1st Edition
Voices of East Asia Essential Readings from Antiquity to the Present
Voices of East Asia provides significant yet accessible readings in translation chosen to stimulate interest in the long and rich cultural history of East Asia, the countries of China, Japan, and Korea. The readings range from ancient to modern, elite to popular, and include poetry, stories, essays, and drama. Each section begins with a broad but brief overview of that country’s political and cultural history. Each reading is preceded by a concise explanation of its literary and cultural context. As expertise in East Asian studies has exploded in the West in recent decades, a novice could be overwhelmed by all the materials available now. In this volume, however, the reader will find a manageable set of texts that may be read on their own, as part of a world literature course, or as supplementary readings for an East Asian history class. As economic and political news from East Asia sweeps across the world, this anthology aims to provide a taste of the enduring traditions upon which contemporary East Asia is built, a glimpse into the hopes and fears, love and sorrow in the hearts of the people behind the headlines.
This anthology will be welcomed by students and scholars of Asian history, culture, society and literature.
Part I: China
Book of Songs
Book of Documents
Book of Rites
Analects
Mencius
Great Learning
Doctrine of the Mean
Daoist Texts
Chinese Poetry
The West Chamber
Journey to the West
Outlaws of the Marsh
Short Stories
Essays
The Old Gun
Part II: Japan
Japanese Poetry
The Pillow Book • Sei Shōnagon
The Tale of Genji • Murasaki Shikibu
Tales of Times Now Past
The Tale of the Heike
Essays in Idleness Nakamitsu
Lord Kikui’s Wife Short Stories
Jusan’ya. The Thirteenth Night Stories
A Sudden Flash of Light
Part III: KoreaTan’gun
The Tale of Hong Kiltong
Korean Poetry
Song of a Faithful Wife, Ch’un-hyang
Modern Korean Short Fiction
Biography
Margaret Childs is Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Kansas, USA
Nancy Hope is Associate Director of the Kansas Consortium for Teaching about Asia and the Associate Director for Special Projects of the Confucius Institute both at the University of Kansas, USA
"The editors would likely join this reviewer in hoping that this volume, and its two predecessors, will stimulate beginners to delve further into the literature of Asia.
Summing Up: Recommended."
C. Schirokauer, Columbia University, CHOICE"By specifically focusing on content
derived from China, Japan, and Korea,
the authors provide readers with a curated
selection of translated primary source excerpt
content arranged in chronological sequence,
dating from antiquity to the contemporary era.
As such, Voices of East Asia becomes a useful reference for instructors of
and students enrolled in advanced high school- or survey-level collegiate
courses in East Asian history, religious studies, or literature."CHRISTA ADAMS, Lecturer in History, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland,
Ohio
