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The Diary of Lady Murasaki

            "The Diary of Lady Murasaki" provides a private look into her world as a lady-in-waiting and the courtly life she lived along with her daily activities and expectations of woman during the Heian era. During this time, the ideal woman was one who did not try and display how knowledgeable she was. They were expected to be absent-minded and soft compared to being intellectuals. This diary also explains how Lady Murasaki's experiences contribute to our sense of history as well as how she thought and Murasaki Shinkibu was a Japanese writer in the late Heian period. She was born into the Fujiwara family as the daughter of the governor of a province and her father was also a well-known scholar. .
             When Murasaki's father was appointed governor of the province of Echizen on 1004 it was arranged for Murasaki to enter the service as a lady-in-waiting. During her life in court Murasaki started a diary in 1008 and continued it for 2 years. Her diary tells the reader how being an attendant in the imperial court was and the activities she was frequently involved in as an elite Japanese woman. This historical diary also allows others to see how Lady Murasaki thought and discussed power and the social status of individuals around her. Her insights have created a clear view that allows any reader to know how she felt being an inhabited attendant of the Heian court and to also understand the historical event of this era. .
             Murasaki's diary was written in the 11th century during a time of political power. She was completely overruled by the Fujiwara clan. The central state has always held the highest authority but efficiently losing control. Fujiwara Michinago had absolute power after the central states political struggle and soon came forward victorious through a chain of marriage ties. .
             During the time of the Heian era power was controlled by males and conveyed only as males. The only way a woman could possibly have manipulated a male or by having an intimate relationship.


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  • Word Count: 1742
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

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