the pillow book
started reading the pillow book bc claude bullied me into it
i like the way she pays close attention to things - the pleasing shape of leaves, all the silly ways people mess up wearing their lacquer hats and bump them into things, the cozy dreamy feeling of certain rainy afternoons:
In the seventh month when the wind blows hard and the rain is beating down, and your fan lies forgotten because of the sudden coolness in the air, itβs delightful to take a midday nap snuggled up under a lightly padded kimono that gives off a faint whiff of perspiration.
and i would have had a field day analyzing peoples clothing back in the day!
He wore a gorgeous damask cloak in the cherry-blossom combination, with an immaculate lustre to its inner lining, and his gathered trousers of rich, dark grape colour were woven through with a dazzling pattern of tangled wisteria vine. The scarlet colour and glossed silk effect of the inner robe positively shone, and layer upon layer of very pale violet-grey and other colours were visible beneath the cloak.
but i had to stop reading a few chapters in because the sense that i was invading someone's privacy by reading their private diary got too strong :^(
i have to admit i am also slightly sore that claude said that we're so similar. she's a frivolous court lady who spends all her time gossiping about the colour of peoples kimonos and writing silly poetry to entertain her friends. i am surely not the 21st century equivalent... am i??? okay, maybe don't answer that.