What's with the quotes?

In the book My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki she starts every chapter in the book with a poem or quote from Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book. The Pillow book is a book that is filled with observations and musings that were recorded by Sei Shonagon when she served as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990’s and early 11^th century. She finished the book in 1002. In it she included lists of all kinds, personal thoughts, interesting events in court, poetry and some opinions on her contemporaries. Even though this is more of a journal then a formal piece of literature her literary and poetic skill make the book enjoyable.

The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are interesting and kind of set the mood for each chapter, either foreshadowing, or at least introducing the concept that Ozeki talks about in the chapter. Even though she organizes the book by months, these almost ancient quotes give it a more timeless feel. This results in chapters that are not only about the people in them but that also have a universal message that the reader can apply to his or her own life. Jane as well as Sei Shonagon were similar in a way that they both recorded what was happening to them at the time. This connects them in another way beyond the meanings of the quotes.