The Original Analects [Paperback]

E. Bruce. Brooks (Author), A. Taeko. Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0231104316 | ISBN-13: 978-0231104319

This new translation presents the Analects in a revolutionary new format that, for the first time in any language, distinguishes the original words of the Master from the later sayings of his disciples and their followers, enabling readers to experience China's most influential philosophical work in its true historical, social, and political context.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Original Analects is a remarkable book that ranks among the most significant and impressive works on Chinese thought ever published in English.

(Journal of Asian Studies Vol. XXXV / 4 2003)

With the publication of this translation, scholars now have a fully developed interpretation of a single text with which to test the Brooks' hypotheses. Undoubtedly we have not heard the last or even the definitive word on dating texts in early China. But the Brooks should be credited with pushing the field one great step further along in its development.

(Pacific Affairs )

The most exciting study of the Lun yu yet published in a Western language. Its potential implications are monumental, ranging from a rewriting of our understanding of early Confucianism and the nature of intellectual transmission in early China.

(Chinese Review International )

Its insightful readings and interpretive strategies stand to enrich our overall understanding of the Analects and its traditions.

(Lisa Raphals International Studies in Philosophy )

Review

Meticulously demonstrating a powerful method of textual analysis which has roots in earlier Chinese scholarship, The Original Analects inaugurates a new era. Scholars take note: the study of early China will never be the same. And its richly thoughtful commentaries assure that the general reader will stop to ponder the words of the most influential book in the long history of the Chinese civilization.

(Frederick W. Mote, Princeton University (Emeritus) )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (September 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231104316
• ISBN-13: 978-0231104319
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fresh views, yet sometimes the evidence is not there, July 31, 1998

By 

Tzu-Hsien Sang [e-mail] (Ann Arbor) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Original Analects: Sayings of Confucius and His Successors (Hardcover)

This new translation of Analects provides us with a fresh view on Confucius' Way as it was, at least the authors claim so. It is correctly pointed out in the book that the task of reconstructing the "original" Confucius is inevitably interwined with our ever-changing understanding of the pre-Chin Chinese intellectual history. The task is never going to be easy, and is highly influenced by subjective preferences of individual researchers. The authors provide an updated theory of how the Analects was written in the course of several hundred years. One thing I like most is that convincing evidences are given to show that filial piety was NOT central in Confucius' morality. However, there are some other shaky arguments. For example, their effort of establishing this guy or that guy as the leader of the early Confucian disciples is too imaginative.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revolutionary book., April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Original Analects: Sayings of Confucius and His Successors (Hardcover)

The Analects were always thought to have been written by Confucius' direct disciples during a few decades after the Master's death. Bruce and Taeko Brooks convincingly prove that this was not so. Probably only a part of chapter 4 contains Confucius' exact words. The remaining 19 chapters were gradually written over a period of around 230 years by his disciples and by much later successors who had a different agenda. A key idea of the book is that REN (humanity) was central to Confucius and his early disciples, whereas LI (ritual) became essential to the later successors in the next century. Each saying is followed by the authors' commentary that is scholarly (very "technical" sometimes) but often in a direct and refreshing style. This book is a must for all serious Confucius lovers.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes cryptic, but indispensible, October 10, 1999

By 

Geenius at Wrok - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Original Analects: Sayings of Confucius and His Successors (Hardcover)

An excellent resource for the scholar. Rearranges the passages into a reconstructed chronological order, but retains their numbering, so the reader isn't lost. Exhaustive notes, plus the most penetrating discussion of the exact meaning of _ren_ (though they spell it "_rvn_") available in any translation. Language a teensy bit stilted in places. "Common alphabetic" (modified Yale) romanization.