Winner of the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Literary Work, sponsored by the Modern Language Association

An anthology of literary gems compiled in early China, newly translated and annotated

In 17 BCE the Han dynasty archivist Liu Xiang presented to the throne a collection of some seven hundred items of varying length, mostly quasi-historical anecdotes and narratives, that he deemed essential reading for wise leadership. Garden of Eloquence (Shuoyuan), divided into twenty books grouped by theme, follows a tradition of narrative writing on historical and philosophical themes that began seven centuries earlier. Long popular in China as a source of allusions and quotations, it preserves late Western Han views concerning history, politics, and ethics. Many of its anecdotes are attributed to Confucius's speeches and teachings that do not appear in earlier texts, demonstrating that long after Confucius's death in 479 BCE it was still possible for new "historical" narratives to be created.

Garden of Eloquence is valuable as a repository of items that originally appeared in other early collections that are no longer extant, and it provides detail on topics as various as astronomy and astrology, yin-yang theory, and quasi-geographical and mystical categories. Eric Henry's unabridged translation with facing Chinese text and extensive annotation will make this important primary source available for the first time to Anglophone world historians.

An anthology of literary gems compiled in early China, newly translated and annotated

About the Author

Liu Xiang (79-08 BCE) was a scholar-official of the Western (Former) Han dynasty. Eric Henry is senior lecturer emeritus of Asian studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

"[M]asterful and meticulously annotated rendering of Shuoyuan . Garden of Eloquence is an excellent and beneficial contribution to the growing number of translations of ancient Chinese literature."

* IIAS Newsletter *

"[S]uperbly crafted and aptly annotated. A monumental translation, which is much recommended to scholars of Confucianism and premodern East Asian religions."

* Religious Studies Review *


Awards
Winner of Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Literary Work 2022 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9780295995199
Author Liu Xiang
Format Hardback
Page Count 1360
Imprint University of Washington Press
Publisher University of Washington Press
Weight(grams) 1179g