The Heian period was perhaps one of the most profound periods of Japanese literature. Many may disagree, however, the transformation that occurred during this period ultimately transformed Japanese poetry/literature into the classics it has become today. Although many changes occurred during this period, I feel that the most important or noteworthy feature of Heian literature was the transition to a colloquial writing style: What do you mean by colloquial? Prose style?. This not only sheds light on who actually wrote these pieces of literature, but also illustrates how these poems and stories began to attract a wider audience, more specifically, people other than the Emperor ok ok, I think I get the point here, but you are a bit vague… it's hard to understand what you mean here…. Despite the changes that occurred, I would suggest that the actual narrative theme does not change too much during this period, as it seems that many of the underlying themes of literary pieces during the Heian period were about life and romance – I agree, but one important thing to of note is that women began to take part in this art, which eventually allowed readers to experience these events from the perspective of women. Yes, good point. During this period, although many poems were written in kana, it seems that the audience for the various poems oscillates between two social classes, if I may infer. Specifically, the pieces of personal literature seem to target common people, but at the same time many pieces of literature from this period seem a bit aristocratic, as if they were for high-ranking people. For example, Sei Shōnagon's The Pillow Book is clearly a work for other women like many... middle of paper......Needle. 2004. Network. 02 June 2011. .3. Miyake, Lynne K. "Heian Era Literature - A Bibliography (a part of the UCLA Teaching on Japan website)." UCLA International Institute. CEAS, 2001. Web. 02 June 2011. .4. "Onnade - Beyond Greco-Roman Rhetoric". Beyond Greco-Roman rhetoric: breaking precedents, reviewing histories Home - Beyond Greco-Roman rhetoric. Network. 02 June 2011. .5. "Waka (Japanese poetry) - Online Encyclopedia Britannica." Encyclopedia - Encyclopedia Britannica online. British. Network. 02 June 2011. .6. Yamada, Teppei. "The Cherry Blossom in Heian Waka Poetry." Open space. Open Space, 12 October 2010. Web. 1 June 2011.