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The modern imagination of classical Chinese thought has long been dominated by Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, and other "Masters" of the Warring States period. Michael Hunter argues that this approach neglects the far more central role of poetry, and the
Shijing (
Classic of Poetry) in particular, in the formation of the philosophical tradition.
List of contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Reading the Shi
2. A Poetry of Return
3. Shi Poetics Beyond the Shi
4. The Shi and the Verses of Chu (Chuci 楚辭)
5. Comparing Canons: The Shi Versus the Masters
Conclusion: A Classic of N/Odes
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Michael Hunter is associate professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University. He is the author of Confucius Beyond the Analects (2017) and coeditor of Confucius and the Analects Revisited: New Perspectives on Composition, Dating, and Authorship (2018).
Summary
The modern imagination of classical Chinese thought has long been dominated by Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, and other “Masters” of the Warring States period. Michael Hunter argues that this approach neglects the far more central role of poetry, and the Shijing (Classic of Poetry) in particular, in the formation of the philosophical tradition.
Additional text
This is an extremely refreshing and inspiring placement of the Odes at the center of thought from the Warring States into the early Chinese imperial period. Hunter convincingly shows how the notion of coming home pervades the Shi and, through them, a wide array of other texts. By doing this, he also reconsiders the dominance of all too familiar boundaries and academic disciplines.
