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Selected for CHOICE's list of Outstanding Academic Books for 1995.
For centuries, readers of Tao Qian have felt directly addressed by his poetic voice. This theme in the reception of Tao Qian, moreover, developed alongside an assumption that Tao was fundamentally misunderstood during his own age. This book revisits Tao’s approach to his readers by attempting to situate it within the particular poetics of address that characterized the Six Dynasties classicist tradition. How would Tao Qian have anticipated that his readers would understand him? No definitive answer is knowable, but this direction of inquiry suggests closer examination of the cultures of reading and understanding of his period. From this inquiry, two interrelated groups of problems emerge as particularly pressing both for Tao Qian and for his contemporaries: first, problems relating to understanding authoritative texts, centered on the relation between meanings and the outward “traces” of those meanings’ expression; second, problems relating to understanding human character, centered on the unworldly scholar—the emblematic figure for the set of values often termed “eremitic.”
Winner of a 2006 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title Award As medieval Chinese manuscripts were copied and recopied through the centuries, both mistakes and deliberate editorial changes were introduced, thereby affecting readers' impressions of the author's intent. In Tao Yuanming and Manuscript Culture, Xiaofei Tian shows how readers not only experience authors but produce them by shaping texts to their interpretation. Tian examines the mechanics and history of textual transmission in China by focusing on the evolution over the centuries of the reclusive poet Tao Yuanming into a figure of epic stature. Considered emblematic of the national character, Tao Yuanming (also known as Tao Q...
"This book uses questions concerning address and understanding in Tao Qian's poetry as a lens through which to explore both the poet and the cultures of reading and interpretation of the Six Dynasties classicist tradition"--Provided by publisher.
Tao Yuanming (365?–427), although dismissed as a poet following his death, is now considered one of China’s greatest writers. Over the centuries, portrayals of his life—some focusing on his eccentricity, others on his exemplary virtue—have elevated him to iconic status. This study of the posthumous reputation of a central figure in Chinese literary history, the mechanisms at work in the reception of his works, and the canonization of Tao himself and of particular readings of his works sheds light on the transformation of literature and culture in premodern China. It focuses on readers’ interpretive negotiations with Tao’s works and on changes in hermeneutical practices, critical ...
Tao Yuanming (365-427), also known as Tao Qian, is one of the greatest of Chinese poets. Living in the Jin dynasty, a time of turmoil, he could not abide serving in the corrupt government of the day and sought retirement back near his hometown, on a farm. His most famous pieces reflect this although he did write on a variety of themes. He also penned a number or works on "drinking wine." This book translates all his poetry and prose and is accompanied by the Chinese text in traditional characters. There are footnotes for most of the direct allusions in his work.
The author investigates the metaphorical nature of poetic language, highlighting the central figures of reality and meaning in both Eastern and Western thought: the Tao and the Logos.
China has historically been a "land of poetry", and classical poetry is a marvel of traditional Chinese culture. As early as 3,000 years ago, our ancestors created excellent poems represented by the "300 Poems". Since then, every historical era has produced fruitful poetic creations, many of which have become popular and have been recited to this day. This series of "Appreciation of Chinese Classical Poetry" selects the best works of the most representative poets and lyricists in history and provides detailed and popular translations and commentaries in an attempt to introduce the most precious cultural treasures created by ancient Chinese people to contemporary readers at home and abroad. T...
Navigating the uncertainty of a divided China wracked by warfare and corruption, Tao Yuanming’s poetry—expertly translated by Red Pine—chooses the path walked by China’s ancient sages, finding joy in living a simple life. The latest work in Red Pine’s rich career of translation, Choosing to be Simple: Collected Poems of Tao Yuanming, is a definitive portrait of the early Chinese politician and poet. Thoroughly researched and beautifully translated, this bilingual collection of over 160 verses chronicles Tao Yuanming’s path from civil servant to reclusive poet during the formative Six Dynasties period (220–589). Familiar scenes like farming and contemplating the nature of work a...
When Wittilda the witch is forced to look for a job, she finds her broom-flying ability comes in handy in applying for a job delivering pizzas.