Ritual Performance in Early Chinese Thought
Author | : Thomas Radice |
Publisher | : Bloomsbury Publishing |
Total Pages | : 193 |
Release | : 2024-10-17 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781350358973 |
ISBN-13 | : 1350358975 |
Rating | : 4/5 (975 Downloads) |
Download or read book Ritual Performance in Early Chinese Thought written by Thomas Radice and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-10-17 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining early Chinese ritual discourse during the Warring States and early Western Han Periods, this book reveals how performance became a fundamental feature of ritual and politics in early China. Through a dramaturgical lens, Thomas Radice explores the extent to which performer/spectator relationships influenced all aspects of early Chinese religious, ethical, and political discourse. Arguing that the Confucians conceived ritual as primarily a dramaturgical matter, this book demonstrates not only that theatricality was necessary for expression and deception in a community of spectators, but also how a theatrical 'presence' ultimately became essential to all forms of public life in early China. Thomas Radice illuminates previously unexplored connections between early Chinese texts, aesthetics, and traditions.