16.6	complete with credit for a free audiobook of your choice.
0:19.6	You can cancel any time and keep the free book,
0:22.1	or keep going with one of Audible subscription offers. Go to audibletrial.com slash Japan to claim your offer.
0:29.4	This week I'm going to recommend Japan Story in Search of a Nation 1850 to the Present by Christopher Harding.
0:36.4	This is a cultural history by a historian in Scotland about the people who saw Japan's modernization,
0:42.4	not as a step forward, but as a step back, as a terrible and soul-crushing calamity.
0:48.9	It's an absolutely fascinating premise for a work of history,
0:52.7	after all what is more quintessential in Japan's
0:55.2	modern history than the struggle between modernity and tradition. You can check it out for
1:00.2	yourself, just go to audibletrial. This week, it's time for us to History of Japan podcast, episode 271, you're going on the list.
1:29.8	This week, it's time for us to take a look at the other side of the Heian era's most
1:34.4	famous literary duo. Last week, we covered Marasaki Shikibu. This week, it's time to cover someone
1:41.2	with similar social status, but radically different personality,
1:45.2	say Shonagon.
1:47.0	Much as was the case with Murasaki Shikibu, there's an astonishing amount we do not know about
1:52.4	Seishonagon, particularly considering how famous she is.
1:57.2	As we discussed last week, it was not the custom to refer to court ladies by their given names,
2:02.6	doing so would have been extremely over-familiar.
	...

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