History Literature / ThePillowBook

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Despite being an account of everyday life in such a setting, Sei tends to skim over the political tensions and pretty much ignores the fact that the Empress and her faction are under attack from a competing branch of the Fujiwara family.

** She loosens up by the end of the book. She loosens up insofar as she says at one point "clogs with trousers may be in fashion right now, but they're still ugly."

* BiTheWay: Nagiko's lover, Jerome.

Peter Greenaway used the book as a basis for a movie, also titled ''The Pillow Book'', which focuses on Kiyowara Nagiko, a modern-day fan and emulator of Sei Shonagon. Vivian Wu plays Nagiko and EwanMcGregor her Western boyfriend.

* NotStayingForBreakfast: Sei writes disparagingly of lovers who don't have the good sense to sneak out before daybreak. In her case, staying fore breakfast isn't even an option since one of her Hateful Things is feeding a man who comes on a romantic visit. Even if he had stayed all night, she says, she "won't feed him so much as a bowl of warmed-over rice".

* NotStayingForBreakfast: Sei writes disparagingly of lovers who don't have the good sense to sneak out before daybreak.

* FakeNationality: Nagiko is played by Vivian Wu, a Chinese actress born in Shanghai. Appropriately, in the film, Nagiko's mother is also from Shanghai.

* UnlimitedWardrobe: Sei makes a point of mentioning her keen sense of fashion, by describing both her own dress (which never seems to be twice the same) and that of other courtiers. Wear yesterday's fashion in her presence and she'll never speak to you again.
** Oh, she will. It's just that she'll also list you as one of the "Things that should not be looked at".

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Basically the Pillow Book is an account of everyday life in such a setting though Sei tends to skim over the tensions and pretty much ignores the fact that her Empress and her faction are under attack from a competing branch of the Fujiwara family.
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: Sei describes in detail the proper forms for a lover's visit and writes of 'gentlemen' roaming the passages of the ladies' quarters which is fine by her. She just doesn't think they should be doing it when on duty.
* {{Fangirl}}: Sei just dotes on the Imperial family, especially the Empress she serves.

* HumanNotepad: Fetishised.
* JapanesePoliteness: Etiquette at the Heian court was so refined, it would make 18th-century Versailles look sloppy. If you wanted to ask a woman out, you'd better do it in the form of an exquisitely calligraphed poem.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: Sei Shonagon writes disparagingly of lovers who don't have the good sense to sneak out before daybreak.
* ReallyGetsAround: Sei makes no bones about her eye for the gentlemen.

* UnlimitedWardrobe: Sei Shonagon makes a point of mentioning her keen sense of fashion, by describing both her own dress (which never seems to be twice the same) and that of other courtiers. Wear yesterday's fashion in her presence and she'll never speak to you again.

* FakeNationality: Nagiko is played by Vivian Wu (邬君梅 Wū Jūnméi) a Chinese actress born in Shanghai. Appropriately, in the film, Nagiko's mother is also from Shanghai.

-->''When I come into the room to serve Her Majesty and see the other women have already crowded around her, I sit next to a column apart from them. Her Majesty sees me and calls. I love it when the others make way for me when I go to sit next to her.''
--> --Sei Shonagon

''The Pillow Book'' is one of the masterpieces of Japanese literature. Written during the Heian period by Creator/SeiShonagon, lady-in-waiting of Empress Sadako, it is an impressionistic compendium of hundreds of things classified by categories ("Rare things", "Things that make the heart beat faster", "Things that bring up fond memories of the past", etc.) as well as everyday scenes at the Japanese imperial court at the turn of the 11th century.

* AlphaBitch: Sei is this trope for Empress Sadako's court, as the page quote clearly indicates.

* GracefulLadiesWearPurple: And Heian gentlemen too. Violet, purple and mauve were apparently favorite colors.

* GracefulLadiesLovePurple: And Heian gentlemen too. Violet, purple and mauve were apparently favorite colors.

''The Pillow Book'' is one of the masterpieces of Japanese literature. Written during the Heian period by Sei Shonagon, lady-in-waiting of Empress Sadako, it is an impressionistic compendium of hundreds of things classified by categories ("Rare things", "Things that make the heart beat faster", "Things that bring up fond memories of the past", etc.) as well as everyday scenes at the Japanese imperial court at the turn of the 11th century.

* DepravedHomosexual: The Publisher, against whom Nagiko takes revenge.

Peter Greenaway used the book as a basis for a movie, also titled ''The Pillow Book'', which focuses on Kiyowara Nagiko, a modern-day fan and emulator of Sei Shonagon. Vivian Wu plays Nagiko and Ewan [=McGregor=] her Western boyfriend.

* MeLoveYouLongTime: Nagiko, despite living in HongKong and being surrounded by millions of Asian males, falls in love with a Westerner.

* FetishFuel: If the idea of writing on a naked body turns you on, this movie's for you.

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