Synopsis
Challenging the widely held belief that autobiography is a unique product of the West, Pei-yi Wu demonstrates that writing about the self did thrive in one non-Western civilization. The pages of this first full-length treatment of Chinese autobiography teem with fascinating individuals each of whom has a story to tell--champions of lost causes explaining their impending martyrdom to posterity, earnest Buddhists and Confucians reporting on their spiritual quests, irrepressible and inventive egotists indulging in self-celebration, and distressed moralists confessing their sins. Affording the reader a view of some never before examined aspects of the Chinese psyche, The Confucian's Progress is also an accessible introduction to Chinese history and literature. "A highly intelligent--and thoroughly intelligible--book-length essay on autobiographical writings in China...With its ample and readable translations of a dazzling array of scarce Chinese texts alone, this book will reward readers. Moreover, The Confucian's Progress will force readers to think about the relationship between turning points in literary expression and social change, and about how the constraints (or conventions) of established genres limit or shape biographical and autobiographical writings."--Joanna F. Handlin Smith, The Journal of Asian Studies
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The Confucian's Progress: Autobiographical Writings in Traditional China
Published by
Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1990
ISBN 10: 0691067880
ISBN 13: 9780691067889
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Smith Family Bookstore Downtown, Eugene, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. red ink markings in preface, text otherwise clean and unmarked. binding tight. boards have very light wear. edges of pages have very light wear. dust jacket has wear and creases at foot of spine and otherwise light wear/small tears along edges. Seller Inventory # 5036995
Stock Image
The Confucian's Progress: Autobiographical Writings in Traditional China
Published by
Princeton University Press, 1990
ISBN 10: 0691067880
ISBN 13: 9780691067889
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Recycle Bookstore, San Jose, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Book is in very good condition. Edges have light wear and pages are starting to show signs of aging. Dust jacket is in very good condition. Edge along the spine has moderate rubbing, cover has moderate smudging and edges have moderate wear. Otherwise book has tight binding with clean and bright pages and dust jacket is protected with an archival cover. Seller Inventory # 968954
Stock Image
The Confucian's Progress: Autobiographical Writings in Traditional China
Published by
Princeton University Press, 1990
ISBN 10: 0691067880
ISBN 13: 9780691067889
Used
Hardcover
Signed
Seller: A Squared Books (Don Dewhirst), South Lyon, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Acceptable. 1990; signed. black cloth covered boards with gold titles; illustrated paper jacket; wear and discoloration around edges; 8vo, 7 3/4" to 9 3/4" tall; inscribed to previous owner and signed by author on ffep; hand written letter from author laid in; Interior is clean and unmarked; 283 pages. Signed by Author. Seller Inventory # SKU1169034