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SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture
Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics
Examines the original composition of China's oldest books, the Classic of Changes, the Venerated Documents, and the Classic of Poetry, and attempts to restore their original meanings.
Edward L. Shaughnessy examines the original composition of China's oldest books, the Classic of Changes, the Venerated Documents , and the Classic of Poetry. By describing the original contexts in which these books were written and what they meant to their original authors and readers, this work sheds light on both the degree to which Chinese culture already was literate by 1000 BC, and also on how the later classical tradition eventually diverged from these origins.
"What I like most is the wealth of detail and the meticulous attention to primary evidence, combined with an overall appreciation of the broader cultural and historical context of the problems that have defied solution for centuries.
"The book is filled with original lines of inquiry and conclusions; the articles are of uncommon interest and intellectual challenge." -- John Knoblock, University of Miami
"Shaughnessy has produced outstanding work and played a pioneering role in opening the field of Western Zhou studies. These essays represent the first broad exploration of pre-Classical China as a literary culture that created texts of generic diversity and of intellectual and aesthetic subtlety. His combination of precise scholarship and fresh imagination will stimulate students of history, literature, and religion alike." -- Robert Eno, Indiana University
Edward L. Shaughnessy examines the original composition of China's oldest books, the Classic of Changes, the Venerated Documents , and the Classic of Poetry. By describing the original contexts in which these books were written and what they meant to their original authors and readers, this work sheds light on both the degree to which Chinese culture already was literate by 1000 BC, and also on how the later classical tradition eventually diverged from these origins.
"What I like most is the wealth of detail and the meticulous attention to primary evidence, combined with an overall appreciation of the broader cultural and historical context of the problems that have defied solution for centuries.
"The book is filled with original lines of inquiry and conclusions; the articles are of uncommon interest and intellectual challenge." -- John Knoblock, University of Miami
"Shaughnessy has produced outstanding work and played a pioneering role in opening the field of Western Zhou studies. These essays represent the first broad exploration of pre-Classical China as a literary culture that created texts of generic diversity and of intellectual and aesthetic subtlety. His combination of precise scholarship and fresh imagination will stimulate students of history, literature, and religion alike." -- Robert Eno, Indiana University
- GenresChina
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 10, 2021
A collection of eight incisive articles written by Edward L Shaughnessy about Chinese texts from around 1000 BCE: the Yi Jing, the Shi Jing and the Shu Jing.
May 29, 2009
I highly recommend this book, especially the discussion of Qian 乾 and Kun 坤 and the journey of the Dragon...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews