A son's tribute to his mother -- Crime and punishment -- A Han emporer accepting the blame -- Letters home -- A natural philosopher's account of his life -- A father writing to his son -- An abducted woman on returning home -- Military men touting their merits -- The pain of separation -- An emporer's discourse on karma and vegetarianism -- Late Tang writers on life beyond office-holding -- Mourning friends and relations -- An advocate of the simple life -- Records of things seen and heard -- Chanting about oneself -- An envoy's trip to the Jin court -- Women and suicide -- Witnessing dynastic collapse -- Peaceful abodes -- A female doctor's life and work -- An eccentric considers suicide -- Life in the examination hell -- A royal consort's song -- Environmental catastrophes -- A con man posing as an official -- A private secretary's itinerant life -- Tributes to close relatives -- A teenager captured by the Nian rebels -- Keeping family members informed -- Appendix: A select list of widely available translations of prose personal accounts to 1880.
Summary:
Personal accounts help us understand notions of self, interpersonal relations, and historical events. Chinese Autobiographical Writing contains full translations of works by fifty individuals that illuminate the history and conventions of writing about oneself in the Chinese tradition. From poetry, letters, and diaries to statements in legal proceedings, these engaging and readable works draw us into the past and provide vivid details of life as it was lived from the pre-imperial period to the nineteenth century. Some focus on a person's entire life, others on a specific moment. Some have an element of humor, others are entirely serious. Taken together, these selections offer an intimate view of how Chinese men and women, both famous and obscure, reflected on their experiences as well as their personal struggles and innermost thoughts.With an introduction and list of additional readings for each selection, this volume is ideal for undergraduate courses on Chinese history, literature, religion, and women and family. Read individually, each piece illuminates a person, place, and moment. Read in chronological order, they highlight cultural change over time by showing how people explored new ways to represent themselves in writing.The open access publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.