Ways ith Words Writing about Reading Texts from Early China [Paperback]

Ways with Wordspresents interpretive essays by scholars from different disciplines on seven core, premodern classical Chinese texts. The remarkable diversity of these works--drawn from literature, philosophy, religion, and art history--challenges the presumption of a monolithic Chinese tradition that has been promoted by scholars and popular culture alike, both in China and the West.

The texts themselves include a poem from theClassic of Poetrycompiled in the sixth century b.c.e.; passages fromMenciusandZhuangzi; theHeart Sutra; a poem by Du Fu and theBiography of Yingyingby Yuan Zhen, both written during the Tang dynasty; andNotes on the Method for the Brush, a tenth-century text attributed to Jing Hao. Both the original Chinese versions and the translations are provided for each primary text. There are at least two essays--when possible from scholars in different fields--on each work. The volume as a whole demonstrates the various ways in which the modern Western reader can confront the impressive variety of texts from the classical Chinese tradition.

Pauline Yuis Dean of Humanities and Professor of Chinese Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles.Peter Bolis Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University.Stephen Owenis James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University.Willard Petersonis Professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton University.