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Great Books of China
Discover – or rediscover – the major achievements of Chinese culture and civilization.
Great Books of China offers concise introductions – each of them accompanied by generous quotation (in English) from the book in question – to sixty-six works in the canon of Chinese literature.
The books chosen reflect the chronological and thematic breadth of Chinese literary tradition, ranging from such classics as The Book of Songs and the Confucian Analects, through popular dramas and novels (The Romance of the Western Chamber; The Water Margin), twentieth-century political and biographical works (Quotations from Chairman Mao, the autobiography of the last emperor) and modern novels that are little known in the West (Memories of South Peking, Six Chapters from a Cadre School Life).
Frances Wood presents a comprehensive, accessible and richly informative primer for the uninitiated; a box of delights that opens up an entire literary culture to the inquisitive reader.
Great Books of China offers concise introductions – each of them accompanied by generous quotation (in English) from the book in question – to sixty-six works in the canon of Chinese literature.
The books chosen reflect the chronological and thematic breadth of Chinese literary tradition, ranging from such classics as The Book of Songs and the Confucian Analects, through popular dramas and novels (The Romance of the Western Chamber; The Water Margin), twentieth-century political and biographical works (Quotations from Chairman Mao, the autobiography of the last emperor) and modern novels that are little known in the West (Memories of South Peking, Six Chapters from a Cadre School Life).
Frances Wood presents a comprehensive, accessible and richly informative primer for the uninitiated; a box of delights that opens up an entire literary culture to the inquisitive reader.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2016
9 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Frances Wood
41 books12 followersFrom Wikipedia:
Frances Wood (Chinese: 吴芳思; pinyin: Wú Fāngsī; born 1948) is an English librarian, sinologue and historian known for her writings on Chinese history, including Marco Polo, life in the Chinese treaty ports, and the First Emperor of China.
Biography
Wood was born in London in 1948, and went to art school in Liverpool in 1967, before going to Newnham College, Cambridge University, where she studied Chinese. She went to China to study Chinese at Peking University in 1975–1976.[2]
in March 2001
Wood joined the staff of the British Library in London in 1977 as a junior curator, and later served as curator of Chinese collections until her retirement in 2013.[3][4] She is also a member of the steering committee of the International Dunhuang Project,[5] and the editor of the Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society.[3] She was also a governor of Ashmount Primary School for 20 years, relinquishing this post on the completion of her current term of office in July 2014.
She has argued in her 1995 book, Did Marco Polo go to China?, that the book of Marco Polo (Il Milione) is not the account of a single person, but is a collection of travellers' tales. This book's claims about Polo's travels has been heavily criticized by Stephen G. Haw, David O. Morgan and Peter Jackson as lacking basic academic rigor.
Frances Wood (Chinese: 吴芳思; pinyin: Wú Fāngsī; born 1948) is an English librarian, sinologue and historian known for her writings on Chinese history, including Marco Polo, life in the Chinese treaty ports, and the First Emperor of China.
Biography
Wood was born in London in 1948, and went to art school in Liverpool in 1967, before going to Newnham College, Cambridge University, where she studied Chinese. She went to China to study Chinese at Peking University in 1975–1976.[2]
in March 2001
Wood joined the staff of the British Library in London in 1977 as a junior curator, and later served as curator of Chinese collections until her retirement in 2013.[3][4] She is also a member of the steering committee of the International Dunhuang Project,[5] and the editor of the Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society.[3] She was also a governor of Ashmount Primary School for 20 years, relinquishing this post on the completion of her current term of office in July 2014.
She has argued in her 1995 book, Did Marco Polo go to China?, that the book of Marco Polo (Il Milione) is not the account of a single person, but is a collection of travellers' tales. This book's claims about Polo's travels has been heavily criticized by Stephen G. Haw, David O. Morgan and Peter Jackson as lacking basic academic rigor.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 9, 2020
This is very useful both as a quick reference when you need to know about a major Chinese work cited somewhere else, and as a guide to selecting foundational works of Chinese literature to read in full, to better understand its philosophy and culture. Of course she includes
the Four Books
Analects of Confucius
Mencius by Mencius
Great Learning (from the The Book of Rites)
Doctrine of the Mean (also from the The Book of Rites)
and the Five Classics
Book of Changes ( Yi jing or I-ching) manual for divination
The Book of Songs
Book of Documents (She Jing)
Book of Rites (Li ji) (detailed directions for rituals)
Spring and Autumn Annals (Chun qui), about the state of Lu, 722 BCD to 481 BCE
but also:
Classic of the Way and Virtue by Laozi
Zhuangzi
early Buddhist sutras and related books, including a quick history of the travelers who fetched them from India
famous poets and plays
The Grand Scribe's Records (a history of ancient China)
the classic novels:
and less well known (in the West) books that convey important aspects of Chinese culture. such as , filial piety, travel, instructions for scholars' gardens and carpentry (sounds rather fascinating, surprisingly), a sort of encyclopedia of technology, the almanac with its essential information about holidays and auspicious/unlucky days), etc.
There is also a substantial section on more modern Chinese literature, from Lu Xun (1881-1936) on, with the last author discussed here being born in 1938.
Each book gets about three pages. Wood gives a brief synopsis and what is known about the author. She also explains why the book is important, and often who the audience was. Sometimes whether it was in manuscript or printed.
The introduction gives a quick overview of Chinese history and how literature fits into this long expanse of dynasties, religions, and arts. Quite nicely done. And the cover has a lovely image of scholars studying in a garden.
the Four Books
Analects of Confucius
Mencius by Mencius
Great Learning (from the The Book of Rites)
Doctrine of the Mean (also from the The Book of Rites)
and the Five Classics
Book of Changes ( Yi jing or I-ching) manual for divination
The Book of Songs
Book of Documents (She Jing)
Book of Rites (Li ji) (detailed directions for rituals)
Spring and Autumn Annals (Chun qui), about the state of Lu, 722 BCD to 481 BCE
but also:
Classic of the Way and Virtue by Laozi
Zhuangzi
early Buddhist sutras and related books, including a quick history of the travelers who fetched them from India
famous poets and plays
The Grand Scribe's Records (a history of ancient China)
the classic novels:
Dream of the Red Chamber/Story of the Stone
The Water Margin
Story of the Three Kingdoms
Journey to the West
and less well known (in the West) books that convey important aspects of Chinese culture. such as , filial piety, travel, instructions for scholars' gardens and carpentry (sounds rather fascinating, surprisingly), a sort of encyclopedia of technology, the almanac with its essential information about holidays and auspicious/unlucky days), etc.
There is also a substantial section on more modern Chinese literature, from Lu Xun (1881-1936) on, with the last author discussed here being born in 1938.
Each book gets about three pages. Wood gives a brief synopsis and what is known about the author. She also explains why the book is important, and often who the audience was. Sometimes whether it was in manuscript or printed.
The introduction gives a quick overview of Chinese history and how literature fits into this long expanse of dynasties, religions, and arts. Quite nicely done. And the cover has a lovely image of scholars studying in a garden.
July 14, 2017
Great Books of China: From Ancient Times to the Present by Frances Wood is a non-fiction book about Chinese literature. Frances Wood is an English librarian, sinologue and historian known for her writings on Chinese history.
This book allows reader to discover classic books and texts from China. The author writes a small section about each book which is considered a treasure of Chinese culture.
I have never heard of many of these books myself and I’m glad I took the time to read this introductory book to various genres including history, science, travel and poetry. These books were written by scholars throughout history and the author did an excellent job presenting them in context to the time they were written in and to the society they were written for.
The author touches on Confucian and Daoist writings, famous novels, poetry, historic manuals, gardening and manual labor. The sections are concise, easy to read and understandable
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
This book allows reader to discover classic books and texts from China. The author writes a small section about each book which is considered a treasure of Chinese culture.
I have never heard of many of these books myself and I’m glad I took the time to read this introductory book to various genres including history, science, travel and poetry. These books were written by scholars throughout history and the author did an excellent job presenting them in context to the time they were written in and to the society they were written for.
The author touches on Confucian and Daoist writings, famous novels, poetry, historic manuals, gardening and manual labor. The sections are concise, easy to read and understandable
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
October 4, 2017
"'Peach Blossom Spring' ... a phrase that has come to mean 'utopia' in Chinese" (12)
"'Between the flowers, a cup of wine, / I drink alone with no friends nearby. / Raising my cup, I invite the bright moon / Together with my shadow it makes three people. / The moon, sadly, doesn't drink / My shadow just follows me around.'" ('Drinking by Moonlight,' Li Bai/Li Po, 66-7)
"Bashing one's head against a tree as a form of suicide or protest is not unknown in Chinese literature." (84)
"[S]uch an indirect [literary] attack traditionally being described as 'pointed at the mulberry to revile the ash tree.'" (212)
"'Between the flowers, a cup of wine, / I drink alone with no friends nearby. / Raising my cup, I invite the bright moon / Together with my shadow it makes three people. / The moon, sadly, doesn't drink / My shadow just follows me around.'" ('Drinking by Moonlight,' Li Bai/Li Po, 66-7)
"Bashing one's head against a tree as a form of suicide or protest is not unknown in Chinese literature." (84)
"[S]uch an indirect [literary] attack traditionally being described as 'pointed at the mulberry to revile the ash tree.'" (212)
January 25, 2025
An overview of Chinese books. I did add some books to my reading list but felt too much time was spenton each book; including more books with less pages devoted to each book would have been better, in my view.
July 22, 2021
An exhaustive and well researched effort at compiling a history of Chinese literature
February 25, 2022
Excellent review of important contributions to literature.
January 4, 2020
Useful summaries of examples of notable Chinese literature, including poetry, philosophy, history, novels and memoirs/biographies. I expect to find Wood's recommended translations list very useful in my future reading of many featured texts. Wood's essays have helped make me keen to explore further into Chinese literature and give historical context for each work.
I was also grateful for the pronunciation guide in the introduction as some Chinese literature I've read has used the Wade-Giles romanisation and others pinyin (this helped me clarify discrepancies in pronunciation of Chinese names I've encountered - especially as I don't speak or read Mandarin!)
The edition I read was also physically beautiful with a lovely printed translucent dust jacket over the hardcover book (which features the famous painting Nine Dragons by Chen Rong) and has a ribbon marker.
I was also grateful for the pronunciation guide in the introduction as some Chinese literature I've read has used the Wade-Giles romanisation and others pinyin (this helped me clarify discrepancies in pronunciation of Chinese names I've encountered - especially as I don't speak or read Mandarin!)
The edition I read was also physically beautiful with a lovely printed translucent dust jacket over the hardcover book (which features the famous painting Nine Dragons by Chen Rong) and has a ribbon marker.
May 7, 2017
This book is a survey of Chinese literature, from the earliest known writings up to novels published in the 70's and 80's. It includes information about philosophical writings, poetry, plays, folk tales, how-to manuals for painting and gardening, and more. It would be a great springboard for someone who wants to dive into Chinese literature or learn about Chinese history and culture through China's great literature. Read the short information on a book here, then read the original book (or translation, if one is available). If I had time to make such a study, I might do so myself.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews