The Objectionable Li Zhi
Fiction, Criticism, and Dissent in Late Ming China
Published on 31. January 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
296 pages
978-0-295-74838-2 (ISBN)
Description
Astute inquiries into the world of China's most unconventional early modern intellectual
Iconoclastic scholar Li Zhi (1527-1602) was a central figure in the cultural world of the late Ming dynasty. His provocative and controversial words and actions shaped print culture, literary practice, attitudes toward gender, and perspectives on Buddhism and the afterlife. Although banned, his writings were never fully suppressed, because they tapped into issues of vital significance to generations of readers. His incisive remarks, along with the emotional intensity and rhetorical power with which he delivered them, made him an icon of his cultural moment and an emblem of early modern Chinese intellectual dissent.
In this volume, leading China scholars demonstrate the interrelatedness of seemingly discrete aspects of Li Zhi's thought and emphasize his far-reaching impact on his contemporaries and successors. In doing so, they challenge the myth that there was no tradition of dissidence in premodern China.
The open access publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation.
Iconoclastic scholar Li Zhi (1527-1602) was a central figure in the cultural world of the late Ming dynasty. His provocative and controversial words and actions shaped print culture, literary practice, attitudes toward gender, and perspectives on Buddhism and the afterlife. Although banned, his writings were never fully suppressed, because they tapped into issues of vital significance to generations of readers. His incisive remarks, along with the emotional intensity and rhetorical power with which he delivered them, made him an icon of his cultural moment and an emblem of early modern Chinese intellectual dissent.
In this volume, leading China scholars demonstrate the interrelatedness of seemingly discrete aspects of Li Zhi's thought and emphasize his far-reaching impact on his contemporaries and successors. In doing so, they challenge the myth that there was no tradition of dissidence in premodern China.
The open access publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation.
Reviews / Votes
"[A] book that answers questions many have asked themselves and raises new ones on the complexity of Li Zhi's (1527-1602) personality and thought. This is the first volume in English that collects various studies done under different perspectives on this controversial Ming thinker."(Ming Qing Studies) "[A] fascinating, multidisciplinary study of Li Zhi, a controversial, complex figure... a remarkable work"
(Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews) "[O]ffers a worthy companion to the editors' earlier volume of selected translations of Li Zhi's writings."
(Journal of Chinese Studies) "[A] mature contribution both to Li Zhi and late-Ming scholarship. Features of his life and writings are examined by knowledgeable Ming scholars who are able skillfully to shed light on him from the perspective of a body of scholarship for which each is known."
(Journal of Chinese History) "The diverse and multifaceted scholarship presented in this volume not only mirrors Li Zhi's intellectual versatility, it also documents the wide margin that the discrepancies and inconsistencies in his thinking and writing leave for interpretation. Even though Li Zhi seemed "objectionable" to many of his contemporaries and some of those that came after him, this book convincingly demonstrates the value and perpetual significance of his thought. To all students of Li Zhi's life and thought and of late Ming intellectual history in general I do recommend this volume unreservedly."
(Monumenta Serica)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1 map
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
499 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-74838-2 (9780295748382)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Rivi Handler-Spitz is associate professor of Chinese language and literature at Macalester College. Pauline C. Lee is associate professor of Chinese religions and cultures at Saint Louis University. Haun Saussy is professor of comparative literature, social thought, and East Asian languages and civilizations at the University of Chicago. Handler-Spitz, Lee, and Saussy are coeditors and cotranslators of A Book to Burn and a Book to Keep [Hidden]: Selected Writings of Li Zhi. Contributors include Timothy Brook, Kai-wing Chow, Maram Epstein, Robert E. Hegel, Martin Huang, Wai-yee Li, Miaw-fen Lu, Ying Zhang, and Jiang Wu.