I enjoy The Pillow Book for it's lively take on court life, clever insights into human nature, and recordings of beautiful poetry. Yet Sei Shonagon's contemptuous attitude and actions towards servants (i.e. the devoted gardener) and those of lower rank somewhat taints my appreciation of the highly refined aesthetic of the time. Somehow, I idealistically equate high refinement with higher character, but I know that view is naive and perhaps more suited to monastic societies than aristocratic ones. Overabundance of leisure time and unlimited resources seems to breed petty indulgences - like an obsessive wager over how long an amusing mountain of snow will last before melting.
I realize that as a modern middle class westerner living in a democracy, aristocratic society within a rigid hierarchy (Japanese, European, or otherwise) is an unknowable quantity - a mystery to be marveled across time and space.
Catherine[Edit by="cmajkut on May 26, 4:47:38 PM"][/Edit]
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