The problem of beauty : aesthetic thought and pursuits in Northern Song dynasty China

Resource Information

The work The problem of beauty : aesthetic thought and pursuits in Northern Song dynasty China represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

The problem of beauty : aesthetic thought and pursuits in Northern Song dynasty China

Title remainder

aesthetic thought and pursuits in Northern Song dynasty China

Statement of responsibility

Ronald Egan

Creator

• Egan, Ronald, 1948-

Subject

• Aesthetics
• China -- Civilization -- 960-1644

Language

eng

Summary

"During the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126), new ground was broken in aesthetic thought, particularly in the fields of art collecting, poetry criticism, connoisseurship of flowers, and the song lyric. Collectively these activities constitute much of what was distinctive about Northern Song culture. Yet the subjects treated here were unprecedented when they appeared; consequently, bold exploration was coupled with anxiety about the worth of these interests, especially given the Confucian biases against these pursuits. Despite differences in each area, certain overarching themes surface repeatedly. Together, these interests and choices suggest a logic behind the new directions of literati culture in the Northern Song. By focusing on the "problem of beauty," Ronald Egan calls attention to the difficulties that Northern Song innovators faced in justifying these new pursuits."--Publisher's website

Member of

• Harvard East Asian monographs, 271

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

709.51/09021222

Index

index present

LC call number

DS750.72

LC item number

.E43 2006

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography

Series statement

Harvard East Asian monographs

Series volume

271