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Audiobook edition · 13 h 35 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What holds a literary tradition together through warring states, changing dynasties, and more than two thousand years?
In A History of Chinese Literature, Herbert Allen Giles guides you from the earliest classics to the nineteenth century. He begins with Confucius and moves through the dynasties, introducing philosophers, historians, poets, dramatists, and novelists. Samples of poems, essays, and stories let you encounter the writing alongside his account of its place in Chinese life.
The journey passes through the burning of old books, the poetry of the Tang, and the scholarship of the Song. Giles then explores drama, the novel, and the great literary projects of the Manchu age. Published in 1901, his survey also reveals a Victorian scholar’s tastes and an older English-language view of China.
What you’ll discover
- A map through the dynasties Follow a clear historical path through changing forms, ideas, and literary interests.
- Confucius among rival voices Meet the early classics and the thinkers who challenge the sage’s ideas.
- The Tang poets Explore the poetry Giles places at the height of China’s poetic achievement.
- From scholarship to the stage Discover how Giles connects shifts in learning and government with new literary directions.
- A scholar’s revealing perspective Read for the literary history and for the judgments shaping Giles’s account.
Who will love it
For readers who want a first guided walk through Chinese literary history, from early classics to poetry, drama, and novels, and anyone curious about how the older English-language view of China took shape.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Literature Shaped by Its Script
- Confucius and the Classics Set the Standard
- Rival Thinkers Challenge the Sage
- Fire, Revival, and the Han Historians
- Buddhism and Disorder Reshape Writing
- The Tang Age Becomes the Age of Poetry
- Song Scholars Build Learning and Lyrics
- Drama and the Novel Find Their Voice
- The Manchu Age and What Giles Leaves Us
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Histoire de la littérature chinoise
by Herbert Allen Giles · 1901
Giles leads you from Confucius to Tang poets and Ming novelists, tracing how writing holds a vast country together.
Medium level10–20 hours to readfrançais
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In short
Imagine a single book that walks you through more than two thousand years of Chinese writing. Herbert Allen Giles, a British diplomat who became professor of Chinese at Cambridge, published this survey in 1901.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Literature Shaped by Its Script
Giles opens with Chinese accounts of creation, then turns to early civilization and the origins of writing. Old books stayed readable for centuries.
This gave writers unusual respect for the past. The examination system tested candidates on the classics and on composition, and success led to office. A man who wrote well could rise from a village to the court.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 6 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1901
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 8 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
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What is A History of Chinese Literature by Herbert Giles about?
It is a survey of Chinese writing from the early classics and Confucius to the Manchu dynasty, arranged by period. Giles names the main authors, describes their works, and gives translated samples of poems, essays, and stories.
When was A History of Chinese Literature written?
Giles published it in 1901, as part of a series of short histories of world literatures. It was among the first full English accounts of the subject.
How is Giles's history of Chinese literature organized?
Giles arranges the survey by dynasty in eight books. He starts with Confucius and the early classics, then moves through the Han, the middle centuries, the Tang, the Song, the Mongol rule, the Ming and the Manchu dynasty, with translated samples of poems, essays and stories.
The author
Herbert Allen Giles
1845–1935 · British sinologist and translator
Herbert Allen Giles (1845–1935) was a British diplomat and scholar of Chinese. He was born in Oxford and worked in China as a diplomat. He later taught Chinese at the University of Cambridge. His publications included A Chinese-English Dictionary (1892) and A History of Chinese Literature (1901).
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