The Gossamer Years

Out of a desire to read more Heian-era literature from Japan, we here at the blog read a diary by an unnamed author from a minor branch of the Fujiwara family. Unlike the perhaps superior Pillow Book, The Gossamer Years tells the tale of an unhappily married woman, focusing on the sense of abandonment and resentment she feels for her husband of higher status. Since men of the aristocracy had a basically polygamous lifestyle, Kaneie, her husband, pursues other affairs and usually ignores our author, despite her raising his child. Structurally the text is more akin to a memoir, with confusing and garbles passages that have marred the translation. As one would expect from literature of its era, much of the text consists of poetic exchanges between men and women or relatives. Much of the poetry is, as admitted by the translator, far from great. One can find occasionally moving passages about the depression, suicidal thoughts, and emotional rollercoaster the author is suffering from due to her neglectful husband. As a work of literature, it seems far from the greatness of the monogatari. So its value for those of us who are still learning the basics of the Heian period history can be found in reading the source as a historical document. Our interesting narrator sheds light on gender relations, daily life, and religion for the aristocrats of the 10th century, pointing to the importance of gossip, superstition, ritual, festival, and social status. We shall endeavor to read other examples of diaries from this era for more insight.