From a leader in the field of Asian studies comes a new offering that integrates work from well-respected figures in the field while also providing coherent and valuable arguments about the importance of Asian classics for humanities curricula more generally. The current volume is a dramatic expansion and revision of earlier edited volumes from de Bary, including: Approaches to the Asian Classics and Approaches to the Oriental Classics.Footnote 1
De Bary opens the volume with two chapters that problematize the concepts of “great books of the East,” “classics,” and “core curriculum” as he examines some of the issues that faculty face when they develop and think about introductory courses that include East Asian components. Additionally, de Bary compares his discussion of East Asian texts to a selection of Western classics where relevant in order to help develop familiarity for the Western reader. These chapters do a remarkable job of contextualizing the importance of this work and explaining why studying the great books of East Asia should be part of the larger movement of studying great books in the vernacular. The introduction also includes a good, annotated reading list of key titles in Islamic, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese areas.
In addition to the two introductory chapters, the majority of the volume is focused on China and Japan, with three shorter chapters focused on Korea. The chapters include those on China (four on Confucianism, two on proto-Daoism, four on Mahayana Buddhism, three on literature and poetry, and one on politics), Japan (four on literature, five on Buddhism, one on war, one on literature, one on drama, and two on neo-Confucianism), and Korea (one on a political memoir, one on neo-Confucianism, and one on drama). The overall structure of this volume relies on the expert reflections of de Bary and other well-known experts in the fields of East Asian studies, religions, literatures, politics, and the arts, who each pen chapters that meet two major goals: first, to examine how accomplished professors have explored the selected materials with their students, and second, to provide clear discussion of the contributions and importance of the thinker or text being examined in the chapter.
Each chapter does an impressive job of contextualizing, historicizing, and explaining the key terms and ideas related to each of the thinkers and texts addressed therein. This is a refreshing take on traditional anthologies of classical East Asian texts, because specialists have written “brief essays on what they perceive to be the most essential values in the works they know well or most enjoy” (p. 27). Each entry examines and highlights the humanity and human issues being addressed in these classics and how this provides a glimpse into Asian culture; identity-making; and the major meaningful issues in the lives of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people at different points in their historical developments. Many of the authors also take steps to help make connections between the lives and worldviews of the ancient East Asian people and the modern Western reader.
Although I have an affinity for the accomplishments of this volume, there are a few weaknesses present, the first of which seems more to do with editing oversight. Throughout the text, the authors rightfully utilize contemporary pinyin spellings of Chinese words; however, it is likely that students will become confused when they encounter the following outdated spellings: Ssu-ma Ch'ien (p. 15), Lao Tzu (p. 77), Tun-huang (p. 131), Soochow (p. 174), Peking (p. 175), and Nanking (p. 175). More careful editing would be helpful. On a more serious note, as Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum is gaining importance across many university campuses, and as more students are studying Asian languages, it seems that authors and publishers should work together more closely to include pinyin, other transliterations, and Asian-language characters throughout for key terms, names, and book titles to assist in language learning and connection-making. Finally, I think it is a grave oversight that de Bary only included two proto-Daoist texts (the Laozi 老子 and Zhuangzi 莊子) from a religious tradition that is rich with laboratory alchemical, internal alchemical, meditation, medical, ritual, devotional, and other well-known texts. There are many people who also teach about Ge Hong's 葛洪 Baopuzi 抱朴子 (The master who embraces simplicity) or the Taiping Jing 太平經 (The scripture of great peace) among many, many other so-called Daoist “classics.”
Overall, I think de Bary has produced an extremely useful volume for any sort of Asian studies, Asian literature, Asian culture, Asian religion, or Asian history survey course. The majority of the chapters include excerpts from the texts and thinkers discussed in the chapters, although an additional, more comprehensive reader would be helpful. As the chapters are short and easily digestible, they could be used at an introductory level with undergraduates, but with additional primary readings, there are plenty of details and insights in this volume that make it a great resource at the upper and graduate levels as well. Even if I do not assign it as a reading in my classes, I know I will use many of the ideas presented within it to generate class discussion.
