Writing and Authority in Early China

by Lewis, Mark Edward

• ISBN13: 9780791441145
• ISBN10: 0791441148
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-03-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	1	(1)
Powers of Writing	1	(3)
Writing and the Formation of the Chinese Empire	4	(9)
Writing the State	13	(40)
The Archaic Background	14	(4)
Laws and Registers	18	(10)
Reports, Tallies, and Seals	28	(7)
Writing and the King	35	(7)
The Offices of Zhou	42	(6)
Conclusion	48	(5)
Writing the Masters	53	(46)
Scholarly Texts	54	(9)
Scholarly Traditions and the State	63	(10)
Social and Economic Bases of the Traditions	73	(10)
The Master as Model	83	(11)
Conclusion	94	(5)
Writing the Past	99	(48)
The Past in Speeches	101	(8)
The Past in Political Philosophy	109	(14)
The Past in Cosmogony	123	(7)
The Past in Chronicle	130	(14)
Conclusion	144	(3)
Writing the Self	147	(48)
Composing the Odes	149	(6)
Speaking through the Odes	155	(8)
The Odes as Proof and Sanction	163	(14)
Anthology and Authorship	177	(15)
Conclusion	192	(3)
The Political History of Writing	195	(46)
The Mythology of Fu Xi	197	(12)
The Mythology of the Duke of Zhou	209	(9)
The Mythology of Confucius	218	(20)
Conclusion	238	(3)
The Natural Philosophy of Writing	241	(46)
Between Divination and Philosophy	243	(9)
The Natural Philosophy of Signs	252	(10)
Images and Writing	262	(16)
Numbers and Writing	278	(6)
Conclusion	284	(3)
The Encyclopedic Epoch	287	(50)
Totality and Truth	289	(8)
Canon and Commentary	297	(5)
State-Sponsored Compendia	302	(6)
Sima Qian and Universal History	308	(9)
Sima Xiangru and Universal Poetry	317	(8)
The Liu Family and the Universal Library	325	(7)
Conclusion	332	(5)
The Empire of Writing	337	(26)
Establishment of the Canon	339	(12)
Triumph of the Canon	351	(10)
Conclusion	361	(2)
Conclusion	363	(4)
Notes	367	(130)
Works Cited	497	(30)
Index	527