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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 9 page paper which discusses that while there are similarities between these two works by female authors there are also significant differences. Specifically considered are how much of these differences can be attributed to the cultural differences between eleventh century Japan and fifteenth century western Europe and how much they can be attributed to the different personalities of the respective authors. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
9 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGpilcit.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
learned about a bygone era by examining the authors of the works and their backgrounds, along with their choices of subject matter. If a curious student wishes to know
about ancient civilizations, the way to do so insightfully is to look into some texts of the times because they serve as the windows into the people and the societies
they created. Two compelling examples are Sei Shonagons Pillow Book and Christine de Pizans The Book of the City of Ladies. These books, at least on the surface,
couldnt be more different since one was composed by a Japanese author during the eleventh century and the other by a French author during the fifteenth century. However, this
is too simplistic or limited a conclusion to draw since a closer assessment reveals that these works bear some similarities that are also worthy of consideration. Can the differences
in these texts be attributed to the diametrically opposed cultures that undoubtedly influenced them, the distinctive personalities of the authors themselves, or are they perhaps a combination of each?
As times change, do the ways in which these works are interpreted change also? Both authors Sei Shonagon and Christine de Pizan were women who had achieved positions of social
respectability. There is admittedly little in the way of biographical information on Sei Shonagon, except that it is believed she lived in the time period between 965 and 1020.
She held the prestigious position of lady-in-waiting to Empress Sadako (also known as Teishi) during the last decade of the tenth century (Miller 408). The Pillow Book is
the closest glimpse historians have been able to get to the mysterious female author, who wrote candid observations about her life at court, which featured perceptive tidbits about the Heian
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