The Chan's Great Continent: China in Western Minds

Nonfiction, History, Asian, China
Cover of the book The Chan's Great Continent: China in Western Minds by Jonathan D. Spence, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jonathan D. Spence ISBN: 9780393247701
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: October 17, 1999
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Jonathan D. Spence
ISBN: 9780393247701
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: October 17, 1999
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

"Like everything else written by Jonathan Spence, The Chan's Great Continent is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in China. Spence is one of the greatest Sinologists of our time, and his work is both authoritative and highly readable." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

China has transfixed the West since the earliest contacts between these civilizations. With his characteristic elegance and insight, Jonathan Spence explores how the West has understood China over seven centuries. Ranging from Marco Polo's own depiction of China and the mighty Khan, Kublai, in the 1270s to the China sightings of three twentieth-century writers of acknowledged genius-Kafka, Borges, and Calvino-Spence conveys Western thought on China through a remarkable array of expression. Peopling Spence's account are Iberian adventurers, Enlightenment thinkers, spinners of the dreamy cult of Chinoiserie, and American observers such as Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Ezra Pound, and Eugene O'Neill. Taken together, these China sightings tell us as much about the self-image of the West as about China. "Wonderful. . . . Spence brilliantly demonstrates [how] generation after generation of Westerners [have] asked themselves, 'What is it . . . that held this astonishing, diverse, and immensely populous land together?' "--New York Times Book Review

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"Like everything else written by Jonathan Spence, The Chan's Great Continent is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in China. Spence is one of the greatest Sinologists of our time, and his work is both authoritative and highly readable." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

China has transfixed the West since the earliest contacts between these civilizations. With his characteristic elegance and insight, Jonathan Spence explores how the West has understood China over seven centuries. Ranging from Marco Polo's own depiction of China and the mighty Khan, Kublai, in the 1270s to the China sightings of three twentieth-century writers of acknowledged genius-Kafka, Borges, and Calvino-Spence conveys Western thought on China through a remarkable array of expression. Peopling Spence's account are Iberian adventurers, Enlightenment thinkers, spinners of the dreamy cult of Chinoiserie, and American observers such as Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Ezra Pound, and Eugene O'Neill. Taken together, these China sightings tell us as much about the self-image of the West as about China. "Wonderful. . . . Spence brilliantly demonstrates [how] generation after generation of Westerners [have] asked themselves, 'What is it . . . that held this astonishing, diverse, and immensely populous land together?' "--New York Times Book Review

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer's Next Superstars by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book The Immortal Evening: A Legendary Dinner with Keats, Wordsworth, and Lamb by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Non-Drug Treatments for ADHD: New Options for Kids, Adults, and Clinicians by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book The Dancing Goddesses: Folklore, Archaeology, and the Origins of European Dance by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book The Hunger Moon by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book A Firing Offense: A Novel by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Knitting Pearls: Writers Writing About Knitting by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Fight Club: A Novel by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book The Best of Poetry in Motion: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years on Subways and Buses by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book Time's Power: Poems 1985-1988 by Jonathan D. Spence
Cover of the book The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics by Jonathan D. Spence
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy