The summation of more than two thousand years of one of the world's most august literary traditions, this volume also represents the achievements of four hundred years of Western scholarship on China. The selections include poetry, drama, fiction, songs, biographies, and works of early Chinese philosophy and history rendered in English by the most renowned translators of classical Chinese literature: Arthur Waley, Ezra Pound, David Hawkes, James Legge, Burton Watson, Stephen Owen, Cyril Birch, A. C. Graham, Witter Bynner, Kenneth Rexroth, and others.
Arranged chronologically and by genre, each chapter is introduced by definitive quotes and brief introductions chosen from classic Western sinological treatises. Beginning with discussions of the origins of the Chinese writing system and selections from the earliest "genre" of Chinese literature -- the Oracle Bone inscriptions -- the book then proceeds with selections from:
• early myths and legends;
• the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry, the Book of Songs;
• early narrative and philosophy, including the I Ching, Tao-te Ching, and the Analects of Confucius;
• rhapsodies, historical writings, magical biographies, ballads, poetry, and miscellaneous prose from the Han and Six Dynasties period;
• the court poetry of the Southern Dynasties;
• the finest gems of Tang poetry; and
• lyrics, stories, and tales of the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties eras.
Special highlights include individual chapters covering each of the luminaries of Tang poetry: Wang Wei, Li Bo, Du Fu, and Bo Juyi; early literary criticism; women poets from the first to the tenth century C.E.; and the poetry of Zen and the Tao.
Bibliographies, explanatory notes, copious illustrations, a chronology of major dynasties, and two-way romanization tables coordinating the Wade-Giles and pinyin transliteration systems provide helpful tools to aid students, teachers, and general readers in exploring this rich tradition of world literature.
Columbia University Press
A Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title of the Year

Classical Chinese literature: an anthology of translations. Vol. 1, , From antiquity to the Tang Dynasty

Classical Chiness Literature (traditional Chinese Edition)

Minford, John; Lau, Joseph S. M., 1934-

New York: Chichester: Columbia University Press

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press

Columbia Business School Publishing

Xianggangzhongwendaxuechubanshe

Columbia Univ. Press [u.a

King's Crown Paperbacks

New York, Chichester, New York State, 2002

1st pbk. ed, New York, Hong Kong, ©2002-

United States, United States of America

New York, Chichester, England, 2002

New York ; Chichester, 2002, ©2000

New Ed edition, April 15, 2002

Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong

New York, Hong Kong, ©2000

Revised, 2002

Parallel title in Chinese characters.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [1147]-1153) and indexes.
Translated from the Chinese.

Contains English translations of Chinese writings drawn from throughout a period of four hundred years, including poems, drama, fiction, songs, biographies, and early works of philosophy and history; arranged chronologically and by genre, with introductory quotes and comments

v. ; 24 cm
Parallel title in Chinese characters
Includes bibliographical references (p. [1147]-1153) and indexes

2024-07-01