The latest book from veteran O'Neillian Edward L. Shaughnessy, Down the Nights and Down the Days: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility examines a major aspect of the playwright's vision: the influence of his Catholic heritage upon his moral imagination. Critics, aware of O'Neill's early renunciation of faith (at age 15), have been inclined to overlook this presence in his work. However, Shaughnessy makes no attempt to reclaim O'Neill for Catholicism. But Shaughnessy does uncover evidence that O'Neill retained the impress of his Irish Catholic upbringing and acculturation.

Down the Nights and Down the Days: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility (Irish in America)

Biographies & Memoirs

Shaughnessy, Edward L.

Arts & Literature

University of Notre Dame Press

This latest book from veteran O’Neillian Edward L. Shaughnessy examines the influence of the Irish playwright’s Catholic heritage on his moral imagination. Critics, due to O'Neill's early renunciation of faith at age 15, have mostly overlooked this presence in his work. While Shaughnessy makes no attempt to reclaim him for Catholicism, he uncovers evidence that O'Neill retained the imprint of his Irish Catholic upbringing and acculturation in his work. Shaughnessy discusses several key plays from the O’Neill cannon, such as Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Iceman Cometh, and Mourning Becomes Electra, as well as the lesser-known Ile and Days Without End. Winner of the Irish in America Manuscript competition, Down the Days and Down the Nights: Eugene O’Neill’s Catholic Sensibility is a compelling investigation into the psyche of one of the most brilliant, internationally honored playwrights of our time.

For more than two thousand years, the oracular, enigmatic pronouncements of the I Ching (Classic of Changes) have intrigued and inspired readers. In the West, scholars have long regarded the volume as one of the seminal texts of Chinese culture, comparable to the Bible or the Upanishads, and readers everywhere have turned to the hexagrams, line statements, and commentaries for guidance on every imaginable life situation. Given the enduring importance of this work, it was a momentous event when a significantly different I Ching text was unearthed in Mawangdui, China, in 1973--the first new manuscript of the work to appear in two thousand years. Now translated into English for the first time by one of West's leading scholars of the I Ching, the Mawangdui text brings welcome clarity, accessibility, and novelty to this beloved classic. Like the received version, the Mawangdui I Ching and its commentaries begin with a central core of sixty-four hexagrams, but in an important departure, the hexagrams in the newly discovered text are arranged in a systematic and logical way and, in many cases, are assigned different names. The line statements that accompany the hexagrams frequently differ from the received text. In addition, the Mawangdui version contains five new commentaries that had been lost for more than two thousand years, including the surprising discovery of a commentary that quotes Confucius extensively on how he had come to change his earlier, negative, views about the importance of the I Ching. The new material, the logical arrangement of the hexagrams, the more Taoist tone of the "Appended Judgments", the illuminating introduction and notes by Edward L. Shaughnessy and, above all, the lucid purity of his translation, make the Mawangdui I Ching a treasure. Readers who wish to use the hexagrams for divination will find this version more intriguing than even the previous text; scholars will derive new insights from the Mawangdui commentaries and from the "Appended Judgments," one of the most sophisticated and subtle essays in all of Chinese philosophy; admirers of world literature will cherish this volume as a work of timeless artistry.

I Ching (Classics of Ancient China)

Religion & Spirituality

Ballantine Books

The thousands of ritual bronze vessels discovered by China's archaeologists serve as the major documentary source for the Western Zhou dynasty (1045-771 B.C.). These vessels contain long inscriptions full of detail on subjects as diverse as the military history of the period, the bureaucratic structure of the royal court, and lawsuits among the gentry. Moreover, being cast in bronze, the inscriptions preserve exactly the contemporary script and language. Shaughnessy has written a meticulous and detailed work on the historiography and interpretation of these objects. By demonstrating how the inscriptions are read and interpreted, Shaughnessy makes accessible in English some of the most important evidence about life in ancient China.

Sources of Western Zhou History: Inscribed Bronze Vessels

History

Americas

University of California Press

The Cambridge History of Ancient China provides a survey of the cultural, intellectual, political, and institutional developments of the pre-imperial period. The four subperiods of Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States, are described on the basis of literary and material sources and the evidence of recently found manuscripts. Chapters on the prehistoric background, the growth of language, and relations with the peoples of Central Asia provide the major context of China's achievements in the 1,500 years under review. The teachings of China's early masters are set alongside what is known of the methods of astonomers, physicians and diviners. A final chapter leads the reader forward to imperial times, as described in the volumes of The Cambridge History of China.

The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC

Loewe, Michael

Asia

Cambridge University Press

Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics (Suny Chinese Philosophy and Culture) (English and Chinese Edition)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

State University of New York Press

Examines the original composition of China's oldest books, the Classic of Changes, the Venerated Documents, and the Classic of Poetry, and attempts to restore their original meanings. Edward L. Shaughnessy examines the original composition of China's oldest books, the Classic of Changes, the Venerated Documents, and the Classic of Poetry. By describing the original contexts in which these books were written and what they meant to their original authors and readers, this work sheds light on both the degree to which Chinese culture already was literate by 1000 BC, and also on how the later classical tradition eventually diverged from these origins. "What I like most is the wealth of detail and the meticulous attention to primary evidence, combined with an overall appreciation of the broader cultural and historical context of the problems that have defied solution for centuries. "The book is filled with original lines of inquiry and conclusions; the articles are of uncommon interest and intellectual challenge." -- John Knoblock, University of Miami "Shaughnessy has produced outstanding work and played a pioneering role in opening the field of Western Zhou studies. These essays represent the first broad exploration of pre-Classical China as a literary culture that created texts of generic diversity and of intellectual and aesthetic subtlety. His combination of precise scholarship and fresh imagination will stimulate students of history, literature, and religion alike." -- Robert Eno, Indiana University

Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics (Suny Series, Chinese Philosophy & Culture) (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Rewriting Early Chinese Texts (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Rewriting Early Chinese Texts examines the problems of reconstituting and editing ancient manuscripts that will revise indeed rewrite Chinese history. It is now generally recognized that the extensive archaeological discoveries made in China over the last three decades necessitate such a rewriting and will keep an army of scholars busy for years to come. However, this is by no means the first time China s historical record has needed rewriting. In this book, author Edward L. Shaughnessy explores the issues involved in editing manuscripts, rewriting them, both today and in the past. The book begins with a discussion of the difficulties encountered by modern archaeologists and paleographers working with manuscripts discovered in ancient tombs. The challenges are considerable: these texts are usually written in archaic script on bamboo strips and are typically fragmentary and in disarray. It is not surprising that their new editions often meet with criticism from other scholars. Shaughnessy then moves back in time to consider efforts to reconstitute similar bamboo-strip manuscripts found in the late third century in a tomb in Jixian, Henan. He shows that editors at the time encountered many of the same difficulties faced by modern archaeologists and paleographers, and that the first editions produced by a court-appointed team of editors quickly prompted criticism from other scholars of the time. Shaughnessy concludes with a detailed study of the editing of one of these texts, the Bamboo Annals (Zhushu jinian), arguably the most important manuscript ever discovered in China. Showing how at least two different, competing editions of this text were produced by different editors, and how the differences between them led later scholars to regard the original edition the only one still extant as a forgery, Shaughnessy argues for this text s place in the rewriting of early Chinese history."

Rewriting Early Chinese Texts (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy & Culture)

Ancient Civilizations

State Univ of New York Pr

Explores the rewriting of early Chinese texts in the wake of new archaeological evidence. Rewriting Early Chinese Texts examines the problems of reconstituting and editing ancient manuscripts that will revise―indeed “rewrite”―Chinese history. It is now generally recognized that the extensive archaeological discoveries made in China over the last three decades necessitate such a rewriting and will keep an army of scholars busy for years to come. However, this is by no means the first time China’s historical record has needed rewriting. In this book, author Edward L. Shaughnessy explores the issues involved in editing manuscripts, rewriting them, both today and in the past. The book begins with a discussion of the difficulties encountered by modern archaeologists and paleographers working with manuscripts discovered in ancient tombs. The challenges are considerable: these texts are usually written in archaic script on bamboo strips and are typically fragmentary and in disarray. It is not surprising that their new editions often meet with criticism from other scholars. Shaughnessy then moves back in time to consider efforts to reconstitute similar bamboo-strip manuscripts found in the late third century in a tomb in Jixian, Henan. He shows that editors at the time encountered many of the same difficulties faced by modern archaeologists and paleographers, and that the first editions produced by a court-appointed team of editors quickly prompted criticism from other scholars of the time. Shaughnessy concludes with a detailed study of the editing of one of these texts, the Bamboo Annals (Zhushu jinian), arguably the most important manuscript ever discovered in China. Showing how at least two different, competing editions of this text were produced by different editors, and how the differences between them led later scholars to regard the original edition―the only one still extant―as a forgery, Shaughnessy argues for this text’s place in the rewriting of early Chinese history.

A Brief History of Ancient China adapts a traditional Chinese historical format to present a multi-faceted account of the first two millennia of China's earliest history: from the time of the legendary rulers Yao and Shun (c. 2000 BCE) down to the end of the Qin dynasty (221-207 BCE).\nOrganised into five major sections, it examines the political shifts of the major dynasties, the histories of local states, and the lives of key individuals. Drawing on analysis of textual and visual materials, and a variety of English and non-English sources, Edward L. Shaughnessy offers detailed insight into the contemporary religious and philosophical landscape, governmental and legal practices, and innovations in writing, literature, and music.\nIncorporating recent developments in the field, this book draws on archaeological discoveries from the last century, and examines the lives of central female figures, and other groups who are often underrepresented.

A Brief History of Ancient China

Bloomsbury Academic

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Shaughnessy, Edward L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Shaughnessy, Edward L.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Shaughnessy, Edward L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Down the Nights and Down the Days: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility (Irish in America)

Down the Nights and Down the Days: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility (Irish in America)

I Ching (Classics of Ancient China)

Sources of Western Zhou History: Inscribed Bronze Vessels

The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC

Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics (Suny Chinese Philosophy and Culture) (English and Chinese Edition)

Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics (Suny Series, Chinese Philosophy & Culture) (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Rewriting Early Chinese Texts (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy & Culture)

Rewriting Early Chinese Texts (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

A Brief History of Ancient China