Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics (Suny Series, Chinese Philosophy & Culture)

By Edward L. Shaughnessy

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791433781
• ISBN13: 9780791433782
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher