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Varying in length from paragraphs to pages, these works also provide moving descriptions of snowy landscapes, foggy London, Ueno Park's famous cherry blossoms, and the appeal of rainy vistas, and relate the joys and troubles of everyone from desperate samurai to filial children and ailing cats.
List of contents
IntroductionPart I. Beginnings1. The Pillow Book, by Sei Shonagon2. Essays in Idleness, by Yoshida no KenkoPart II. The Late Medieval Era3. Conversations with Shotetsu, by Shotetsu4. "To Unify the Nation and Restore Civil Society", by Ichijo Kaneyoshi5. "Cottage of Dreams" and "Three Loves", by Shohaku6. A Tenbun Miscellany, by The Fujiwara Lay MonkPart III. The Edo Period7. Laughs to Keep You Awake, by Anrakuan Sakuden8. "On Ohara", by Kinoshita Choshoshi9. Haikai Prose, by Matsuo Basho10. Amusements, by Amenomori Hoshu11. Window Musings, by Matsuzaki Kanran12. A Miscellany of Stories, by Morita Morimasa13. Chats with Myself, by Dazai Shundai14. Jeweled Comb Basket, by Motoori Norinaga15. Idle Chats Beneath a Northern Window, by Tachibana Nankei16. Blossoms and the Moon, by Matsudaira Sadanobu17. Year by Year: A Miscellany, by Ishiwara Masaakira18. Behind the Koto, by Murata Harumi19. Shunparo's Jottings, by Shiba Kokan20. Unusual People of the Modern Age and Kanden's Crop of Jottings, by Ban Kokei21. Hoary Stories, by Tadano Makuzu22. Haikai Prose, by Natsume Seibi23. Clouds of Floating Grasses Part IV. The Modern Period24. Autumn Ensemble, by Higuchi Ichiyo25. "A Cat's Grave" and "London Fog", by Natsume Soseki26. "Snow", by Tokutomi Roka27. "Desk", by Tayama Katai28. "Fireworks", by Nagai Kafu29. "Laughter", by Terada Torahiko30. "Various Thoughts on the Great Kanto Earthquake" and "My Moral Precepts for Everyday Life", by Kikuchi Kan31. "Master Hyakken's Idle Fantasies," "Bumpy Road," and "A Long Fence", by Uchida Hyakken32. "The Image of an Author", by Dazai Osamu33. "Baby Sparrow," "Turtledoves," and "Morning Glories", by Shiga Naoya34. Esprit and Humor, by Kawamori Yoshizo35. "Sleepless Nights" and "A Bed for My Books", by Osaragi Jiro36. "On Being Down with a Cold", by Kawakami Tetsutaro37. "The Road", by Shono Junzo38. "Kitchen," "Raindrops," and "A Memento of the Season", by Koda Aya39. "On Surgery" and "Rainy Day", by Kono Taeko40. "Looking for Gloves", by Mukoda Kuniko41. One, We Count, Then ..., by Takenishi Hiroko42. Sunday Musings, by Hiraiwa Yumie43. "Dust Mogul" and Other Short Essays, by Dekune Tatsuro44. "Myna Bird", by Kizaki Satoko45. "Concerning the Order of Culture", by Shiroyama Saburo46. "On Zuihitsu", by Sakai Junko
About the author
Steven D. Carter is Yamato Ichihashi Chair in Japanese History and Civilization at Stanford University. His numerous books include Haiku Before Haiku: From the Renga Masters to Basho, Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shotetsu, and Waiting for the Wind: Thirty-Six Poets of Japan's Late Medieval Age.
Summary
Varying in length from paragraphs to pages, these works also provide moving descriptions of snowy landscapes, foggy London, Ueno Park’s famous cherry blossoms, and the appeal of rainy vistas, and relate the joys and troubles of everyone from desperate samurai to filial children and ailing cats.
