Fiction and Philosophy in the Zhuangzi : An Introduction to Early Chinese Taoist Thought

Brimming with mythical imagination, poetic sallies, and often ferociously witty remarks, the Zhuangzi is one of China’s greatest literary and philosophical masterpieces. Yet the complexities of this classical text can make it a challenging read. This English translation leads you confidently through the comic scenes and virtuoso writing style, introducing all the little stories Zhuangzi invented and unpicking its philosophical insights through close commentaries and helpful asides. Romain Graziani opens up the text as never before, showing how Zhuangzi uses the stories as an answer to Mencius’s conception of sacrifice and self-cultivation, restoring the critical interplay with Confucius’ Analects, and guiding you through the themes of the animal world, sacrifice, political violence, meditation, illness, and death. In Graziani’s translation, the co-founder of Taoism emerges as a remarkable thinker: a dedicated disparager of moral virtues who stubbornly resists any form of allegiance to social norms and the only Warring States figure to improvise with the darkest irony on the weaknesses of men and their docile subservience to the unquestioned authority of language. For anyone coming to Chinese philosophy or the Zhuangzi for the first time, this introduction and translation is a must-read, one that reminds us of the importance of thinking beyond our limited, everyday perspectives. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS FOREWORD Introduction PART ONE Humans versus Animals 1 Carving up a Myth in the Kitchens of Power Confucian gastronomy and the re-appropriation of the slogan “nurturing life” The discovery of a new form of self-cultivation Conclusion and overture 2 Zoocide: Zooming out for the Wild in the Zhuangzi Sacrificial, divinatory, and ritual uses of the animal realm Torturing turtles and gainsaying soothsaying Governing in music Who needs to “frighten the horses”? Like fish out of water, dribbling to survive Animal myths, nascent fiction, and the ideology of the sage Conclusion PART TWO Humans versus Death 3 One Monster, Two Mortals, and Myriad Metamorphoses A disconcerting accord The vitality of agony Death and the demiurge Forms and forces 4 Fun at the Funerals Two bright sparks play a joke on a bigot In a prig’s eye Final words on death in the Zhuangzi PART THREE Human versus Heaven 5 Ascesis and Ecstasy Misunderstanding on the Way “Dismissing life” The untraceable origin A lesson on all lessons 6 The Way of True Men Heaven and Human: the two modes of action Signs of Heaven in the body The dream, a nocturnal double of worry Food, between frugality and feast Respiration vs. perception Conclusion NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX "The Zhuangzi is one of China's greatest literary and philosophical masterpieces, yet its complexities make it a challenging read. This English translation leads you confidently through the comic scenes and virtuoso writing style, introducing all the little stories Zhuangzi invented and unpicking its philosophy through close commentaries and helpful asides. In Graziani's translation, the co-founder of Daoism emerges as a remarkable thinker. It is a must-read for anyone coming to Chinese philosophy or the Zhuangzi for the first time, and one that reminds us of the importance of thinking beyond our limited, everyday perspectives"-- Provided by publisher