The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy [electronic resource] / Stephen Durrant [and three others].
2016
DS734.9.S8 D875 2016eb
Available Online

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Title The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy [electronic resource] / Stephen Durrant [and three others].
ISBN 9780295806389 (electronic book)
9780295995441
Published Seattle : University of Washington Press, 2016.
Copyright ©2016
Language English
Description 1 online resource (xi, 178 pages)
Call Number DS734.9.S8 D875 2016eb
Dewey Decimal Classification 931/.04
Summary "'Surely, a man has but one death. That death may be as heavy as Mount Tai or as light as a goose feather. It is how he uses that death that makes all the difference!' So wrote Sima Qian (first century BCE), author of Record of the Historian (Shiji), the first comprehensive history of China's past, in his 'Letter to Ren An.' In this, the most famous letter in Chinese history, he explains his decision to finish his life's work, the first comprehensive history of the Chinese past, which was begun by his late father, rather than to honorably commit suicide following his castration for 'deceiving the emperor.' The authenticity of the letter, which is included in Sima Qian's biography in Ban Gu's (CE 32-92) History of the Han Dynasty, has been debated for millennia. Is it a genuine piece of writing by Sima Qian addressed to a fellow sufferer who was himself languishing in prison and would die in 91 BCE? Or is it a very early work of literary impersonation whereby Ban Gu or a still earlier author sought to elucidate Sima Qian's reasoning through an epistle? Conceived as a text for Chinese history courses, this compact volume provides a full translation of the letter (along with the original Chinese text) and uses different interpretations of this key document to explore issues in textual history, epistolary culture, Han politics, and Han thought. It shows how ideas about friendship, loyalty, factionalism, and authorship encoded in the letter have far-reaching implications for the study of China"--Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description Description based on print version record.
Available in Other Form Letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy.
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Record Appears in Online Resources > Ebooks
All Resources
Han dynasty emperors
The letter to Ren An : english translation
Seeking answers, finding more questions / Stephen Durrant
Dissent against Emperor Wu of the Han / Hans van Ess
Friendship and other tropes in The letter to Ren An / Michael Nylan
The letter to Ren An and authorship in the Chinese tradition / Wai-yee Li
Appendix: The letter to Ren An : Chinese text
Glossary of Chinese characters.

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