Written in 200 C. E., this is one of the first Chinese works about the use of language and is for those who wish to engage the art of letters at its deepest levels. The Wen Fu discusses the joys and problems that face both writer and reader.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
It's hard to believe that a book written around 200 A.D. can so poignantly cut to the quick of writing's agony and ecstasy. Everything that concerns the writer is beautifully addressed, from writer's block ("Sometimes the door remains bolted") to language's limitations ("all their real jewels cannot fill the cup I make of my fingers"), upwards to the writer's re-vision of themes ("a common song sung to a great melody is another way to find beauty") and the joy of creating ("in a single yard of silk, there is infinite space"). This book offers a fresh perspective out of an ancient text.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese
Original Language: Chinese
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiration,
By Karyn Kedar (Deerfield, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Art of Writing: Lu Chi's Wen Fu (Paperback)
This beautiful book is an inspiring resource for writers and anyone who is touched by creatvity. I return to its pages of wisdom again and again for guidance as I try to write. It is a classic that must be in every library. I have purchased several to give to friends.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When the pupil is ready, the teacher will come.,
By
This review is from: The Art of Writing: Lu Chi's Wen Fu (Paperback)
A few days ago I told someone that I wanted to be able to write more like Lao Tzu. Humility is not one of my stronger suits... That I wanted to be able to write as profoundly and yet concisely as the "OldBoy" himself... I can dream can't I? Today while looking at a book about Thoreau at a local bookstore "Wen Fu" caught my attention. I openned it and discovered that it had been written in the third century by Lu Chi, a soldier-poet. That the "Wen Fu" is a book about the art of writing poetry and intended for those who wish to engage the art of letters at its deepest levels. It discusses the joys and problems that face both writer and reader and provides basic insights about many techniques of this style of writing. The more I read the better it got. It is a book about having the courage of your convictions where writing is concerned. Sam Hamill's Introduction is excellent at setting up Lu Chi's "Wen Fu". I found it very helpful in understanding and appreciating Lu Chi's words about words. "Consider the use of letters. All principles demand them. Though they travel a thousand miles or more, nothing in this world can stop them. They traverse the thousands of years." The art of writing is about using words as much as they use us.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
after Aristotle and Sun Tzu, meet Lu Chi,
By
This review is from: The Art of Writing: Lu Chi's Wen Fu (Paperback)
Well, you know the saying, the pen is mightier than the sword, so I guess Lu Chi is mightier than Sun Tzu. This book was written about 1700 years ago by a Chinese noble. The words are very inspiring and quite beautiful. This is a writer's book, one to own if you are a writer, or one to give as a gift that will be appreciated, if you want to make a writer happy. Here's a sample: "Caught between the unborn and the living, a writer struggles to maintain both depth and surface." and on rewriting: "Perhaps only a single blossom from the whole bouquet will bloom." This is a very short book, but one you will revisit.
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First Sentence:
The poet stands at the center of a universe, contemplating the enigma, drawing sustenance from masterpieces of the past. Read the first page New!
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The poet stands at the center of a universe, contemplating the enigma, drawing sustenance from masterpieces of the past. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 21
books:
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16
books
cite this book:
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- Urban Nature: Poems About Wildlife in the City by Laure-Anne Bosselaar in Back Matter
- This Sporting Life: Contemporary American Poems about Sports and Games by Emilie Buchwald in Back Matter
- The Long Experience of Love by James Moore in Back Matter
- Turning Over the Earth: Poems by Ralph Black in Back Matter
- Selected Poems (Australian poetry series) by J. S. Harry in Back Matter
See all 21 books this book cites
- Work and the Life of the Spirit by Douglas Thorpe in Table of Contents, page 221, and Back Matter
- Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write by Gayle Brandeis on page 103, and Back Matter
- Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write by Gayle Brandeis on page 103, and Back Matter
- Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition: Communication from Ancient Times to the Information Age (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) by Theresa Enos on page 101
- Wen xuan or Selections of Refined Literature by Xiao Tong in Back Matter
See all 16 books citing this book
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