Xu Xiake (1586-1641): The Art of Travel Writing Contributor(s): Ward, Julian (Author) |
|
ISBN: 1138863270 ISBN-13: 9781138863279 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $65.50 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2015 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Asian - Chinese - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - General - Travel | Asia - China |
Dewey: 895.1 |
Physical Information: 0.54" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (0.80 lbs) 231 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Chinese - Chronological Period - 16th Century - Chronological Period - 17th Century - Cultural Region - Asian |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: In this, the first full-length study in English of China's best-known travel writer, new light is shed on the importance of the diaries of Xu Xiake (1587-1687) a compulsive traveller who spent a lifetime visiting and writing about China's 'beauty spots'. The general view of his work, that he brought a sober, analytical approach to a genre previously the domain of the dillentante and that his writing was 'utilitarian' and lacking in literary merit is cast aside, revealing Xu to be a figure of his age, his concerns perfectly in tune with the exuberant tastes of other late Ming literati. |