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chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical Paperback – March 5, 2007
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André Lévy provides a "picture of Chinese literature of the past" that brilliantly illustrates the four great literary genres of China: the classics, prose, poetry, and the literature of entertainment. His discussion of approximately 120 vivid translations combines personal insights with innovative historical accounts in a genre-based approach that moves beyond the typical chronology of dynasties. Renowned scholar William H. Nienhauser, Jr., translated Lévy's work from the French and returned to the original Chinese for the texts. This informative, engaging, and eminently readable introduction to the three millennia of traditional Chinese literature is highly recommended for students and general readers.
- Print length184 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherIndiana University Press
- Publication dateMarch 5, 2007
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
- ISBN-100253213657
- ISBN-13978-0253213655
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Eminent sinologist Lévy (Levy) attempts an almost impossible task: to provide a general picture of ancient Chinese literature within the confines of a small book. First published in French (La littérature (litterature) chinoise ancienne et classique, Paris, 1991), Lévy's (Levy's) book is unique among the numerous published histories (in Western languages) of traditional Chinese literature because it is organized according to genres (classics, prose, poetry, drama, narrative literature, and so on) rather than according to the customary dynastic-political divisions. By following this approach Lévy (Levy) (Univ. of Bordeaux, France) is able to provide greater insight into how and why various types of literary forms developed in old China. At the same time, the author shows how and why literature was an essential part of ancient Chinese culture and civilization. Lévy (Levy) includes more than 100 translations, each of which is accompanied by commentary. His observations deserve close attention because they reveal numerous insights. This superb English translation by Nienhauser (Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison; ed. of the two-volume The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, CH, Jul'87, Apr'99), one of the US's most accomplished China scholars, will make an ideal core text for undergraduate courses on traditional Chinese literature and culture as well as an excellent addition to all undergraduate and graduate library collections."―J. M. Hargett, SUNY at Albany , Choice, December 2000
"Eminent sinologist Lévy (Levy) attempts an almost impossible task: to provide a general picture of ancient Chinese literature within the confines of a small book. First published in French (La littérature (litterature) chinoise ancienne et classique, Paris, 1991), Lévy's (Levy's) book is unique among the numerous published histories (in Western languages) of traditional Chinese literature because it is organized according to genres (classics, prose, poetry, drama, narrative literature, and so on) rather than according to the customary dynastic-political divisions. By following this approach Lévy (Levy) (Univ. of Bordeaux, France) is able to provide greater insight into how and why various types of literary forms developed in old China. At the same time, the author shows how and why literature was an essential part of ancient Chinese culture and civilization. Lévy (Levy) includes more than 100 translations, each of which is accompanied by commentary. His observations deserve close attention because they reveal numerous insights. This superb English translation by Nienhauser (Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison; ed. of the two-volume The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, CH, Jul'87, Apr'99), one of the US's most accomplished China scholars, will make an ideal core text for undergraduate courses on traditional Chinese literature and culture as well as an excellent addition to all undergraduate and graduate library collections.December 2000"―J. M. Hargett, SUNY at Albany
"As a general introduction for the lay reader . . . Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical works well, with the fast-pace and engaging short extracts providing excellent motivation. 11/23/2010"―dannyreviews.com
"Eminent sinologist Lévy attempts an almost impossible task: to provide a general picture of ancient Chinese literature . . . Lévy's book is unique among the numerous published histories . . . because it is organized according to genres rather than according to the customary dynastic-political divisions.December 2000"―Choice
"[A] concise and elegant account of pre―modern Chinese literature. . . . The translations . . . are fresh, uncluttered, and vivid."―Journal of the American Oriental Society
"[P]rovides an insightful overview of traditional Chinese literature, and is especially recommended for general readers and beginning students."―China Quarterly
Review
[P]rovides an insightful overview of traditional Chinese literature, and is especially recommended for general readers and beginning students.
― China QuarterlyAbout the Author
André Lévy is Emeritus Professor at the University of Bordeaux.
William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Product details
- Publisher : Indiana University Press (March 5, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 184 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0253213657
- ISBN-13 : 978-0253213655
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,761,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #883 in Chinese Literary Criticism (Books)
- #5,259 in Asian Literature (Books)
- #5,983 in Ancient & Classical Literature
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
William H. Nienhauser, Jr. was born in St. Louis in 1943. After a year of Chinese at the Army Language School in Monterey, California, Nienhauser became enamoured with Chinese culture, taking his Ph.D. at Indiana University under Professor Wu-chi Liu in 1972. During his early years at the University of Wisconsin (where he is Jay C. & Ruth Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Literature) his interests focused on Chinese biographies, both historical and fictional. Readings in Comparative Literature led him to study narrative theory and develop an interest in the evolution of Chinese narrative. Beginning with Tang-dynasty biographies and tales, Nienhauser worked his back to the great Han-dynasty “national narrative,” the Shiji (The Grand Scribe’s Records, ca. 100 BCE), written by Sima Qian and his father Sima Tan. Since 1989 he has directed an evolving team of scholars who translate and annotate this massive text. Among numerous awards are the Humboldt Prize (2003). At present (December 2010) he is reading Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and recalling an earlier interest in fourteenth-sixteenth century English history.
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