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Alan J. Berkowitz - Patterns of Disengagement: The Practice and Portrayal of Reclusion in Early Medieval China - 9780804736039 - V9780804736039
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Patterns of Disengagement: The Practice and Portrayal of Reclusion in Early Medieval China

€ 91.38
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Description for Patterns of Disengagement: The Practice and Portrayal of Reclusion in Early Medieval China Hardback. This work traces the formulation and portrayal of the practice of reclusion in China from the earliest times through the sixth century, by which time reclusion had taken on its enduring character. Num Pages: 312 pages, illustrations. BIC Classification: 1FPC; 3H; HBG. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 5817 x 3887 x 25. Weight in Grams: 550.

While the customary path to achievement in traditional China was through service to the state, from the earliest times certain individuals had been acclaimed for repudiating an official career. This book traces the formulation and portrayal of the practice of reclusion in China from the earliest times through the sixth century, by which time reclusion had taken on its enduring character.

Those men who decided to withhold their service to state governance fit the dictum from the Book of Changes of a man who "does not serve a king or lord; he elevates in priority his own affairs." This characterization ... Read more

What distinguished these men was a particular strength of character that underlay their conduct: they received approbation for maintaining their resolve, their mettle, their integrity, and their moral and personal values in the face of adversity, threat, or temptation. This book reveals that those who opted for a life of reclusion had a variety of motivations for their decisions and conducted widely divergent ways of life. The lives of these men epitomize the distinctive nature of substantive reclusion, differentiating them from those of the intelligentsia who, on occasion, voiced their desire for disengagement or for retreat, but who nevertheless found or retained their places in government office. Throughout, the author places the recluse and reclusion within the social, political, intellectual, religious, and literary contexts of the times.

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Product Details

Format
Hardback
Publication date
2000
Publisher
Stanford University Press United States
Number of pages
312
Condition
New
Number of Pages
312
Place of Publication
Palo Alto, United States
ISBN
9780804736039
SKU
V9780804736039
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1

About Alan J. Berkowitz
Alan J. Berkowitz is Associate Professor of Chinese at Swarthmore College.

Reviews for Patterns of Disengagement: The Practice and Portrayal of Reclusion in Early Medieval China
"[A] wonderfully erudite and meticulously researched new volume."—Journal of the American Oriental Society "Berkowitz's deep commitment to this fascinating topic is demonstrated by his many excursions to hermitage sites mentioned in his texts and by his comprehensive scholarship. Patterns of Disengagement makes a substantial contribution to the field, and will undoubtedly long remain the definitive treatment of reclusion in early ... Read more

Goodreads reviews for Patterns of Disengagement: The Practice and Portrayal of Reclusion in Early Medieval China


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