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written by "Mother of Michitsuna"
translated by Edward Seidensticker
And so the months and the years have gone by, but little has turned out well for me. Each new year in turn has failed to bring happiness. Indeed, as I think of the unsatisfying events I have recorded here, I wonder whether I have been describing anything of substance. Call it, this journal of mine, a shimmering of the summer sky.
pg. 69
I've read (and enjoyed) The Tale of Genji and The Pillow book of Sei Shōnagon. The Gossamer Years was a next step for me, reading to learn more about the life of women in Heian Japan. I like diaries, particularly historical diaries, quite a bit as a reader.
The "Mother of Michitsuna" (the only name that we have for the author) wrote this book in the 10th century. It highlights the extremely vulnerable position that a woman in her class had with respect to marriage. The diaries are an account of her marriage to Fujiwara no Kaneie. Although initially their relationship prospers, it falters in the face of Kaneie's absence, her jealousy, and her inability to have more than one child. She found herself coming second to both his primary wife and his various other affairs. Since it was not expected for a husband of that period to live with his wife, she was completely dependent on his comings and goings. Both marriage and divorce were informal affairs-- a long enough cessation of attention and visits constituted a de facto divorce. The diary tells of her panic for her future and for the future of her son in between the visits of Kaneie.
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